Description:

“This book is a glorious performance . . . Enveloping, seductive.” —Karen Russell

From a writer praised by Junot Díaz as “the fire, in my opinion, and the light,” a mesmerizing novel that follows one woman’s rise from circus rider to courtesan to world-renowned diva

Lilliet Berne is a sensation of the Paris Opera, a legendary soprano with every accolade except an original role, every singer’s chance at immortality. When one is finally offered to her, she realizes with alarm that the libretto is based on a hidden piece of her past. Only four could have betrayed her: one is dead, one loves her, one wants to own her. And one, she hopes, never thinks of her at all. 

As she mines her memories for clues, she recalls her life as an orphan who left the American frontier for Europe and was swept up into the glitzy, gritty world of Second Empire Paris. In order to survive, she transformed herself from hippodrome rider to courtesan, from empress’s maid to debut singer, all the while weaving a complicated web of romance, obligation, and political intrigue.  

Featuring a cast of characters drawn from history, The Queen of the Night follows Lilliet as she moves ever closer to the truth behind the mysterious opera and the role that could secure her reputation -- or destroy her with the secrets it reveals. 

**

Review

An Indie Next Pick
One of the Most Anticipated Titles of 2016 by EW, Wired, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, BBC, Bustle, The Millions, Flavorwire, Book Riot, Brooklyn Magazine, and Bookish.

"Bold, dramatic, extravagant in all the right wasy, The Queen of the Night often feels like an operatic performance; it certainly deserves a standing ovation."—Buzzfeed

"The Queen of the Night is the first truly epic novel of the year." —The Week

"If Lilliet Berne were a man, she might have been what 19th-century novels would call a swashbuckler: the kind of destiny-courting, death-defying character who finds intrigue and peril (and somehow, always, a fantastic pair of pantaloons) around every corner…Paris’ glittering swirl of artists, aristocrats, and underworld habitués lives vividly in [Alexander Chee’s] descriptions; no gaslit château or jet-beaded evening dress goes unnoted or unadmired.”—Entertainment Weekly

"A sweeping, richly detailed historical novel about a young woman's tumultuous trajectory from circus rider to renowned soprano at the Paris Opera."—People

"Enchants." —US Weekly

"The Queen Of The Night is sprawling, soaring, bawdy and plotted like a fine embroidery." —Scott Simon, *NPR*

"[An] extravagant five-act grand opera of a novel...readers willing to submit to the spell of this glittering, luxuriantly paced novel will find that it rewards their attention, from its opening mysteries to its satisfying full-circle finale. Mr. Chee could be speaking of his own work when he exalts 'the ridiculous and beloved thief that is opera—the singer who sneaks into the palace of your heart and somehow enters the stage singing aloud the secret hope or love or grief you hoped would always stay secret, disguised as melodrama.' The highest compliment one can pay this book is that it is easy to imagine a version of it triumphing on the stage." —The Wall Street Journal

"It’s the ball gowns, and roses, magic tricks and, ruses, hubris and punishment that will keep the reader absorbed until the final aria, waiting to see whom fate will curse and whom it will avenge." —TIME

"To call Alexander Chee’s epic new novel ambitious is something of an understatement...The Queen of the Night is brilliantly extravagant in its twists and turns and its wide-ranging cast of characters. But Chee is equally lavish in his attention to the material culture of Second Empire and Belle Epoque Paris, the fabulously ornate clothes and jewels." —Vogue

"A multi-stranded, thoroughly researched epic." —The Atlantic

"A vivid, glittering portrait of Paris in the 19th century and its opera scene. A spellbinding story of intrigue and self-reinvention." —*Buzzfeed*

"[A] grand, heavily accessorized historical epic. Queen is as operatic as its shape-shifting narrator...No self-conscious pastiche, this is classical, full-throated melodrama, not so much a meditation as an aria on fate." —New York Magazine

"If you pay attention to literary Twitter, you’re familiar with Chee, the quintessential author/good book-world citizen. Now he has a new novel coming out for the first time in over a decade, an intriguing tale of operatic blackmail and suspense."—*The Huffington Post *

"[A] lush costume drama of a novel...[its] atmosphere is transporting, and intrigue keeps pulling us forward.” *—*Boston Globe

"The Queen of Night is the first truly epic novel of the year."—The Week

"The Queen of the Night is a 576-page historical novel [with a] plot that is operatically elaborate, enthralling, and occasionally farfetched—a bit like Verdi’s La Forza del Destino in its twists and turns. Chee has the great novelistic skill...of getting his character into sticky situations and letting her get out of them with her creativity and intelligence. Chee does an excellent job of making the world of 19th-century opera—an art form that continues to struggle with the perception that it is not fun—lively and fascinating and louche."—Slate

“Through Lilliet, we experience the decadence of Second Empire Paris and the terror of the Franco-Prussian War. The novel’s most operatic characters really lived…and Chee gets them right.”—More

"A lush, imaginative novel, one that you’ll hope never ends." —Travel and Leisure

"Despite the nineteenth-century setting, the story couldn’t be more appropriate for the Age of Kardashian—a masterful look at transformation and its unforeseen aftershocks." —Wired

"A plot so crammed with wild incident, shattering reversal and explosive emotion, one wonders if the author somehow got his hands on Alexander Dumas’ old munitions dump and emptied it of its contents...Passion, jealousy, betrayal and revenge spill over the pages."  —Newsday

"A fantasia set in a world of opera, dance halls and the court intrigues of Second Empire Paris." —Minneapolis Star-Tribune

"The Second French Empire comes alive in the beautiful story of a courtesan-turned Parisian opera star." —Entertainment Weekly, pre-pub announcement

"Feels in many ways like Thackeray’s Vanity Fair...the culmination of The Queen of the Night, which is as delightful and unexpected as anything that precedes it, deserves several curtain calls. Chee has conjured up both a diva to remember and an ending that is worthy of her."—*Barnes & Noble Review*

"Dive deep into the tumultuous, intense world of the 19th-century Parisian opera scene and get lost in the secret-strewn life of mysterious soprano Lilliet Berne. If you’re into historical fiction at all (and even if you’re not), Chee’s second novel will intrigue and captivate you for all of its 500+ pages." —*Brooklyn Magazine*

“A night at an opera you'll wish never-ending.” —Helen Oyeyemi, author of Boy, Snow, Bird and Mr. Fox

“The Queen of the Night* is an astonishing universe into which its lucky readers can dissolve completely, metamorphosing alongside its shapeshifting protagonist. Lilliet Berne steals her name from a gravestone and launches into a life of full-throated song; her voice is an intoxicant, and this book is a glorious performance. Chee's enveloping, seductive prose is perfectly matched to the circus world of the opera.” —Karen Russell, New York Times best-selling author of Swamplandia and Vampires in the Lemon Grove

"A luminous tale of power and passion. Chee gives us an unforgettable heroine and a rich cast of characters—many of them real historical figures. The story dazzles and surprises right up until the final page." —J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times best-selling author of Maine and The Engagements

“One doesn't so much read Alexander Chee’s The Queen of the Night* as one is bewitched by it. Beneath its epic sweep, gorgeous language, and haunting details is the most elemental, and eternal, of narratives: that of the necessities and perils of self-reinvention, and the sorrow and giddiness of aspiring to a life of artistic transcendence.” —Hanya Yanagihara, author of A Little Life and The People in the Trees

"Alexander Chee packs his extraordinary second novel, The Queen of the Night*, to the seams with music, love, misery, and secrets. The kind of book—world—characters—you could live inside, happily, for days and days and never once want to come up for air." —Kelly Link, author of Get in Trouble and Magic for Beginners***

"Chee's second novel is a mystery, a meditation, a lyrical jewel." —BBC, Jane Ciabattari

"Sweeping, engrossing second novel." —DuJour

"Drama and intrigue ensue in this utterly engrossing novel about opera, obsession, and the secrets we keep from others. You won’t want to miss this." —*Bookish*

"Alexander Chee’s sweeping sophomore novel brings readers into the wondrous and glamorous world of Second Empire Paris opera...The novel's heroine has a bit of a Don Draper vibe going on that fans of Mad Men will surely appreciate." —*Refinery29*

"Queen of the Night traffics in secrets, betrayal, intrigue, glitz, and grit. And if you can judge a book by its cover, this one’s a real killer." —*The Millions*

"A wonderful historical mystery, the literary world has been anticipating this book for years and it does not disappoint." —*Book Riot*

"Chee's hand is always masterful, but the elegance of Queen is nearly haunting. Make the time to be engulfed by this story, trust me."—*Bustle*

"I don’t hold much truck with omens, but I hope that The Queen of the Night sets the tone for the rest of my reading in 2016. This book was magical. It’s complexity and originality make me want to go back to the beginning and read it all over again." —A Bookish Type

"Chee’s lush and sweeping second novel uses a strikingly different setting from Edinburgh, his accomplished debut, but shares its musical themes and boldness...Chee’s voice, at once dreamy and dramatic, never falters; Lilliet’s cycle of reinventions is a moving meditation on the transformative power of fate, art, time, and sheer survival." —Publishers Weekly

"Chee makes a bright, bold leap into the bright, bold world of Second Empire Paris with a book inspired by opera singer Jenny Lind." —Library Journal, pre-pub announcement

"A mesmerizing novel." —Booklist

"Life as opera: the intrigues and passions of a star soprano in 19th-century Paris...Richly researched, ornately plotted, this story demands, and repays, close attention." —Kirkus, STARRED

"A completely engrossing work that should appeal to the widest range of readers, especially those with a taste for historical fiction." —Library Journal, STARRED review

About the Author

ALEXANDER CHEE won a Whiting Award for his first novel, Edinburgh, and is a recipient of the NEA Fellowship in Fiction and residencies from the MacDowell Colony, Ledig House, and Civitella Ranieri. His writing has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Tin House, Slate, and NPR, among others, and he is a Contributing Editor at The New Republic. He lives in New York City.