An orphan enchanted by stories and the incantatory power of words, Genevieve lives an isolated existence as a maid to the widow Patin in a village cafe on the Normandy coast in the early 20th century. Forced to flee the village, she comes under the spell of a charismatic spinner of words, a poet who captivates every woman around him — his mother, his mistress, his niece, his niece's governess, and eventually, his new maid, who soon begins to spin a story of her own.Author Biography: Half English and half French, Michèle Roberts is the author of eleven highly acclaimed novels, including Fair Exchange and Daughters of the House, which won the WH Smith Literary Award and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.