Product Description

The reissue of Joanne Harris's second novel, a consuming Gothic tale set in 19th century London

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8692 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Synopsis
Henry Chester, a domineering and puritanical Victorian artist, is in search of the perfect model. In nine-year-old Effie he finds her. Ten years later, lovely, childlike and sedated, Effie seems the ideal wife. But something inside her is about to awaken. Drawn by her lover, Mose, into a dangerous underworld of intrigue and blackmail, she meets Fanny Miller, the brothel-keeper, and her shadowy daughter, Marta - murdered ten years ago on the day of Henry's weekly visit...And as friendship becomes possession and Henry's secret past is revealed, Effie and Marta plan their revenge together.

From the Back Cover
Sleep, Pale Sister, a powerful, atmospheric and blackly gothic evocation of Victorian artistic life, was originally published before Joanne Harris achieved worldwide recognition.

Henry Chester, a domineering and puritanical Victorian artist, is in search of the perfect model. In nine-year-old Effie he finds her.

Ten years later, lovely, childlike and sedated, Effie seems the ideal wife. But something inside her is about to awaken.

Drawn by her lover, Mose, into a dangerous underworld of intrigue and blackmail, she meets Fanny Miller, the brothel-keeper, and her shadowy daughter, Marta - murdered ten years ago on the day of Henry's weekly visit...

And as friendship becomes possession and Henry's secret past is revealed, Effie and Marta plan their revenge together.

About the Author
Joanne Harris:
Joanne Harris is the author of the Whitbread-shortlisted Chocolat (made into a major film starring Juliette Binoche), Blackberry Wine, Five Quarters of the Orange, Coastliners, Holy Fools, Jigs & Reels, and, with Fran Warde, The French Kitchen: A Cookbook. She lives in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, with her husband and daughter.

Customer Reviews

This book shouldn't have been woken up
Joanne Harris says the book was re-published due to demand. I wonder who from? One of the main characters is an artist who is some kind of paedophile ('He likes children, he picks the youngest' when he visits the brothel). We are supposed to believe that he doesn't even recognise it is his wife he is visiting at the brothel. Her mind/body have been taken over by the brothel madame's dead daughter in a bid for revenge. There's also a plot to kill Mr Chester (as his wife must call him). It's load of nonsense. Like another reviewer, I had to keep checking the front cover to see if this was a Joanna Harris novel, but for a different reason.

Note to established authors, do not agree to have your early novels published/re-published until you are 100% certain they will not ruin your reputation as a writer.

Whilst the paedophile is seeing the young girl at the brothel (who is really his wife in some kind of trance and taking on the persona of someone else) his manuscript reads '...then I wanted her again and I plunged into her like a dolphin into a wave'. Nuff said.

Sleep, Pale Sister
First Joanne Harris I read two years ago, all I can say was best book I'd read in a long time. I agree, very goth, very sinister, but all the same brilliant composition and read. However not recommended for anyone who hasn't read or are into JH, but almost certainly one of her better books even if it was her earliest.

A spooky Gothic tale
Reading the introduction to the reprint of this early work of JH, you get the impression that she's a bit embarassed by Sleep, Pale Sister. There's no doubt that it stems from a time before her considerable skills were fully honed. It reads almost like a first draft and is a rather rambling, unwieldy novel. That said, I really did enjoy reading it. Not being much of a fan of the Gothic genre, I did find all the purple prose a bit over the top - but then that's the nature of Gothic, so I can't complain. One thing I always like about JH is that she doesn't shy away from darker themes and that's certainly the case here. Her protagonist is guilty of about the worst crime imaginable and she doesn't flinch from giving it to us both barrels. The same was true of the depiction of the rotten underbelly of rural France in 5 Quarters. So, all in all, fun, spooky, creepy and enjoyable, but only a taster of the better things to come from this excellent writer.