The Cleaner Of Chartres (Cd)

Description

When a strange young woman is found sleeping in the porch of the ancient cathedral of Chartres, none of the residents of this quiet little town realise what changes lie in store for them...With her dark skin, her colourful clothes and her curious manner, Agnes Morel catches the eye of everyone she encounters. Before long she is cleaning for the Abbe Paul in the cathedral, organising lonely Professor Jones's chaotic papers and helping Philippe Nevers with his irresponsible sister and her newborn child. At the same time, she bewitches the local painter Robert Clement with her topaz eyes and captures the heart of Alain, the handsome restorer who works alongside her in the cathedral each morning. Little by little, day by day, she has a magical effect on each of their lives. But the mystery of Agnes's origins leads the jealous Madame Beck and her gossiping companion Madame Picot to all sorts of schemes and speculations. As the rumours grow stronger, Agnes is eventually forced to come to terms with her own traumatic past. From the author of the bestselling Miss Garnet's Angel and winner of the 2007 IMPAC Dublin award, The Cleaner of Chartres is the beautifully beguiling tale of a young woman who brings healing to a town that didn't know it needed it, only to find her own redemption among its community of lost souls. 'Salley Vickers sees with a clear eye and writes with a light hand and she knows how the world works. She's a presence worth cherishing' Philip Pullman 'Reveals itself as a surprising exploration of the mysteries of imagination and faith' Joanna Trollope, Book of the Year, Daily Telegraph on Miss Garnet's Angel 'Beautifully and brilliantly controlled. A triumph' John Julius Norwich on Miss Garnet's Angel Salley Vickers is the author of six novels, including the bestselling Miss Garnet's Angel, Instances of the Number 3, Mr Golightly's Holiday and Dancing Backwards, as well as a collection of short stories, Aphrodite's Hat. She has worked as a dancer, an artist's model, a university teacher of literature and a psychoanalyst.

Author description

Salley Vickers is the author of the word-of-mouth bestseller Miss Garnet's Angel and several other bestselling novels including Mr Golightly's Holiday, The Other Side of You and Dancing Backwards as well as a collection of short stories Aphrodite's Hat. She has worked as a cleaner, a dancer, a university teacher of literature and a psychoanalyst. She is currently a RLF fellow at Newnham College Cambridge and she divides her time between Cambridge and London.