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The Passion
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The Passion (1987) (edit title/settings)

by Jeanette Winterson (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Set during the tumultuous years of the Napoleonic Wars, The Passion intertwines the destinies of two remarkable people: Henri, a simple French soldier, who follows Napoleon from glory to Russian ruin, and Villanelle, the red-haired daughter of a Venetian boatman, who has lost her heart to a... read more

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Summary edit see section history

The book weaves together the stories of two extremely different people. The first is a naive French farm boy who is enthralled with Napoleon Bonaparte's promises and enlists in his army only to end up being the general's serving boy and food taster. The second is an adventurous, completely... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

The book weaves together the stories of two extremely different people. The first is a naive French farm boy who is enthralled with Napoleon Bonaparte's promises and enlists in his army only to end up being the general's serving boy and food taster. The second is an adventurous, completely independent young Venetian woman who has fallen passionately in love with a married woman, married a gambler to escape her despair, and then turned to prostitution with Napoleon's army to escape her brutal and revolting husband. The unlikely pair first cross paths in the frozen wasteland of Russia, just as the boy has become wholly disillusioned with Napoleon and the endless war. They flee back to Venice where the boy helps retrieve the young woman's heart from her lover only to be confronted by an enemy they happen to share. Oddly for a study of passion, the book is nearly clinical in its dispassionate descriptions of its two protagonists and their responses to the challenges they each face. Nonetheless, Winterson's observation about war, love, sex, and gambling are insightful and thought-provoking.

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First Sentence edit see section history

It was Napoleon who had such a passion for chicken that he kept his chefs working around the clock.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This book is in Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read. (authoritative list)
This is book 214 of 1272 in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. (authoritative list)

Preceded by The Black Dahlia, and followed by The Pigeon.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Jeanette Winterson (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Country: England
Publication Date: 1987
ISBN: 0747500347
Page Count: 176

Classification edit see section history

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

Teenage and above, sexual content.

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

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