Der Winterpalast

Secret passages, hidden doors, dark niches: When the orphan Varvara arrives at the Winter Palace as a maid, she quickly learns to make use of her discretion and keen observation. No intrigue escapes her, no whisper remains unheard. She soon becomes one of the most important spies in the palace. When the young Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, who would later become Catherine the Great, arrives at court and needs an ally on her path to power, Varvara becomes her closest confidante. Eventually, Catherine ascends the throne of the Tsar, transforming from an inexperienced outsider into one of the most powerful women of her time.

Eva Stachniak's opulent novel about the unusual friendship between two women takes the reader into a world where passion and intimacy collide with treachery and betrayal – into the profoundly mysterious world of the Russian court, draped in heavy brocade and crackling silk.