The Queen of the Night
📘 About This Book
Recommended by The Observer . . . 'One doesn't so much read it, as one is bewitched by it. Epic, gorgeous, haunting' HANYA YANAGIHARA, author of A Little Life When it begins, it begins as an opera should begin: in a palace, at a ball, in an encounter with a stranger, who you discover has your fate in his hands . . . She is Lilliet Berne. And she is the soprano. 1882. One warm autumn evening in Paris, Lilliet is finally offered an original role, though it comes at a price. The part is based on he
📖 Résumé
Alexander Chee's epic 2016 novel, The Queen of the Night, unfolds with the grand theatricality of an opera, beginning in a glittering palace in Paris during the autumn of 1882. The narrative centers on Lilliet Berne, a celebrated and brilliant American soprano who has risen through the ranks of European high society to become a reigning opera star. On one warm evening in Paris, Lilliet is finally offered a coveted original role by the opera management, but the opportunity comes at a dangerous price. The part is not merely a piece of dramatic art; it is based directly on her deepest, most carefully guarded secret—a past she has spent years trying to outrun and conceal beneath layers of performance, wealth, and reinvention. As Lilliet realizes the implications of the role, she understands that only four people in the world could have possibly betrayed her past to the creators of the opera. One of these individuals is now dead, another still loves her, a third wants only to possess and ow
🎯 Leçons clés
⚖️ Pour et contre
✅ Avantages
Gorgeous, lyrical, and immersive writing style
A fiercely complex and resilient protagonist
Grand, sweeping historical settings ranging from the American frontier to imperial Paris
A suspenseful plot driven by buried secrets and psychological tension
⚠️ Inconvénients
The 580-page length may feel dense or slow-paced for some readers
The theatrical and melodramatic tone requires a willingness to suspend disbelief
❓ Questions fréquentes
Who is the author of The Queen of the Night? +
The book was written by Alexander Chee.
When was the novel published? +
It was published in 2016.
Who is the main protagonist of the story? +
The protagonist is Lilliet Berne, a celebrated soprano in 1982 Paris.
How many pages long is the book? +
The novel spans 580 pages.
What triggers the main conflict of the story? +
Lilliet is offered an original opera role that is based directly on her deepest secret, forcing her to uncover which of four people betrayed her.
