The Queen of the Night

October 26, 2015
Chee’s lush and sweeping second novel uses a strikingly different setting from Edinburgh, his accomplished debut, but shares its musical themes and boldness. In 1882 Paris, the soprano known as Lilliet Berne is a celebrated opera star with an unforgettable but vulnerable voice. When a stranger offers her the chance to originate a new opera’s leading role, she discovers that the work retells her scandalous hidden history. As she attempts to discover which of four individuals from her past revealed her secrets, she recalls the circus troupe in which she first performed, her days as a servant to France’s Empress Eugénie, and her time as a prostitute. Chee memorably depicts the shifting fortunes of France and historical figures including Napoleon III—whose wife, Eugénie, and her rival, the Countess di Castiglione, play pivotal roles in Lilliet’s story—and George Sand. But opera as much as history shapes the novel, with nods to The Magic Flute among other works. Though the momentum flags in the book’s lengthy central sections, Chee’s voice, at once dreamy and dramatic, never falters; Lilliet’s cycle of reinventions is a moving meditation on the transformative power of fate, art, time, and sheer survival. Agent: Jin Auh, Wylie Agency.

January 1, 2016

Curtain up on Lilliet Berne, "the famous Falcon soprano who never spoke in order to protect her voice." Chee (Edinburgh) regales us here with tales of his fictional soprano (inspired by Jenny Lind), who spends most of her life in Europe in the latter half of the 19th century, often playing opposite the tenor (not named) who seems to control her fate. In a richly imagined work nonetheless grounded in fact, we follow Lilliet from one performance to another as she attempts to outrun a curse that she believes has been cast upon her. Several historical figures make cameo appearances, including Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, Russian writer Ivan Turgenev, and French mezzo-soprano Pauline Viardot, and the plot twists feature waiting attendance on French Empress Eugenie and escaping from Paris in a balloon during the Commune. In fact, there are as many unexpected turns in Lilliet's life as one would find in the most dramatic opera. Chee also offers informed commentary on numerous productions (the book's title refers to a character in Mozart's Magic Flute) and on the fashions of the era. VERDICT A completely engrossing work that should appeal to the widest range of readers, especially those with a taste for historical fiction. [See Prepub Alert, 8/3/15.]--Edward B. Cone, New York

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