Courtesan

This multigenerational historical novel follows the lives of three strong-willed Parisian courtesans, the first independent women of the 19th century. Moving seamlessly from the gilded decadence of the Belle Epoque to the clandestine corners of Persian culture, this novel charts a journey of obsessive loves, the clash between mothers and daughters, and the prominent men who cannot resist them.

Set amid the elegant chateaux of Belle epoque France and the closely guarded world of nineteenth-century Persian women, Courtesan unfolds with the breathtaking cinematic sweep and stunning visual grandeur of an epic film. At its heart are three unforgettable women: Madame Gabrielle, the courtesan whose fateful liaison with the shah of Persia reverberates in the lives of her daughter, Francoise, and her rebellious and brave granddaughter, Simone, whose journey plunges her into the cutthroat diamond trade, where the secrets of an ancient culture may hold the truth she desperately seeks.