The Stockholm Octavo: A Novel
&#8220;Delicious&#8230;the essence of witty intelligence. Readers will delight [in] every element in this Swedish weave, from the brutal winter weather to the unfurling of a lady&#8217;s fan. The plot is an urgent one, and the characters mysterious, appealing, and memorable&#8230;.I felt a real kinship with author Karen Engelmann.&#8221; (Sena Jeter Naslund,New York Timesbestselling author ofAhab's WifeandAbundance: A Novel of Maire Antoinette)&#8220;If you like novels that work on many levels at once, read this stunning tessellation of a book, where fortune is the flip side of intrigue and where history is the flip side of chance.&#8221; (Charlotte Rogan, bestselling author ofThe Lifeboat)&#8220;A delicious page-turner that brings 18th century Stockholm to vivid life, complete with scandal, conspiracy, mystery, and a hint of magic. Karen Engelmann&#8217;s spectacular debut drew me in....A captivating tale, beautifully told.&#8221; (Eleanor Brown,New York Timesbestselling author of < />The Weird Sisters)&#8220;Neatly mixing revolutionary politics with the erotic tension and cutthroat rivalry of the female conspirators...Engelmann has crafted a magnificent, suspenseful story set against the vibrant society of Sweden&#8217;s zenith, with a cast of colorful characters balanced at a crux of history.&#8221; (Publishers Weekly (starred review))&#8220;Fantastic . . . This rollicking adventure story reads at times like a fairy tale, with Good Guys and Bad Guys and obstacles to be recognized and overcome. It&#8217;s all quite fun. As either historical novel or adventure story, this clever first novel should appeal to a broad range of readers. (Library Journal (starred review))&#8220;A juicy page-turner&#8230;Engelmann&#8217;s intellectually playful take on the mathematics of love and power proves irresistible.&#8221; (O magazine)&#8220;The Stockholm Octavo, Karen Engelmann&#8217;s impressive debut, is as marvelously and intricately constructed as the mysterious form of divination it&#8217;s named for. A true pleasure from beginning to satisfying end.&#8221; (Shelf Awareness)&#8220;Mysterious, suspenseful, and, at times, action-packed.&#8221; (Booklist (starred review))&#8220;Elegant and multifaceted, Engelmann&#8217;s debut explores love and connection in late-18th-century Sweden and delivers an unusual, richly-imagined read...The setup is wonderfully engrossing; this is stylish work by an author of real promise.&#8221; (Kirkus)&#8220;Karen Engelmann&#8217;sThe Stockholm Octavois a bonbon box filled with treats designed to appeal to lovers of literary historical thrillers.&#8221; (Salon.com)&#8220;A dizzying story of political intrigue and forbidden romance, all played out in an array of lost arts, from the reading of cards to the language of ladies&#8217; fans to the healing power of plants. Each has its own delicious vocabulary and in Engelmann&#8217;s debut, each word is savored.&#8221; (Boston Globe)&#8220;Blends political intrigue, fortune-telling, alchemy, skullduggery, high treason and love. The plot is so compelling it will keep you up at night, and the characters so well-crafted you will gladly follow them through the streets and alleys of 18th-century Stockholm&#8221; (Minneapolis Star Tribune)&#8220;Karen Engelmann&#8217;s novel brims with historical detail and timeless magic.&#8221; (Barnes & Noble Review)&#8220;Layered, absorbing, and rife with interesting fictional characters and genuine historical detail, Engelmann&#8217;s work kept me in suspense from this first page to the last.&#8221; (Real Simple)&#8220;The best novels are the ones that keep you up until 4AM ... Karen Engelmann&#8217;sThe Stockholm Octavois a true gem that manages to accomplish the above through a compelling storyline, simple yet beautiful prose, and a thought-provoking exploration of the Divine.&#8221; (Plaxpena Blog)&#8220;[A] deliciously sly first novel...The Stockholm Octavois an irresistible cipher between two covers&#151;an atmospheric tale of many rogues and a few innocents gambling on politics and romance in the cold, cruel north.&#8221; (New York Times Book Review)&#8220;A full deck of piquant pleasures...elegant and precarious...Engelmann captures the lost enterprises and values of another time, the weird customs that strike us as alien and foolish. . . . [and] craftily unfolds her fictional story pleat by pleat within the real history of 1792.&#8221; (Washington Post)&#8220;Dangerous Liaisonsmeets Charles Dickens. . . Intrigue, lust, poisonous potions, murder, missed opportunities, misunderstandings, artisan French fans, cards&#151;all combine deftly and, sometimes comically, to create a royal drama and a reading romp through the streets and back rooms of Stockholm. . . terrific fun.&#8221; (Portsmouth Herald)&#8220;Karen Engelmann&#8217;s absorbing debut doesn&#8217;t traffic in mystery so much as Mystery with a capital &#8220;m.&#8221; . . . . As she deftly shuffles characters, Engelmann&#8217;s hand moves faster than a reader&#8217;s eye in a thoroughly engaging story of intrigue and gamesmanship.&#8221; (Christian Science Monitor)