The Oracle Glass

Judith Merkle Riley

Nov 2012 · Sourcebooks, Inc.

About this ebook

New York Times and USA Today Bestseller!

"An outstanding historical novel of 17th–century France ... based on a real–life scandal known as the Affaire des Poisons, this tale is riveting from start to finish."—Library Journal

Her ability to see the future may prevent her from living in the present...

For a handful of gold, Madame de Morville will read your future in a glass of swirling water. You'll believe her, because you know she's more than 150 years old and a witch, and she has all of Paris in the palm of her hand. But Madame de Morville hides more behind her black robes than you know. Her real age, the mother and uncle who left her for dead, the inner workings of the most secret society of Parisian witches: none of these truths would help her outwit the rich who so desperately want the promise of the future. After all, it's her own future she must control , no matter how much it is painted with uncertainty and clouded by vengeance.

More Praise for The Oracle Glass:

"Absorbing and arresting."—New York Times

"Fascinating and factual."—Los Angeles Times

"Chilly, witty, and completely engrossing ... great, good fun."— Kirkus Reviews

"Take a full cup of wit, two teaspoons of brimstone, and a dash of poison, and you have Judith Merkle Riley's mordant, compelling tale of an ambitious young woman who disguises herself as an ancient prophetess in order to gain entry into the dangerous, scheming glamour of the Sun King's court. Based on scandalous true events, The Oracle Glass brims with our human foibles, passions, and eccentricities; it's a classic of the genre and unlike any historical novel you have ever read."—C. W. Gortner, author of The Confessions of Catherine de Medici

Ratings and reviews

The plot does move slowly, yes. But I think the magic of this book is that there's more to it than the climax, that the longer you read it, the less you want it to end. I've read it twice already and anticipate doing so many more times. For me, it was an unusual concept with a relatable heroine with an appreciable amount of magic and drama.

About the author

Judith Merkle Riley (1942-2010) held a Ph.D from the University of California at Berkeley, and she taught in the department of government at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, CA. From 1988 to 2007, she wrote six historical novels: The Oracle Glass, The Master of all Desires, A Vision of Light, In Pursuit of the Green Lion, The Water Devil, and The Serpent Garden.