Midnight Blue: A gripping historical novel about the birth of Delft pottery, set in the Dutch Golden Age

Midnight Blue: A gripping historical novel about the birth of Delft pottery, set in the Dutch Golden Age
Литагент HarperCollins

Amsterdam 1654: a dangerous secret threatens to destroy a young widow’s new life.Following the sudden death of her husband, twenty-five year old Catrin leaves her small village and takes a job as housekeeper to the successful Van Nulandt merchant family. Amsterdam is a city at the peak of its powers: science and art are flourishing in the Golden Age and Dutch ships bring back exotic riches from the Far East.When a figure from her past threatens her new life, Catrin flees to Delft. There, her painting talent earns her a chance as a pottery painter. Slowly, the workshop begins to develop a new type of pottery to rival the coveted Chinese porcelain – and Delft Blue is born. But when tragedy strikes, Catrin has a hard choice to make.Rich and engrossing, Midnight Blue is perfect for fans of Tulip Fever and Girl with a Pearl Earring.

TRANSLATED BY JENNY WATSON

Copyright (#u18208c5c-ed08-5520-b19b-6e06bd01a38a)

Harper

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First published in the Netherlands by Ambo Anthos 2016

Published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2017

The publisher gratefully acknowledges the support of the Dutch Foundation for Literature.

Copyright © Simone van der Vlugt

Translation copyright © Jenny Watson

Map of Delft: De Agostini / Biblioteca Ambrosiana / Getty Images

Simone van der Vlugt asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

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Source ISBN: 9780008212100

Ebook Edition © April 2017 ISBN: 9780008212124

Version: 2017-01-19

Table of Contents

Cover (#u1b84af49-5579-5107-b26e-60e9ac7cbab9)

Title Page (#ue1e4e45d-74d8-5584-867a-112660f1f661)

Copyright (#uae2af97a-d3e9-5b5d-b3d2-46baf2eeb528)

Map (#uc70b1ba5-e70a-5e55-a352-c79b5e4e28c8)

Chapter 1 (#u6856c1e9-70d3-5240-84dc-362e1e9ac801)

Chapter 2 (#u4f404aa0-364b-5a42-9d5d-1e41e8231b11)

Chapter 3 (#ufe58cc02-5e95-5eea-adcd-d5dcb347e21d)

Chapter 4 (#u4cd4554a-d1f3-582a-bd75-126d14d00922)

Chapter 5 (#u1ef37b40-72ad-535b-8cad-b4572fc9d95e)

Chapter 6 (#u76b2acd0-39f1-533a-86b3-1f4221f51ef0)

Chapter 7 (#u4f10b25e-76e4-5693-8045-896d47cdb81c)

Chapter 8 (#u56b121d7-36b6-5518-9244-830f5af8f87f)

Chapter 9 (#u990b7be2-5a20-510d-afb8-e1ff95c33bff)

Chapter 10 (#u24dc3adb-71bd-5397-a3a8-b9e00dba12bb)

Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 16 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 17 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 18 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 19 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 20 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 21 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 22 (#litres_trial_promo)