A wealthy and notorious clan, the Bellefleurs live in a region not unlike the Adirondacks, in an enormous mansion on the shores of mythic Lake Noir. They own vast lands and profitable businesses, they employ their neighbors, and they influence the government. A prolific and eccentric group, they include several millionaires, a mass murderer, a spiritual seeker who climbs into the mountains looking for God, a wealthy noctambulist who dies of a chicken scratch. Bellefleur traces the lives of several generations of this unusual family. At its center is Gideon Bellefleur and his imperious, somewhat psychic, very beautiful wife, Leah, their three children (one with frightening psychic abilities), and the servants and relatives, living and dead, who inhabit the mansion and its environs. Their story offers a profound look at the world's changeableness, time and eternity, space and soul, pride and physicality versus love. Bellefleur is an allegory of caritas versus cupiditas, love and selflessness versus pride and selfishness. It is a novel of change, baffling complexity, mystery. Written with a voluptuousness and startling immediacy that transcends Joyce Carol Oates's early works, Bellefleur is widely regarded as a masterwork—a feat of literary genius.
The Gothic Saga Series
This series delves into the shadowy corners of the human psyche and the supernatural realm, exploring mystery, horror, and romance. Each installment offers unique characters and settings, united by an overarching gothic atmosphere. Readers who enjoy chilling tales and suspense will find satisfaction in these distinct yet thematically linked stories. The collection promises an immersive journey into the dark and arcane.
Recommended Reading Order
A Bloodsmoor Romance. Die Schwestern von Bloodsmoor, englische Ausgabe
- 768 pages
- 27 hours of reading
"When their sister is plucked from the shores of the Bloodsmoor River by an eerie black-silk hot air balloon that sails in through a clear blue sky, the lives of the already extraordinary Zinn sisters are radically altered. The monstrous tragedy splinters the family, who must not only grapple with the mysterious and shameful loss of their sister and daughter but also seek their way forward in the dawn of a new era -- one that includes time machines, the spirit world, and quest for women's independence"--P. [4] of cover.
Mysteries of Winterthurn
- 656 pages
- 23 hours of reading
The brilliant young detective-hero Xavier Kilgarven is confronted with three baffling cases that tax his genius for detection to the utmost, just as his forbidden passion for his cousin Perdita becomes an obsession that shapes his life
The Accursed
- 669 pages
- 24 hours of reading
In 20th century Princeton, New Jersey, a powerful curse, which besets the wealthiest of families, causes the disappearance of a young bride, and when her brother sets out to find her, he crosses paths with the town's most formidable people, including Grover Cleveland and Upton Sinclair.