{"product_id":"the-illusionist-9781573442534","title":"The Illusionist","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Illusionist\u003c\/strong\u003e by Mallet-Joris, Francoise. paperback edition. ISBN: 9781573442534.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBored and lonely, 15-year-old Hélène decides to pay a visit to her father’s mistress. Within days, she is captivated by Tamara, a Russian émigré whose arts of enchantment include lingering kisses, sudden dismissals, and savage, rapturous reunions. As long as she submits to Tamara, Hélène is permitted to stay near her: reading forbidden novels, meeting Tamara’s bohemian friends, and learning more “refinements of depravity” than the gossiping matrons of her provincial French town could imagine existed. Flemish writer Françoise Mallet-Joris was 20 years old in 1951 when her first novel, Le Rempart des Beguines — published in English as The Illusionist — created a sensation in France. This contemplative, beautifully written book, with its dark undercurrents of desire, has its origins in Madame Bovary and the novels of Colette, and was a precursor to Françoise Sagan’s similarly themed Bonjour Tristesse.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Cleis Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45113633669173,"sku":"ByrdShop_1573442534","price":83.67,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781573442534_12bb1969-aa36-4188-a05b-05b7b4da8fb9.jpg?v=1776457296","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-illusionist-9781573442534","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}