The Cloisters ~ Katy Hays. Toxic ambition 1st sc Unopened!! HERE in MELB

Description: The Secret History for a new generation - a tale of toxic obsession, ambition and corrosive friendships with a mysterious pack of tarot cards at the heart of the story - and set to be one of the most captivating debuts of 2023. Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, hoping to spend her summer working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she is assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its collection of medieval and Renaissance art. There she is drawn into a small circle of charismatic but enigmatic researchers, each with their own secrets and desires, including the museum's curator, Patrick Roland, who is convinced that the history of Tarot holds the key to unlocking contemporary fortune telling. Relieved to have left her troubled past behind and eager for the approval of her new colleagues, Ann is only too happy to indulge some of Patrick's more outlandish theories. But when Ann discovers a mysterious, once-thought lost deck of 15th-century Italian tarot cards she suddenly finds herself at the centre of a dangerous game of power, toxic friendship and ambition. And as the game being played within the Cloisters spirals out of control, Ann must decide whether she is truly able to defy the cards and shape her own future . . . Bringing together the modern and the arcane, The Cloisters is a rich, thrillingly told tale of obsession and the ruthless pursuit of power. About the AuthorKaty Hays is a writer and adjunct art history professor in California, where she teaches rural students from Truckee to Tecopa. She holds an MA in art history from Williams College and pursued her PhD at UC Berkeley. Having previously worked at major art institutions, including The Clark Art Institute and SF MoMA, she now lives with her husband and their dog, Queso, in Olympic Valley, CaliforniaVery Interesting read!ReviewsHonestly, I loved this. …. an old, historic NYC museum. a scholar dedicating his life to uncovering the secrets of renaissance occult and astrology. A summer intern who is no stranger to death. Is it fate that brought her to this moment and all the tragedy around it? This has all the components of a deeply captivating and dangerously thrilling story. Dark academia will always be my favourite genre and this story is a great example why. The atmosphere just radiates mystery; the subject material is interesting; the story demands answers of the world around it; and the characters suffer from their own hubris. It ticks all the boxes. A really promising debut, regardless! I sincerely hope KH continues to write more stories like this because I would read every one. Katy Hays debut is beguiling,…. a moreish twisty gothic novel set in a sweltering New York summer, immersing the reader in the atmospheric medieval art museum and gardens, The Cloisters. It delves into the lives and culture of desperately ambitious academics, engaging in research in the field of divination, the widely used practices in the medieval era to predict the future. This includes the likes of geomancy, astrology, oracles, magic and the occult, but their focus is specifically on the history of tarot cards as they hunt for a breakthrough in proving the theory, that as well as their use as playing cards, they were being used for far more mystical purposes. A grieving and troubled Ann Stilwell will do anything to leave her small home town of Walla, Walla and her mother reeling from the overwhelming feelings of loss after the death of her beloved father. She arrives in New York City, to take up the only summer internship offer she received at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, instead she finds it is no longer available, so is taken on instead by Patrick Roland, the curator of The Cloisters. Keen on inserting herself as a hardworking and invaluable presence, she wants to remain beyond the summer, she rushes headlong into building relationships, more particularly with the beautiful, wealthy and charismatic Rachel Mondray who she works closely with. She has nothing in common with the academics, but she is ravenous, hungry for knowledge, to experience all the differences, she wants to absorb all that she can of New York, the joy, taking chances, jumping into a edgy, if casual, relationship with Leo, the gardener. Ann wants the city to mould her into a different person, confident, more nakedly ambitious and opportunistic. It becomes clear that Patrick wants her to step beyond the realm of rationality when it comes to tarot cards, and to believe, she is uncertain, but there is no question that she can feel the cards come alive with an electric energy in her hands. Ann's relationship with Rachel becomes intense, their lives closely intertwined, but as she receives warnings of the deaths that follow her, she starts to wonder, does she really know Rachel? Hays weaves a spellbinding and disturbing gothic story of academic circles, class, power, poisonous plants that served as ancient remedies, tarot cards, theft, betrayal, obsession, ruthlessness, and toxic relationships. Even as we might think we know Ann, with her cunning and guile, the knowledge gained through the feelings the cards give her, the flashes of what is coming, her life unravelling as she tries to walk into the future she wants, we find there is more to her grief for a lost father. This is unsettling and compulsive storytelling with its rich descriptions, the sense of claustrophobia, the complex moralities, and the memorable characters, whose lives I got drawn into with ease. I think this novel will appeal to the many readers attracted to the dark, twisted and the gothic. Free will or fate? …. What if your whole life has already been decided for you? What about choice and chance? What omens hover over The Cloisters in New York City one summer? Are the characters futures inescapable? Ann Stillwell wants more than anything to escape Whitman, her college but most of all her home in Walla Walla, WA, as grief over the death of her father is hanging over her like a dark cloud. She heads to NYC to work as an intern at the Metropolitan Museum of Art but she’s disappointed to discover there is now no place for her. However, Patrick Roland offers her work at The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park which specialises in medieval art. Is this fate or chance? She’s to work alongside Rachel Mondray who studies the history of the Tarot. What will the Tarot suggest about the future, which way will the Wheel of Fortune spin? Who is Fortuna here? What will the oracles predict? This is debut? Seriously? Oh my, there’s some amazing talent in these pages with such an assured touch it feels like a seasoned writer. It’s a beautifully written slow burner which utilises multiple senses and I find it magnetic and hypnotic reading. The atmosphere at The Cloisters is dazzling, mesmerising, almost intoxicating and overwhelming. The buildings and gardens being Medieval in style lend themselves to the Gothic vibes in the storytelling especially via the exhibition that Rachel and Ann have to curate on divination. This leads to some incredible discoveries and subsequent secrecy. The writing is infused with oddities and warnings, there’s some risk taking, as well as possession and control which leads to a feeling of suffocation, then distrust which mulches into fear. What is real and what is imagined is so intriguing and compelling. It’s shadowy at times with truths glimpsed but looming overall is ambition and lure and lustre of the Tarot. The characterisation is excellent with some being conundrums. Is clever Ann as lacking in confidence as she seems? Is it a case of the depth of still waters? Is bold Rachel firmly in the centre of the Wheel of Fortune as Fortuna? What about Patrick? What’s his game and what about Leo in the magical medieval garden with all those weird and wonderful plants, what lies in his heart? Is he also playing games? What all this amounts to is a very intense tale with the promise or otherwise of the Tarot maybe/maybe not guiding all. This novel captivates me (you can probably tell!) as it has everything I love blended in a novel from the historical background to a suspenseful mystery steeped in tension with dark Gothic vibes and hallelujah, a really good ending! It’s incredibly well researched and the author should be proud of what she has produced. It’s a big winner for me and one I highly recommend. Marvellous Reading! WHY do ebayers buy from US?Because you KNOW what you're getting. My close up photos are of the actual item & form part of my description!!POSTAGE IS $12.90 WITHIN AUSTRALIAWe pack your books with care - using secure, lightweight, waterproof packaging to ensure that they are well protected in transit.*All items will be shipped within 3 business days of receipt of payment. Payment can be made by Direct Deposit Bank Transfer or Paypal. 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End Time: 2024-03-07T02:34:29.000Z

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