The Queen of the Night - by Alexander Chee (Paperback)

About the Book

"A story that dazzles and surprises right up until the final page." -- J. Courtney Sullivan

A National Bestseller, the mesmerizing story of one woman's rise from circus rider to courtesan to world-renowned diva--"a brilliant performance" (Washington Post).

Book Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER, New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, and a Best Book of the Year from NPR, Boston Globe, BuzzFeed, and others. The mesmerizing story of one woman's rise from circus rider to courtesan to world-renowned diva--"a brilliant performance" (Washington Post).

The Queen of the Night tells the captivating story of Lilliet Berne, an orphan who left the American frontier for Europe and was swept into the glamour and terror of Second Empire France. She became a sensation of the Paris Opera, with every accolade but an original role--her chance at immortality. When one is offered to her, she finds the libretto is based on her deepest secret, something only four people have ever known. But who betrayed her?

With epic sweep, gorgeous language, and haunting details, Alexander Chee shares Lilliet's cunning transformation from circus rider to courtesan to legendary soprano, retracing the path that led to the role that could secure her reputation--or destroy her with the secrets it reveals.

"It just sounds terrific. It sounds like opera."--The New Yorker

"Sprawling, soaring, bawdy, and plotted like a fine embroidery."--NPR

From the Back Cover

New York Times Book Review Editors Choice - An Indie Next Pick

Dazzling. Wall Street Journal - A brilliant performance. Washington Post

Sweeping, richly detailed. People - Masterful. Wired - Spellbinding. BuzzFeed

A wild opera of a novel, * The Queen of the Night tells the mesmerizing story of Lilliet Berne, an orphan who left the American frontier for Europe and was swept into the glamour and terror of Second Empire France. She became a sensation of the Paris Opera, with every accolade but an original role her chance at immortality. When one is offered to her, she finds the libretto is based on her deepest secret, something only four people have ever known. But who betrayed her? With epic sweep, gorgeous language, and haunting details, ** Alexander Chee shares Lilliet s cunning transformation from circus rider to courtesan to legendary soprano, retracing the path that led to the role that could secure her reputation or destroy her with the secrets it reveals.


If Lilliet Berne were a man, she might have been what nineteenth-century novels would call a swashbuckler: the kind of destiny-courting, death-defying character who finds intrigue and peril (and somehow, always, a fantastic pair of pantaloons) around every corner. Entertainment Weekly

Alexander Chee is the author of two novels and the recipient of a Whiting Award and the National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in fiction. His writing has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, Tin House, Slate, and on NPR, among others, and he is a contributing editor at the New Republic. He lives in New York City.

* The Guardian
** Hanya Yanagihara"

Review Quotes

National Bestseller New York Times Editor's Choice A Best Book of the Year fromNPR, Esquire, Self, The Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Portland Mercury, Jezebel, Time Out NY, Buzzfeed, Vox.com, Refinery 29, Electric Literature, LitHub, Entropy, The Morning News, and theFinancial Times An Indie Next Pick One of the Most Anticipated Titles of 2016 by Entertainment Weekly, Wired, Refinery29, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, BBC, Bustle, The Millions, Flavorwire, Book Riot, Brooklyn Magazine, and Bookish. A Guardian Best Book of the Summer "The Queen of the Night joins Tipping the Velvet and The Crimson Petal and the White as the rare historical novel in which the setting may be old, but the writing makes everything feel brand new. Alexander Chee has written a subversive, sexy epic about a young American girl who struggles more than her fans will ever understand on her way to eventually become a highly celebrated soprano at the Paris Opera House. Lillet Berne's dramatic rise to success is all the more exciting because of all the wonderful details Chee includes about her life in the late 19th century. The descriptions of her dresses alone are worth the price of this book, and Chee's knowledge about opera is such that you can almost hear the music when reading his words. But for all the research and historical detail, in the end, it's a love story, as so many of the most excellent books are."--Esquire "The novel is infused with an operatic sensibility...The Queen of the Night is a celebration of these women of creativity, ingenuity, endurance, mastery and grace--a gala in their honor." --Kelly Gardiner, New York Times "Epic...Brilliantly extravagant in its twists and turns and its wide-ranging cast of character." --Julia Felsenthal, Vogue "[An] extravagant five-act grand opera of a novel...Chee's writing is cultured and confident, and the elite society he depicts is dazzling...Readers willing to submit to the spell of this glittering, luxuriantly paced novel will find that it rewards their attention, from its opening mysteries to its satisfying full-circle finale." --Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal "A sweeping, richly detailed historical novel about a young woman's tumultuous trajectory from circus rider to renowned soprano at the Paris Opera." --Kim Hubbard, People "An opera of the page, complete with seduction, hidden identity, betrayal and plenty of costume changes...It's the ball gowns and roses, magic tricks and ruses, hubris and punishment that will keep the reader absorbed until the final aria." --Sarah Begley, Time "Gorgeous prose...Extraordinarily beautiful and dramatic, a brilliant performance." --Wendy Smith, Washington Post "[A] postmodern bodice ripper...It just sounds terrific. It sounds like opera...It offers a rare, intriguing psychology: the heart as a buried place, where someone is hiding, singing--words you can't quite hear." --Joan Acocella, The New Yorker "[A] wild opera of a novel...Swift, smart, immersive, and gorgeous." --Garth Greenwell, The Guardian &n --

About the Author

ALEXANDER CHEE is the author of Edinburgh and The Queen of the Night. He is the recipient of a Whiting Award and an NEA fellowship in fiction. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Tin House, and on NPR, among others, and he is a contributing editor at the New Republic.