The gaudy years of the Restoration are long gone and Robert Merivel, physician and courtier to King Charles II, sets off for the French court in search of a fresh start. But royal life at the Palace of Versailles - leaves him in despair, until a chance encounter with the seductive Madame de Flamanville, allows him to dream of a different future.

‘One of the great imaginative creations in English literature’ Daily Telegraph

A dazzling novel of loyalty and dreams set in Restoration England.

The gaudy years of the Restoration are long gone and Robert Merivel, physician and courtier to King Charles II, sets off for the French court in search of a fresh start. But royal life at the Palace of Versailles – all glitter in front and squalor behind – leaves him in despair, until a chance encounter with the seductive Madame de Flamanville, allows him to dream of a different future.

But will that future ever be his? Summoned home urgently to attend to the ailing King, Merivel finds his loyalty and skill tested to their limits.

Rose Tremain has sold over one million copies of her books.

PRAISE FOR MERIVEL
‘This book is richly marbled with intelligence, compassion and compelling characters’ The Times
'Magnificent story-teller' Independent on Sunday
‘Wonderfully entertaining’ Michael Holroyd, Guardian Books of the Year