Winterson is a master of her material a writer in whom great talent deeply abides. -- Vanity Fair First published to great acclaim in 1987 this arresting elegant novel from Jeanette Winterson uses Napolean s Europe as the setting for a tantalizing surrealistic romance between an observer of history and a creature of fantasy. Jeanette Winterson s novels have established her as one of the most important young writers in world literature. The Passion is perhaps her most highly acclaimed work a modern classic that confirms her special claim on the novel. Set during the tumultuous years of the Napoleonic Wars The Passion intertwines the destinies of two remarkable people: Henri a simple French soldier who follows Napoleon from glory to Russian ruin; and Villanelle the red-haired web-footed daughter of a Venetian boatman whose husband has gambled away her heart. In Venice s compound of carnival chance and darkness the pair meet their singular destiny. In her unique and mesmerizing voice Winterson blends reality with fantasy dream and imagination to weave a hypnotic tale with stunning effects.