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The Cleaner of Chartres
  • Published: 3 July 2017
  • ISBN: 9780241981009
  • Imprint: Penguin General UK
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $24.99

The Cleaner of Chartres

Formats & editions
Paperback
3 July 2017
EBook
24 Oct 2012
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The beguiling and poignant new novel from the bestselling and prize-winning author of Miss Garnet's Angel

There is something special about the ancient cathedral of Chartres, with its mismatched spires, astonishing stained glass and strange labyrinth. And there is something special too about Agnès Morel, the mysterious woman who is to be found cleaning it each morning.

No one quite knows where she came from - not the diffident Abbé Paul, who discovered her one morning twenty years ago, sleeping in the north porch; nor lonely Professor Jones, whose chaotic existence she helps to organise; nor Philippe Nevers, whose neurotic sister and newborn child she cares for; nor even the irreverent young restorer, Alain Fleury, who works alongside her each day and whose attention she catches with her tawny eyes, her colourful clothes and elusive manner. And yet everyone she encounters would surely agree that she is subtly transforming their lives, even if they couldn't quite say how.

But with a chance meeting in the cathedral one day, the spectre of Agnès' past returns, provoking malicious rumours from the prejudiced Madame Beck and her gossipy companion Madame Picot. As the hearsay grows uglier, Agnès is forced to confront her history, and the mystery of her origins finally unfolds.

The Cleaner of Chartres is a compelling story of darkness and light; of traumatic loss and second chances. Told with a sparkling wit and captivating charm, but infused throughout with deeper truths, it speaks of the power of love and mercy to transform the tragedies of the past.
  • Published: 3 July 2017
  • ISBN: 9780241981009
  • Imprint: Penguin General UK
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $24.99
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About the author

Salley Vickers

Salley Vickers is the author of the word-of-mouth bestseller Miss Garnet's Angel and seven other bestselling novels, including Mr Golightly's Holiday, The Other Side of You and her latest acclaimed novel, The Cleaner of Chartres. Her first collections of short stories, Aphrodite's Hat, attracted wide praise and she now returns with a second collection, The Boy Who Could See Death. Salley Vickers is a former university teacher of literature and psychoanalyst and now writes and lectures full-time. She lives in London and Oxford.

SV

Also by Salley Vickers

The Gardener
Grandmothers
The Librarian
Cousins
The Message from Lindisfarne
The Boy Who Could See Death
Vacation
See all

Praise for The Cleaner of Chartres

Salley Vickers sees with a clear eye and writes with a light hand and she knows how the world works. She's a presence worth cherishing

Philip Pullman

Beautifully and brilliantly controlled. A triumph

John Julius Norwich on Miss Garnet's Angel

Reveals itself as a surprising exploration of the mysteries of imagination and faith

Joanna Trollope, Book of the Year, Daily Telegraph on Miss Garnet's Angel

Subtle and utterly joyous...a contemporary moral and psychological drama every bit as absorbing as Miss Garnet's Angel

Sunday Times

The Cleaner of Chartres is a return to form

Sunday Express

The Cleaner of Chartres touches lightly on the seedy side of human nature

Observer

A magical and at times sinister story about love, loss, secrets and forgiveness...with Chocolat-type charm

Scotland on Sunday

If you're looking for a book to take you by surprise, Salley Vickers' latest is the perfect choice

Psychologies