Liszt's Kiss: A Novel

It's Paris in 1833, and three aristocratic 16-year old girls are about to make their debut to society. Anne, a countess and talented young pianist, is from old nobility and a family that has lost most of its money. Helene, a baroness, is a beautiful and spoiled social climber, while Ernestine, a marquise, is homely but warm-hearted. When Anne hears the famed composer Franz Liszt in concert, she enlists the aid of her two more well-connected friends to arrange an introduction to him in the hopes he might take her on as a pupil. Awed by his talent, Anne is oblivious to the minefield into which she is about to step, as Liszt is a known lothario who has just wooed his current mistress from her prominent husband. And the baroness Helene, dismayed that she might not be the centre of attention, has set her sights on utter sabotage. Full of surprising twists and decadent intrigue, Liszt's Kissis a peek into the world of the artists' demi-monde of Romantic era-Paris through the eyes of an innocent.