Pandora

"Dora Blake is a talented jewelry designer who lives under the thumb of her suspicious and odious uncle, who is running her late parents' beloved shop of antiquities into the ground. When he begins acting erratically after a mysterious Greek vase is delivered and locked in the basement, Dora enlists the help of Edward Lawrence, a young antiquarian scholar, who (unbeknownst to her) sees the vase as an opportunity to unlock his academic future. Dora hopes to restore the shop to its former glory, find a future for her own elegant, artistic designs, and escape the iniquitous plans her uncle has in store for her. But what Edward claims to discover about the vase unravels everything Dora knows about her life, her family, and the antiquities in the basement. Asshe begins to uncover the truth, she realizes that some mysteries are buried for a reason - and others are closer to the surface than they appear. Atmospheric and page-turning, Pandora is a story of secrets and deception, love and fulfilment, fate and hope"--
#1 Sunday Times Bestseller“Lush, evocative and utterly irresistible.”—Jennifer Saint, author of AriadnePrepare to lift the lid on a lush reimagination of the mythological Pandora….Susan Stokes-Chapman’s atmospheric debut, PANDORA, immerses the reader in the dangerous, mysterious world of ancient antiquities with prose that is elegant and teeming with visceral sensory detail. A marvelous debut—imaginative, ambitious, and begging to be savored."   — Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Last ApothecarySteeped in mystery and rich in imagination, an exhilarating historical novel set in Georgian London where the discovery of a mysterious ancient Greek vase sets in motion conspiracies, revelations, and romance.London, 1799. Dora Blake, an aspiring jewelry artist, lives with her odious uncle atop her late parents’ once-famed shop of antiquities. After a mysterious Greek vase is delivered, her uncle begins to act suspiciously, keeping the vase locked in the store’s basement, away from prying eyes—including Dora’s. Intrigued by her uncle’s peculiar behavior, Dora turns to young, ambitious antiquarian scholar Edward Lawrence who eagerly agrees to help. Edward believes the ancient vase is the key that will unlock his academic future; Dora sees it as a chance to establish her own name.But what Edward discovers about the vase has Dora questioning everything she has believed about her life, her family, and the world as she knows it. As Dora uncovers the truth, she comes to understand that some doors are locked and some mysteries are buried for a reason, while others are closer to the surface than they appear.A story of myth and mystery, secrets and deception, fate and hope, Pandora is an enchanting work of historical fiction as captivating and evocative as The Song of Achilles, The Essex Serpent, and The Miniaturist.