| Varvara is a maid at the court of the Empress Elizabeth of Russia in the 1740s who also acts as a spy, listening in on conversations, purloining letters, and gathering information for the empress. When a young German princess (who will eventually become Catherine the Great) is brought to court with the prospect of marrying her to the empress's nephew and heir, Varvara befriends her, even though it's dangerous for her to befriend anyone. I thought the setting was interesting. Readers who enjoy novels by Phillipa Gregory would probably like this one, too.
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