Mina Samuels: Queen of Cups

The Queen of Cups

"A sharply observed, intelligent love story that is not only emotionally satisfying, but also psychologically sound."
—Elizabeth Strout, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Olive Kitteridge, Abide with Me and Amy and Isabelle

Based on true historical figures, The Queen of Cups is the fictionalized journals of Juliette, an enigmatic woman with a past she must hide, who marries the brilliant post-Civil War philosopher, Charles Peirce, a man plagued by devastatingly painful facial neuralgia, drug addiction, and manic depression, whose place in the pantheon of great American minds is lost to his illness.

From the gypsy camps of Russia, to glittering Paris and New York, to her final exile to obscurity in the countryside of Pennsylvania, Juliette's journey traces the life of an independent woman, who, betrayed by those she loves, finds her way forward by forging new identities. Through it all, she never loses her belief in the possibility of redemption, and in the power of love and loyalty.

"Mina Samuels skillfully weaves fact and fiction to create this engrossing tale of love and sacrifice. A beautifully written story, from the gypsy camps of Russia to New York society at the turn of the century, The Queen of Cups is imaginative and compelling."
—Libby Schmais, author of The Perfect Elizabeth and The Essential Charlotte

"This novel is a heartbreaking example of a woman who gives everything to be loved and accepted, only to be left, in the end, poverty-stricken and desperately alone. Beautifully written, Mina Samuels offers redemption and compassion where it is truly deserved."
—Christina Chiu, author of Troublemaker and Other Stories

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