Alena
At the Venice Biennale, an aspiring assistant curator from the Midwest meets Bernard Augustin, the wealthy, enigmatic founder of the Nauk, a cutting-edge art museum on Cape Cod. It's been two years since the tragic death of the Nauk's chief curator, Augustin's childhood friend and muse, Alena. When Augustin offers the position to our heroine (who, like du Maurier's original, remains nameless) she dives at the chance-and quickly finds herself well out of her depth.



The Nauk echoes with phantoms of the past-a past obsessively preserved by the museum's business manager and the rest of the staff. Their devotion to the memory of the charismatic Alena threatens to stifle the new curator's efforts to realize her own creative vision, and her every move mires her more deeply in artistic, erotic, and emotional entanglements. When new evidence calls into question the circumstances of Alena's death, her loyalty, integrity, and courage are put to the test, and shattering secrets surface.



Stirring and provocative, Alena is the result of a delicious visitation of one of the most popular novels of the twentieth century on a brilliant and inventive novelist of the twenty-first.
"1115700131"
Alena
At the Venice Biennale, an aspiring assistant curator from the Midwest meets Bernard Augustin, the wealthy, enigmatic founder of the Nauk, a cutting-edge art museum on Cape Cod. It's been two years since the tragic death of the Nauk's chief curator, Augustin's childhood friend and muse, Alena. When Augustin offers the position to our heroine (who, like du Maurier's original, remains nameless) she dives at the chance-and quickly finds herself well out of her depth.



The Nauk echoes with phantoms of the past-a past obsessively preserved by the museum's business manager and the rest of the staff. Their devotion to the memory of the charismatic Alena threatens to stifle the new curator's efforts to realize her own creative vision, and her every move mires her more deeply in artistic, erotic, and emotional entanglements. When new evidence calls into question the circumstances of Alena's death, her loyalty, integrity, and courage are put to the test, and shattering secrets surface.



Stirring and provocative, Alena is the result of a delicious visitation of one of the most popular novels of the twentieth century on a brilliant and inventive novelist of the twenty-first.
17.99 In Stock
Alena

Alena

by Rachel Pastan

Narrated by Carla Mercer-Meyer

Unabridged — 11 hours, 56 minutes

Alena

Alena

by Rachel Pastan

Narrated by Carla Mercer-Meyer

Unabridged — 11 hours, 56 minutes

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Overview

At the Venice Biennale, an aspiring assistant curator from the Midwest meets Bernard Augustin, the wealthy, enigmatic founder of the Nauk, a cutting-edge art museum on Cape Cod. It's been two years since the tragic death of the Nauk's chief curator, Augustin's childhood friend and muse, Alena. When Augustin offers the position to our heroine (who, like du Maurier's original, remains nameless) she dives at the chance-and quickly finds herself well out of her depth.



The Nauk echoes with phantoms of the past-a past obsessively preserved by the museum's business manager and the rest of the staff. Their devotion to the memory of the charismatic Alena threatens to stifle the new curator's efforts to realize her own creative vision, and her every move mires her more deeply in artistic, erotic, and emotional entanglements. When new evidence calls into question the circumstances of Alena's death, her loyalty, integrity, and courage are put to the test, and shattering secrets surface.



Stirring and provocative, Alena is the result of a delicious visitation of one of the most popular novels of the twentieth century on a brilliant and inventive novelist of the twenty-first.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Riveting. . . . Flush with erotic intrigues . . . Pastan has written a smart, chilling thriller that leaves readers thoroughly spooked." ---Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY

"Riveting. . . . Flush with erotic intrigues . . . Pastan has written a smart, chilling thriller that leaves readers thoroughly spooked." —Publishers Weekly

MARCH 2014 - AudioFile

Rachel Pastan’s haunting story comes alive through Carla Mercer-Meyer’s engaging portrayal of a 25-year-old aspiring museum curator, who remains nameless throughout the novel (a pastiche of Daphne du Maurier’s classic, REBECCA). When the main character is hired for her dream job at a Cape Cod museum, she finds herself constantly pursued by the memory of her late predecessor, Alena. Mercer-Meyer does more than encompass the brilliance and naïveté of the young curator. She convincingly draws her listener into the poetic rhythm of the story and its details. The lyricism in her first-person voice is persuasive. It’s easy to imagine the eccentric personalities at the Venice Biennale and the Cape Cod summer people, with their bold accents. T.E.C. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID: 2940170813223
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Publication date: 01/23/2014
Edition description: Unabridged
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