(5) = Best; (4) = Better; (3) = Good; (2) = Fair; (1) = OK
These abstracts serve as reminders to myself; they serve to "jog" my memory on what a book was all about. That's all. This is not a literary critique, not a social commentary, and certainly nothing profound to warrant further discussion.
(5) = means that I really enjoyed this book; (1) = means I finished reading it but wonder if my time could have been better spent elsewhere.
I read this book several years ago. It was wonderful. I decided to read it again, so I bought another copy as I had given the first one away.
This is the Eve of the French Revolution and the Pope decided to close down the Montglane Abbey. There is a magical chess set with a secret formula that gives the person who possesses it enormous power and immortality. The set had been hidden in the Montglane Abbey for a thousand years and its existence is known only as legend since no one had ever seen it. The Abbess knows of the dangers the chess set represents. She decides to dismantle the set and hides it by sending each piece with a Nun to a different part of Europe. When the Abbey is closed she decides to visit Catherine the Great of Russia. They were childhood friends. But, Catherine wants the chess set, too.
The threat of anarchy seen through the eyes of the Monarchies in Europe and the revolutionaries who executed Louis XVI provide the background in the search for power as represented in the Montglane Chess set.
The story is told through the eyes of Catherine – a modern day woman executive who is a systems analyst recently assigned to Algeria on a contract with OPEC. Her Uncle asks a favor while she is there, i.e., Can she smuggle a valuable antique chess piece out of the country while she is there? He knows who has it and tells how it can be done.
Catherine is searched when she arrives in Algeria; she is followed by the Secret Police in Algeria. She is supposed to assist the Minister of Oil and Petroleum by analyzing production data to answer the question: What would happen if OPEC should shut down production? She is joined by another niece who decided to assist in finding the chess piece for their uncle. The Minister of Oil become friends with Catherine and he helps her in her search for the missing chess pieces. (5)
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