A soldier wounded in the Civil War, Inman begins the journey home to Cold Mountain, and to Ada, the woman he loved before the war began. As he attempts to make his way across the mountains, Ada struggles to make a living from the land her once-wealthy father left when he died. Neither knows if the other is still alive.

This series of tales revolves around an imaginary painting by Vermeer. Each tale reflects the impact the painting has on the the people around it whose lives it either illuminates or darkens.

Summoning up more than 20 years of Japan's most dramatic history, the geisha's story uncovers a hidden world of eroticism and enchantment, exploitation and degradation. It moves from a small fishing village in 1929 to the glamorous and decadent Kyoto of the 30s and on to postwar New York.

* Reissued in a new look is this richly imagined historical novel that combines mystery, history, politics and passion in a story of gripping power, from the author of SACRED HEARTS

Jean le Viste, a newly wealthy member of the French court, commissions the tapestries to hang in his chateau. Nicolas, his chosen designer, meets le Viste's wife Genevieve and his daughter Claude, both of whom take a keen interest in the tapestries. This novel is written by the author of Girl with a Pearl Earring and Falling Angels .