Pearl Luke

Pearl Luke reads from her novel, Madam Zee

Published by: HarperCollins Canada

Time of Reading: 4:00

Pearl Luke’s first novel, Burning Ground, won the 2001 Commonwealth Prize for Best First Book, and was also named a Globe and Mail Notable Book of the Year. She wrote her second novel, Madame Zee, based on the true story of Brother, XII, founder of a Utopian colony on Vancouver Island, and his mistress, Mabel Rowbotham (Madame Zee), after being inspired by a television documentary about their extraordinary lives. Pearl Luke has an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Calgary and lives on Salt Spring Island, B.C.

“Pearl Luke’s Madame Zee is a fascinating fictional biography of a deeply unusual woman. Behind Zee’s intelligence lies Luke’s own. She offers us a character who, while falling for the seductions of a cult leader, retains the clarity to observe his manipulations—an adroit and perceptive rendering.”
— Catherine Bush, author of The Rules of Engagement and Claire’s Head

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