Womack, Gwendolyn. 2017. The Fortune Teller. New York, NY: Picador, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing. ISBN: 978-1250099778. $16.00 USD.
The Fortune Teller is one of my favorites of the year, so far! It has many things going for it, and great appeal for librarians and bibliophiles, in particular.
Semele Cavnow is a rare manuscript expert who is sent to catalog the rare books and manuscripts of the late Marcel Broussard in Switzerland. While working there, Semele discovers a rare manuscript that was not part of the original inventory, along with a note from Marcel, whom she never met, addressed to her specifically telling her to be careful and trust no one. As she begins transcribing the manuscript, Semele discovers the story of the author, Ilona, the daughter of one of the highly respected Librarians in Alexandria, which dates the manuscript at over 2,000 years old - if it's not a hoax. And, somehow, Semele's name is mentioned in the manuscript, which should be impossible.
As Semele continues transcribing, the story tells of subsequent owners of very special tarot cards that were supposedly created for an Oracle, and how they travelled over time and history, changing the lives of the owners and even history itself. The present and the past are on a collision course; Semele finds herself in danger and being watched, and wondering at her own unusual intuition which seems to be getting stronger. Fast paced, filled with interesting historical details and enough suspense to keep the reader turning the pages, I predict that this book that will appeal to a wide variety of readers.
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