Synopsis of My New Book - The Price of Innocence Released 11-9-09

[Vicki Hopkins]

The Price of Innocence is Vicki Hopkins' debut fiction novel, penned to tug at the hearts of many. Insightful, but delicately written, the author draws a picture of life, but allows the reader to paint the canvas of intimacies in their own imagination.

In essence, it is the tender story of Suzette Camille Rousseau, a young woman in late 19th century Paris, who makes a difficult journey from innocence to maturity.

After losing a sheltered life with her father, Suzette is thrown into the harsh reality of poverty, struggling as a homeless woman on the streets of Paris. In order to survive, she faces difficult choices that offer little redemption or hope for the future.

Her journey takes her from the charities of St. Vincent de Paul, to a local laundry house where she toils endlessly in filth and squalor. To her surprise, one of her customers is Le Chabanais, the most famous brothel in Europe.

Like a fly drawn to a spider's web, the mistress of the brothel entices Suzette into a world of opulence, comfort, and beauty, but there is a price to pay - her innocence.

Succumbing to a life of prostitution, she meets a man who saves her from the unthinkable, only to make her his own. When he spirits her off to another country, her past follows. The man she once loved relentlessly pursues Suzette, intent on regaining her heart.

In the end, The Price of Innocence is a stunning tale of two cities, two men, one woman, and the symbol of a flower that promises happiness in the end.