The Palace of Versailles

Parallel plots concern the staff and their emotional and intellectual growth in learning to work with patients, as well as the polarity of joy in treating patients who can be helped and the sadness and sense of failure when treatment fails. The patient's personal stories, their intense suffering and satisfaction in achievements, and their feelings toward the staff and each other are interwoven. Intrigue, mystery, and surprise take the reader on an emotional roller coaster. The title, "The Palace of Versailles," juxtaposes the French Versailles with an American Versailles, and implies comparison of fantasy and glitter to rational acceptance of life with knowledge that it can be changed.