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The Rossetti Letter

By Christi Phillips

(4)

| Hardcover | 9781416527374

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Book Description

In this captivating debut, Christi Phillips blends fact and fiction, suspense and sensuality into a vibrant, richly imagined novel in which a modern historian uncovers a courtesan's secret role in a shocking conspiracy of seventeenth-century Venice.

Claire Donovan always dreamed of visiting VContinue

In this captivating debut, Christi Phillips blends fact and fiction, suspense and sensuality into a vibrant, richly imagined novel in which a modern historian uncovers a courtesan's secret role in a shocking conspiracy of seventeenth-century Venice.

Claire Donovan always dreamed of visiting Venice, though not as a chaperone for a surly teenager. But she can't pass up this chance to complete her Ph.D. thesis on Alessandra Rossetti, a mysterious courtesan who wrote a secret letter to the Venetian Council warning of a Spanish plot to overthrow the Venetian Republic in 1618. Claire views Alessandra as a heroine and harbors a secret hope that her findings will elevate Alessandra to a more prominent place in history. But an arrogant Cambridge professor is set to present a paper at a prestigious Venetian university denouncing Alessandra as a co-conspirator -- a move that could destroy Claire's paper and career.

As Claire races to locate the documents that will reveal the courtesan's true motives, Alessandra's story comes to life with all the sensuality, political treachery, and violence of seventeenth-century Venice. Claire also falls under the city's spell. She is courted by a handsome Italian, matches wits with her academic adversary, bonds with her troubled young charge, and, amid the boundless beauty of Venice, recaptures the joy of living every moment....

Layering wit and warmth into her portraits of two very different yet equally dynamic heroines, Christi Phillips shifts effortlessly between past and present in a remarkable novel that is at once a love story, a mystery, and an intriguing historical drama. Filled with beautifully rendered details of one of the world's oldest and most magical cities, The Rossetti Letter marks Phillips's debut as a writer of extraordinary skill and grace.

Critics

  • The Rossetti Letter

    The Rossetti Letter Conceptually, The Rossetti Letter is similar to Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series: Both tell the modern day stories of doctoral candidates in Europe, searching for a mystery lost in the crumbling papers and bound books of the ... (read full critics)

    likesbooks published on Tue, 31 Aug 2010

1 Review

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  • This is a very "light weight" book. The two story lines are credibly interwoven, but the characters are so thinly delineated they become almost ghostly. There is no believable chemistry between any of them and there are so many gaps in the story sequences that one is left wondering about many detail ... (continue)

    This is a very "light weight" book. The two story lines are credibly interwoven, but the characters are so thinly delineated they become almost ghostly. There is no believable chemistry between any of them and there are so many gaps in the story sequences that one is left wondering about many details. The historical aspect is intriguing; the details about 17th century Venice lushly given. But, if you are looking for a more satisfying book where Venice plays as backdrop, investigate Sarah Dunant's "In the Company of a Courtesan" or Dorothy Dunnet's superb "House of Niccolo" series.

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    Kerry Jacobson said on Aug 14, 2009 | Add your feedback

Book Details

  • Rating:
    (4)
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  • English Books
  • Hardcover 400 Pages
  • Edition: 1
  • ISBN-10: 1416527370
  • ISBN-13: 9781416527374
  • Publisher: Pocket
  • Pub date: Mar 06, 2007
  • Dimensions: 1484 mm x 968 mm x 258 mm Just how big is that?
  • Also available as: Paperback and eBook
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9781416527374 Hardcover $24.00 $20.52 bn.com
-- $11.99 ebooks.com
$24.00 -- The Book Depository
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