The Golden Book of Venice: a Historical
Romance of the Sixteenth Century
by Francese
Litchfield Turnball
What a splendour this book is,
an absolute gem!
I loved this inspirational story set in Venice
of a historical romance set in sixteenth century
Venice, the times of the magnificence
and pageantry of the Doges.
A scholastic work of art, a prose piece of beauty.
This book is available for download by Project Gutenberg
and details the quarrel of Rome and the Republic of Venice.
Fascinating characters from the nobility to the peasantry, of
gondoliers, artists, fisher-folk and ecclesiastics reflect Venetian society
as it was during these times. The clothing and fashions, including
the decorative attire of gondoliers of the noble houses give colour and also
a sense of the opulence and the exotic in this novel of such wonderful
descriptions which evokes the Venetian world in all of its majesty
of the sixteenth century.
Tradition, pageantry, governance, precedence,
family history and pride feature prominently as do also the
the magnificent lions of St Mark's Square, signifying justice
above all and with the motto of Venice decorated in allegory form
“Strong, just, I put the furies
beneath me and the sea beneath my foot.”
The beauty of Venice forms a
special compelling backdrop to the story and the struggle of
Church and State is highlighted as a main theme of the story.
A son of the nobility, whose name appears in the “libro d'oro”
(the Golden Book of Venice) marries a daughter of the people whose
father lives on the island of Murano, famous for its magnificent
designs and glass works.
The spiritual element of the settings
and inspirational aspect of the story is not lost and
the story gives solace for its beauty.
Descriptions of Venice and the times are authentic. The descriptive
quality of the writing is beautiful. Almost as
a play well rehearsed and ready for the stage.
The story is magical.
An older style book with wonderful turns of phrase and beauty.
Well recommended!
Thank you, thank you, Sandra! I went straight to my Kindle and bought it. I trust your judgment and know it's going to be a delicious read! Can't wait! And thank you for stopping by and leaving such a lovely comment. You're a sweetie!
ReplyDeleteHi Kittie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your message.
I also love reading about Venice.
My best wishes to you from Sandra