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Pocket
March 2008
On Sale: February 19, 2008
480 pages
ISBN: 1416527389
EAN: 9781416527381
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Historical
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.
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