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THE VENETIAN MASK: A NOVEL
By: Rosalind Laker
Three Rivers Press
April 2008
On Sale: March 25, 2008
464 pages
ISBN: 0307352560
Paperback
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Enduring friendships and long-held vendettas come alive against the splendor and decadence of eighteenth-century Venice.
In 1775 Veniceβknown to outsiders as βthe brothel of Europeββthe tradition of mask-wearing has allowed adultery and debauchery to flourish. But Marietta and Elena, two dear friends at the Ospedale della PietΓ , a world-famous orphanage and music school for girls, know little of that milieuβuntil they come of age.
Elena is forced to wed the head of the Celano clan, a jealous, brutal man, while Marietta marries Domenico Torrisi, whose family vendetta with the Celanos is centuries old. Tradition dictates that the friends should never speak again, but their bond is too strong to break.
As the French Revolution unsettles all of Europe, Elenaβs husband frames Domenico and he becomes a political prisoner. Marietta and Elena plot to save him, and the women discover that Venetian masks have noble purposes, tooβbut will their efforts put their own lives at risk?
Embodying the glitter and the treachery of the city it portrays, The Venetian Mask will keep you turning pages long into the night.
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