Title by Author: The Rosetti Letter by Christi Phillips
Series (if applicable): Claire Donovan #1
Publisher: Pocket
Publication Date: 2007
Page Count: 383
Source: bookstore/personal shelf
Blurb:
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.
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.
Review:
This debut novel was well-written, well-researched, and well-paced. This story starts in present day with Claire Donovan, who fainted while giving a talk at the senior center on information from her doctoral dissertation, in which she was researching the Spanish Conspiracy of Venice in 1618. She discovered that there was a professor from Cambridge who would be delivering a lecture on the same subject in Venice but had no means of getting to Venice to hear the lecture, and to find out if this published author would negate her dissertation.
Her best friend, who worked at a private school, offered her a chance, to chaperon a 14 year old misfit to Europe so that the girl can meet up with her father and new step-mother. Hilarity ensues in the present day, but we also spend a large portion of the book in the past with a courtesan named La Sirena or Alessandra Rosetti. It was believed that Venice was saved from the Spanish Conspiracy by the Rosetti Letter that alerted the Venetian council members that the Spaniards were trying to overtake Venice in the name of the Spanish King.
This story was very well paced and I instantly loved the main character, Claire Donovan, as she was filled with faults but passionate about history. Most of the characters seemed like real people, which is refreshing in literature. I also enjoyed the character of Gwen, the fourteen-year old girl who was dragged along to Venice for a week while Claire wanted to spend so much time in old libraries and listening to boring lectures. Gwen seemed like a typical teenager who grew up a little on her week stay in Venice.
I was completely engrossed in the story set in 1617 Venice that was loosely based on actual facts. The details were rich and well-researched and I want nothing more than to visit Venice even more than I did previously. The author had researched courtesans extensively, as well as 17th century Venice. It was so well done that you felt like you were a part of the scenes, and not being lectured to.
I had actually read the second book (The Devlin Diary) of this series over a year ago, not knowing it was a second in series. I have to admit, though, that this first book, The Rosetti Letter, was a better story and I enjoyed it much more. If you love history, a quirky female lead (Claire Donovan), and want to feel like you are wandering around the streets of Venice, this book is a must read!
Favorite Quote:
“You’re an 80 year old nymphomaniac.”
“I am not! I’m 79.”
Rating: 5 stars
Tag: historical, present day, mystery, conspiracy, romance, intrigue, Venice
