Saracinesca

by F. Marion Crawford, Stephen Schmalhofer (Introduction)

Heir to one of Rome’s oldest and greatest families, Giovanni Saracinesca has a singular simplicity of character—a simplicity which loves peace but is capable of sudden violence; which loves and hates strongly and always to some serious purpose. He is thus admirably suited to the conditions of life as described by Cardinal Antonelli, the papal Secretary of “The condition of our lives is battle, and battle against terrible odds.” When he falls in love with the most beautiful woman in Rome, Corona d’Astradente, Saracinesca discovers the true extent to which his simplicity can be both a blessing and a curse. Playing with fire, he pursues his beloved, duels with his challengers, and protects his family honor—even as he struggles to distinguish the petty skirmishes of personal desire from the decisive struggles of good versus evil. Containing “the last echoes of the era when Viva Garibaldi! and Viva Pio Nono! rang out in rivalry on the streets of Rome,” as Stephen Schmalhofer states in his Introduction, Saracinesca begins F. Marion Crawford’s tetralogy on the note that rings uninterrupted through each novel—a note of solemn richness and perilous romance.

Genres: Fiction

372 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2004

About the author

Francis Marion Crawford (1854-1909) was an American writer noted for his many novels. He was born at Bagni di Lucca, Italy. In 1879 he went to India, where he studied Sanskrit and edited the Allahabad Indian Herald. Returning to America he continued to study Sanskrit at Harvard University for a year, contributed to various periodicals, and in 1882 produced his first novel, Mr Isaacs. This book had an immediate success, and its author's promise was confirmed by the publication of Doctor Claudius: A True Story (1883). After a brief residence in New York and Boston, in 1883 he returned to Italy, where he made his permanent home. He also published the historical works, Ave Roma Immortalis (1898), Rulers of the South (1900) renamed Sicily, Calabria and Malta in 1904, and Gleanings from Venetian History (1905). The Saracinesca series is perhaps known to be his best work, with the third in the series, Don Orsino, set against the background of a real estate bubble, told with effective concision. A fourth book in the series, Corleone, was the first major treatment of the Mafia in literature.

Reviews

[Dorcas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

This is the first of four books in a series and is basically drama and intrigue among the nobility of Italy pre 1870. Romance, political whisperings, bribery, duels and revenge. Saricinesca lays the groundwork and characters for subsequent tales while staying true to the time period and the march of time.

My attention never really lagged and I'm invested enough to start on book two : Sant' Illario

[Mattmus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was ok…might read book 2 at some point.