Писмото на Росети

Claire Donovan #1

by Christi Phillips, Кристи Филипс, Паулина Мичева (Translator)

Испански заговор.
Венецианска куртизанка.
Писмо, което може да промени хода на историята.

Венеция, 3 март, 1618 г.
Последната нощ на Карнавала. Красивата куртизанка Алесандра Росети бърза през пиаца „Сан Марко“ към Двореца на дожите, но не за да се отдаде на поредната забава. Неин граждански дълг бе да постави това писмо в Устата на лъва и да задвижи колелата на правосъдието. Републиката беше в опасност. Ако се провалеше, не само нейният – много други животи щяха да бъдат погубени... Но ако успееше, този, когото обичаше, щеше да увисне на бесилото...

Колумбийският университет, САЩ, наши дни
Клеър Донован отдавна мечтае да посети Венеция и да довърши дисертацията си. Тя иска да се запознае с писмото на Алесандра Росети до Съвета на десетимата, благодарение на което Републиката е спасена от Испанския заговор, 1618 г. А когато узнава, че професор от Кеймбридж, Англия, се готви да представи новата си книга и да обяви Алесандра за участник в заговора, Клеър е съгласна да замине за Италия дори в ролята на придружителка на гневна тийнейджърка.

Венеция, наши дни
Клеър се опитва да намери документи, които да разкрият истинските мотиви на куртизанката, защото Писмото на Росети не разрешава въпросите, а поставя нови и пред нея, и пред опонента й – английския професор Андрю Кент. При разплитането на загадките на миналото те стигат до неподозирани доказателства за своите тези и все повече разбират, че и двамата са грешали... След като обединяват усилията си, започват да попадат на нови и нови факти, които разбулват неочаквани картини от миналото и дълбоко пазени тайни...

Кристи Филипс създава умело две еднакво завладяващи и динамични сюжетни линии, като с лекота преминава от миналото към настоящето. Тайни, политически интриги и убийства, любов и страст събират двама учени, за да разкрият една от най-интересните и мистериозни загадки на XVII век: имало ли е Испански заговор и кой е спасил Венецианската република?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Italy, Historical, Romance, 17th Century

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Christi Phillips lives in the San Francisco Bay area of America. Her interest in European history has led her all over the continent. The Devlin Diary is her second novel.

Reviews

[Tea Jovanović · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ništa spektakularno ali nije ni loša... ko voli istorijske romane koji se prepliću sa sadašnjim dešavanjima... protkano ljubavnim zapletom...

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable dual timeline historical fiction set in Venice. I know it's cliche to say, but it IS a magical city and I love going there in both fiction & nonfiction offerings. Brings back wonderful memories of my only visit there. Anyway, onto the book. The current day story follows Claire Donovan, PhD candidate who through a fortuitous circumstance is able to spend some time in Venice doing research for her thesis. She is researching a courtesan, Alessandra Rossetti who may have had a significant contribution to unveiling "the Spanish Conspiracy" in 17th C Venice. And yes, the other timeline involves Alessandra's life. I'm always partial to the historical elements and was quite immersed in the 17th C Venice timeline. Although the characters are all fictional, the life of Venetians were front and center throughout it all.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Claire Donovan is working on her dissertation and needs to go to Venice but can't afford the trip. Gwen Fy is a rich teenager in need of an adult to deliver her safely to her father in Europe. Claire is a caricature of the writer who never gets out of her pajamas, while Gwen is the unhappy little rich girl who likes to cause trouble. As you might expect, their mutual problems bring them together on a trip to Italy, and after a rough beginning they predictably begin to bond. Claire is in Venice to research Alessandra Rossetti,a 17th century Venetian courtesan who became involved in political espionage via one of her lovers. A great deal is unknown about Alessandra's part in what is later called "The Spanish Conspiracy", and Claire hopes to uncover more information.

Once in Venice they meet two extremely handsome Italian men of appropriate ages, as well as an English scholar who is also interested in Alessandra. Fortunately for Claire, once she's out of her pajamas she is apparently extremely attractive in a cliched take-your-glasses-off-and-be-beautiful kind of way. Claire's attempts to research Alessandra Rossetti are interspersed with chapters written from Alessandra's point of view which explain exactly how she did come to be involved in the Spanish Conspiracy. Neither narrative is very compelling: Alessandra's story starts off well but she never becomes "real" to the reader, while Claire fares slightly better, but is plagued with silly coincidences and melodramatic stock characters like The Beautiful but Jealous Italian Girlfriend and The Disapproving Mother.

I normally enjoy stories about the piecing together of historical evidence to discover the truth, but in this case Claire makes some intuitive leaps that left me wondering "how did she come to that conclusion based on the information available?" Overall, the Rossetti Letter is a nice "beach book" or something to read when you have a cold and don't want to think too much.

[Rio (Lynne) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars
The Spanish Conspiracy...what do we know about it? Was there one? Phillips takes what facts are known and weaves a great little story together. In 1618 fictional courtesan Alessandra Rossetti comes into contact with Alfonso de la Cueva, 1st Marquis of Bedmar. Bedmar was sent to Venice by King Philip III of Spain, because Spain wanted more influence in Venice. The Duke of Osuna from Naples was planning an attack on the city and was communicating through Bedmar. The Rossetti Letter is a fictional letter written by Alessandra to warn The Venetian Republic.

Current time Claire, a history student is writing her Ph.D. thesis on Alessandra Rossetti. There is a conference in Venice and when Claire learns another successful author is also writing on the same subject she is devastated. Through a friend she finds a way to get to Venice, go to the conference and finish her thesis hopefully before the other author does. A teenager needs chaperoning and if she will escort her, she will get an all expense paid trip. Off they go to Venice!

The author takes us back and forth in time as Claire investigates Alessandra Rossetti's life and her role in the conspiracy. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author's descriptions made me feel like I was in Venice. I could smell the water, see the buildings and feel the atmopshere. I loved the characters! I loved the history, even with a fictional spin. The Spanish Conspiracy still mystifies many historians. I recommend this book to all of my Historical Fiction friends!

[Cydnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I pick this book because I enjoy history and romance. The basic story I enjoyed. But I would hesitate to recommend it to any of my friends for the following reasons:
1. I like reading an intelligent author, but I don't want to have
to have a dictionary next to me to clarify her descriptive words.
2. I got frustrated with all of the Italian, and no translations.
[my Italian dictionary didn't have most of the words either:]
3. The authors descriptions of Venice got a bit too heavy with all
of the street names, canal names, stores, restaurants, etc...
Too much info all together.
4. My biggest reason to not recommend it is the overt descriptions
of sex. I really don't want to read that. I much prefer scenes
that leave it up to your imagination, not paint a detailed picture
for you!

[Alyssa Palombo · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorite books; one I've read twice now and will most certainly read several more times. The last time I read it was while I was IN VENICE and it was a pretty magical experience.

[Patricia Bracewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in modern day and 17th century Venice. Venice is one place on earth where Renaissance and Modern Day merge into one, if you ignore what people are wearing. Phillips does a good job of bringing both periods to life although, at first, the older story is more compelling.

I did not find the back-and-forth in time distracting. It was a good way to heighten tension -- keeping the reader from discoveries and so keeping her appetite whetted. My own unfamiliarity with Italian history and names made it difficult to sink myself completley into the tale, but this got better as the novel progressed.

Both plots were good, although the historical one -- with a courtesan involved in political intrigue -- was more believable to me than the modern plot line of an academic allowing a PhD candidate to give a scheduled lecture in his place on the spur of the moment and that she would be prepared to do so. I think my academic friends might raise their eyebrows at that.

The writing style is good and differs in the two time zones, one from the other. Nicely done.

[Allan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful fun, snappily written -- this is part historical novel and modern day, with a complicated plot playing out in the past while in the contemporary chapters, a history student tries to figure out what happened (for her dissertation). It's all set in a sparkly, enticing Venice with charm and intrigue and action and romance. The author is very good at playing off the two interleaved sections of her novel and at keeping the suspense going.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second of Christi Phillips' books I've read and I love her writing style! This was a wonderful read and I enjoyed it a great deal!

First off, I love dual timeline stories when they are done well, and they are definitely done well in this book! I was completed engrossed in both the past and the present-day plots of this book. Both of the women leading the two stories were likable, interesting, brave and determined and I liked them both so much.

I must admit that Venice is not a locale I especially gravitate to in books, but the author makes the city, both in the past and the present-day, so magical and engaging that I was totally drawn in to the sense of place Phillips creates in her writing.

All the supporting characters were also so charming. The minor storyline between Clair and Gwen was just delightful and really added to making Clair more likable and bringing out her strong side rather than just pining away over someone who doesn't deserve it.

There's so much I could say about what a great read this was, but that would just be overkill. If you enjoy dual timeline stories, if Venice is a location you enjoy reading about, if the 1600s is your era, then I highly recommend this book. Great writing, engaging characters, and gorgeous city brought to life by solid research and interesting delivery. I just loved this!!

[Caroline Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very very slow! I liked the setting and concept of the book, but it really was a tedious read. By the final third of the book I began to gain momentum and find elements of the story interesting. I think my biggest critique of books I’ve read this year is that the characters lack depth or intrigue, and this would be no different. And the sexy twist of a courtesan didn’t deliver, so don’t go into this hoping for a spicy historical fiction. Wish I could give it 4 stars but more like a 3.5 for effort:/

[Emiliya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Интересен исторически трилър.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Rossetti Letter is mindless fun. Really, a perfect beach read. And that was exactly what I needed right now. Unfortunately, it still gets two stars. I'm starting to think that is the top score I'm able to grant this type of book.

The story is pretty formulaic. We get two voices, that of Claire Donovan, a grad student trying to finish her dissertation on the Spanish Conspiracy (against Venice), and Alessandra Rossetti, a Venetian courtesan who wrote a letter to report on the Conspiracy (hence the title). The mystery lies in the absolute lack of knowledge about this courtesan and her link with the conspirators, which is what Claire is trying to discover. Neither of them are particularly engaging: Alessandra is never really explained to the reader, so I never connected with her and could not fully understand the reasons behind her actions (although I can easily suppose them, it isn't a tough tome by any means - not really demanding), and Claire seems to be a projection of the author, very Mary Sue-like, very intelligent, very beautiful-without-knowing-it and possessing the exact amount of goofiness to be rightly saved on time by most of the males that surround her (who usually happen to fall head over heels for her).
The rest of the characters are delightfully clichéd. We have a troublesome rich teenager, marvelously handsome and seductive Italian men, passionate Spaniards, over-the-top jealous girlfriends and mothers (specially if they are Italian)...

The story itself is easy to follow and very much entertaining. At least the historical* part. Claire's part is also easy to follow, but only mildly entertaining. I really cannot say that it was the mystery what made me go on reading, since it wasn't much of a mystery. I was able to foresee everything in this novel by reading the blurb and the chapter names. Even the love (sub?)plots. Disguising Andrew as Andrea didn't fool me (duh). And who doesn't like some swordsmen mixed with cardinal Richelieu-types?

Not a bad book if you are looking for beach reads. You can do much worse (The Fire, anyone?)


*historical: not really. Apparently the majority of the historical parts was invented. So the author said, at least, since I don't know anything about Venetian history.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure at first if Christi Phillips would be able to pull these two very different stories together but I think she did so nicely.

Claire Donovan's PhD thesis is about the seventeenth century Spanish Conspiracy against Venice, she's specifically interested in Alessandra Rossetti, who wrote a secret letter to the Venetian Council warning of a Spanish plot to over throw the Venetian Republic in 1618.

Claire discovers a professor at Cambridge is going to be presenting a lecture at a conference in Venice and publishing a book that will denounce Alessandra Rossetti as a co-conspirator, which could destroy the thesis of Claire's paper.

Claire can not afford to attend the conference, fortunately (and rather coincidentally) her good friend knows someone in need of a chaperone for their teenaged daughter while they travel in Europe and the family agrees to send Claire and her charge to the conference.

I really like the characters that Phillips created though there were several occasions when they did things that I didn't find believable or where coincidences (as mentioned above) seemed a bit unlikely.

I enjoyed the unraveling of the historical puzzle and following the contemporary characters in their relationships.

I think that Phillips could have made some of the leaps in behavior a little smoother and more believable and that would have been more satisfying for me as a reader.

I really enjoyed the historical portion of this novel. I enjoyed the contemporary story as well but the rhythm of the two stories was so divergent that sometimes it was unsettling and detracted a little bit from the enjoyment of each story.

I thought Phillips was very clever in educating the reader about the historical characters and the history of Venice in the seventeenth century
through the actions and conversations of the contemporary characters.

I felt that there was a satisfying conclusion to the novel. But when I was finished reading it I wanted to know what happened to these characters after the end of the book...

[nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Venice (Venesia) adalah kota di sebelah utara Italia yang terkenal dengan wisata kanalnya. Nama Venesia berasal dari suku bangsa Veneti yang menghuni wilayah tersebut di masa kekaisaran Romawi. Venesia juga mendapatkan sebutan "La Dominante", "Serenissima", "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Masks", "City of Bridges", "The Floating City", dan "City of Canals". Kota yang menjadi latar penulisan buku ini oleh Christi Phillips, seorang pengarang yang menggemari buku-buku klasik dan sejarah. Novelnya yang selanjutnya pun mengambil sejarah di abad pertengahan sebagai sumber kisahnya.

Kisah dalam Surat Rosetti (Rosetti Letter) ini adalah murni fiksi, dengan tokoh-tokoh sejarah yang nyata adanya, antara lain Alessandra Rosetti, Marquis Bedmar, dan Antonio P (nama-nama tokoh nyata tercantum di halaman awal sebelum kisah dimulai). Kisah ini mengingatkanku pada novel Sashenka yang mengambil latar belakang sejarah dan menggambarkan tokoh-tokoh nyata dalam imaji baru sehingga terbayang kisah kehidupan kala itu.

Pada masa perebutan wilayah itu, dengan ketegangan politik yang tinggi, kisah ini bergulir. Dari Alessandra yang ditinggal mati ayah dan kakaknya, kemudian harus bertahan hidup di tengah kondisi yang sulit. Ada dua pilihan kala itu bagi seorang wanita selain menikah, untuk menjadi biarawati atau pelacur (bahasanya kayaknya nggak enak, tapi disebut wanita tuna susila juga nggak pas...karena sebenarnya yang tuna susila bukan hanya wanita yang menyediakan diri, namun juga laki-lakinya). Alessandra Rosetti tak punya cukup mas kawin (dari pihak wanita) untuk menikah, sehingga inilah pilihannya untuk menyambung hidup.
Alessandra menjadi pelacur karena ingin memiliki kebebasan dan tidak terkurung dalam tembok-tembok, karena memang bukan panggilannya menjadi biarawati, dan dia tidak ingin menjadi biarawati hanya karena menyelamatkan harga diri. Dia direkrut oleh La Celestia dan diberi nama panggilan La Sirena. Dibekali dengan bermacam keterampilan, dikenalkan dengan cara yang fantastis pada orang-orang penting kala itu, membuat La Sirena dengan cepat melejit dan menjadi kekasih Bedmar, seorang duta besar yang berpengaruh. Bedmar ini yang berniat untuk melaksanakan Konspirasi Spanyol untuk menjadikan Venesia bagian dari Spanyol. Intrik demi intrik terjalin, hingga akhirnya melibatkan La Sirena sebagai seorang warga Venesia yang ingin mempertahankan keberadaan Venesia, dan dilandasi rasa simpatinya pada La Celestia, ia menjalankan tugas khusus. La Sirena sebenarnya tidak menjadi mata-mata menurutku, dia hanya melakukan suatu hal yaitu mengambil sebuah buku dan menyerahkannya pada La Celestia tanpa mengerti untuk apa buku itu. Seorang mata-mata tentunya punya tugas yang jauh lebih banyak dan lebih intens, bukan hanya sekali dua kali melaksanakan tugas dengan dasar ingin membantu.
Kisah cinta La Sirena dengan Antonio terpapar sedikit menjelang akhir buku, setelah perasaan Antonio terungkap, sedang sebelumnya hanya perasaan La Sirena yang digambarkan. Akhir kisahnya pedih bagi La Sirena namun ada secercah sinar yang meneranginya untuk melanjutkan hidup.

Tak banyak kisah mengenai Konspirasi Spanyol, yang dalam novel ini dikisahkan menjadi Konspirasi Venesia (juga), yang berhasil kudapat melalui internet. Bisa jadi karena memang sumber-sumbernya sedikit atau jejak yang ada sudah dihapus. Berdasarkan surat Rosetti inilah tokoh utama dalam novel ini menggali disertasinya, kemudian menjelajahi Italia bersama seorang remaja putrid yang dipercayakan untuk diasuhnya. Claire, digambarkan sebagai seorang wanita yang mandiri, tak lagi muda namun memiliki semangat yang tinggi. Walau harus mengalami pahitnya perceraian karena suaminya memilih wanita lain, ia bangkit dan membuktikan bisa berjuang dan berhasil kembali. Jalinan kisah antara Claire dengan Guincarlo dan Andrew cukup menggemaskan, dengan akhir yang mungkin tak selalu manis bagi yang mengharapkan romansa yang berakhir bahagia, namun bagiku kisah penutupnya cukup baik dan mendekati realita. Akhir kisah seperti yang dialami Claire dalam buku ini bisa saja terjadi, dan toh itu tak harus membuatnya hancur ke sekian kalinya. Claire mengambil langkah dewasa dan pilihan yang tepat untuk melanjutkan hidupnya.

Aku menyukai alur penceritaan kisah ini yang beralih-alih setting waktu dari tahun 1617-1618 ke tahun 2000an. Bukan hanya menuntut ingatan dalam menjalin kisah, juga bisa menghilangkan kebosanan dibandingkan sebuah buku yang berjalan lurus ke depan, tanpa belokan. Penceritaannya berjalan maju, namun beralih sudut pandang, sehingga bervariasi. Lama-kelamaan kusadari, sepertinya buku dengan gaya penceritaan seperti ini yang kusuka, mengingat sebagian besar karya Tracy Chevalier yang kusuka pun beralih-alih sudut pandang tokoh. Suspensenya tidak terlalu tinggi, tidak seperti kisah thriller, dan kerumitan teka-teki sejarahnya juga belum terlalu banyak namun cukup membumbui.

Aku menyukai bagaimana Christi menggambarkan kota Venesia di abad pertengahan dengan di tahun 2000an ini. Dari tempat yang dulunya angker karena sebagai tempat penggantungan pengkhianat, penenggelaman warga, sampai penjara dan istana; yang pada masa kini adalah kanal-kanal tenang dan tempat-tempat romantis bernuansa masa lalu. Jadi membayangkan situs-situs di Indonesia yang kini merupakan bangunan kuno apik, tentunya punya sejarah yang panjang dengan beragam kisah. Mungkin pernah ada darah terciprat di tembok tersebut, bubuk mesiu di lapangan, goresan para tahanan kala itu di bekas-bekas tembok penjara, dan lain sebagainya. Walaupun membawa kesan menyeramkan, alangkah baiknya jika situs yang memiliki bekas peristiwa bersejarah itu tidak dihancurkan atau dihapus, namun ada bagiannya yang dipertahankan untuk generasi mendatang. Dengan melihat guratan, bekas-bekas, dan bentuk aslinya, generasi mendatang akan bisa melihat pertinggalnya dan mengambil pembelajaran dari tempat itu. Jadi sedih teringat pada bangunan Yayasan Mardi Wuto di Yogyakarta yang kini sudah dipugar hanya untuk dijadikan areal pertokoan. Sayang sekali…dulu sempat disengketakan, dipertahankan oleh pihak-pihak yang menghargai sejarah, namun tetap saja uang dan kekuasaan yang menang di sini.

Buku ini menarik untuk dibaca, dan menambah pengetahuanku bahwa kala itu di Venesia sempat terjadi sebuah peristiwa yang nyaris mengalihkan Venesia ke wilayah Spanyol..
namun gagal sehingga kini Venesia adalah bagian dari Italia..

Bahwa di balik tempat atau kota bersejarah yang indah dan romantis, bisa jadi ada sejarah kelam yang menyelimutinya..


-nat-
31012011

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 stars - English Ebook

In this debut, 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 in seventeenth -century Venice.

The Rossetti Letter is a really wonderful historical novel which takes place in 17th century Venice.

It tell's the story of a little know bit of history detailing a plot against Venice. It also a love story and paints a wonderful picture of Venice in the 1600s.

The book also follows the story of Claire, who is a historian researching the unanswered questions surrounding the "Spanish Conspiracy". The story really keeps you on the edge of your seat and you can't wait to have all the missing pieces put together.

It's a terrific job spinning this wonderful, extremely well research tale. It was hard to believe that this is her debut novel.

I highly recommend this to all lovers of quality historical fiction and all who love a good conspiracy/ mystery story. Great book!!!!!

[Ed Mestre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half for this one. Though it had me rolling my eyes at times I ultimately enjoyed my time reading it. I couldn’t help but note some parallels with another recent review, “The Cairo Codex.” Both had young women academics as the protagonists, yet both had me wondering at times how they got that far in their postgraduate degrees. Both alternated back and forth in time with present day and the historical period they were exploring. “The Rossetti Letter” was the more successful one, both in story telling and balancing this approach. For some reason, both authors felt they had to include romance novel approach, including in this book, some bodice ripping in the flashbacks. Good historical fiction ideas, with allegedly intelligent women, short circuited at times with “Will I ever find true love” and “Italian men make you feel like a woman.” Once again, thanks to the conclusion, “The Rossetti Letter” was more successful of the two in balancing things out.

[Karen Hogan]

Did not finish at 108 pages, and I'm not even sure why, having started this book years ago. I'm starting to go through the thousands of books in my home library, and kicking those to the curb who aren't engaging me in the first chapter. At 65 , I realize my reading days are on the downhill slide. So many great books, but alas so little time.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical fiction blended with adventure romance. It was sloooooow and I almost DNFed a few times. The perspective switching makes it hard to get too invested in either story although clearly the Venetian courtesan is the more interesting plot to follow.

[Sarah]

"i don't rely on one man, i rely on many. that way, if one of them dies, the effect is not felt so strongly. a wiser course for you to follow in the future."

[Todd Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the premise. Kind of like Possession if it were cheesy, disjointed, and a little smutty.

[Brandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was in some ways completely amazing and in others a bit disappointing. One part of the novel takes place in 17th-century Venice, and follows the life of Alessandra Rossetti, as she becomes a courtesan and inadvertently becomes involved with the Spanish Conspiracy. The second and, unfortunately, main part of this novel takes place in modern times and follows the very boring character Claire Donovan. Claire is studying the Spanish Conspiracy and writing a dissertation, specifically on Alessandra Rossetti and her letter that supposedly stopped the conspiracy. Claire's story is terribly boring, as she has small, uneventful adventures in Venice with her teenage ward, colleagues, and a handsome Italian man, Giancarlo. This book would have been an easy five stars had it only involved the historical story. I could not get over how boring the modern story was. I almost skipped over these parts at times. I actually found myself skimming them and counting how many chapters there were before Alessandra's was back. The only good parts about the modern story, in fact, were the 2 parts that it went in almost a Dan Brown direction, with Claire and her colleague Andrew breaking the code to Alessandra's letters. Alessandra's story was phenomenal! It was tragic, heartbreaking, beautiful, sexy, and exciting! It would be amazing if Phillips would perhaps rewrite the novel just about her or write another. Alessandra's story left me crying for days, even falling for her beloved Antonio myself, and that empty feeling that you get after reading such a wonderful book that you don't know what to read next that would add up. I would recommend this novel to readers who enjoy historical fiction and a bit of romance. Overall, the boring parts of this book were overtaken by the thrill and emotion of the rest, definitely an amazing read to go back to.

[Virginia Parra · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Even the smallest stories were important, if they provided some insight into humanity.” Perfect for the history lover, this novel centers on the 1617 Spanish conspiracy involving Venice and Spain. Doctoral student Claire Donovan and Andrew Kent, a Cambridge history professor, compete to unravel the role played by courtesan Alessandra Rossetti in this conspiracy. Was Alessandra a patriotic denouncer of the conspiracy or a pawn easily expendable? And if she is a pawn, whose pawn is she? For those who enjoy historical fiction, the author unveils the stark choices facing Venetian women circa 1617: wife, nun, whore. The author reminds us, “History sir, will tell lies, as usual…But of course it’s not history per se that tells lies, it’s people who tell lies.” Readers will enjoy the journey into the past to uncover more about the Spanish Conspiracy.

[Kara Babcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an intriguing piece of historical fiction. The two main characters are both strong women, although in different ways. Christi Phillips switches between seventeenth century Venice and present day with ease, and her writing style makes everything very easy to read. If you have an interest in Venetian history, or just like historical fiction or heroines in general, this book may suit you.

I would have liked a little more suspense. Parts were supposed to be suspenseful, but they didn't really seem that way to me. I guess that if this book has any failing, it is the fact that parts of it just seem handed to us as more of a recount than a dramatic narrative. The most exciting part, to me, was actually near the end when Claire was almost arrested--the parts with Alessandra in the Doge's prison at the hands of Silvia was not nearly as fun. I don't think that Phillips gave us enough of Alessandra's character with which to empathize with her and her love for Antonio. After her debut as a courtesan, indeed, Alessandra becomes more distant from the reader. Claire, on the other hand, becomes more accessible. Parts of the book are rather predictable, and others come as surprises (I did not foresee Andrea Kent actually being Andrew Kent, nor did I foresee their collaboration).

The Rosetti Letter is a solid, enjoyable novel. I wouldn't rush out to buy it, but if you don't have anything in particular to read next, you could do far worse.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claire Donovan, still reeling from her divorce and single-mindedly working on her doctoral dissertation, has a heart stopping moment when she reads about another academic who may have evidence that her entire thesis is flawed. The evidence is about to be presented at a prestigious conference in Venice, Italy, but Claire cannot afford to attend. Out of the blue comes an all-expenses-paid opportunity to chaperon a young girl in Venice, while her father honeymoons in France. Off goes Claire, desperate to salvage the goal that has become her sole reason for living.

The plot of this novels revolves around a single letter, written in the 17th century by a courtesan. Claire believes the letter saved Venice from a Spanish takeover, but her rival thinks the "Spanish Conspiracy" was invented by the Venetians to discredit Spain. The reader has the inside track: the narrative takes place in two time periods, from the point of view of Alessandra Rossetti, 17th century courtesan, and Claire Donovan, 21st century historian. Along the way, two love stories develop, Claire's young ward contributes lots of teenage angst, and the interpretation of history is altered. All of this takes place among the campi and piazzi of Venice, timeless, and always alluring, making this book a pleasurable escape.

[Diane Glover · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok. I thought this would be a wonderful history's mysteries. But instead I found myself skipping chapters that went on and on about this and that, and going to the PERIOD piece from the main character herself (Rossetti). If the author had just written about HER.. I think I would have liked it all the more. And according to another critic, one of the things they didn't like about the book was the descriptive sex scenes. Me, well. I thought.... oh, turn the page... and just move on. To be honest, if you are going to have a scene in there, make it a good one.. and books that have them rarely have just ONE or TWO. I dunno.. kinda seemed to want to jump genre's to me. Was it historical fiction? Was it a romance (with just enough sex to classify it that, plus the whole idea of being a high paid whore)? Was it a modern day mystery? Hmmm.. Kinda confusing. I just didn't enjoy this book much. Too much detail about things that I could care less about. All the names of the waterways.. Ok.. Sheesh. after so many they all just run together in your mind. It would have been better to get on with the action.. The intrigue...etc. Instead she lost me down one of the waterways... where I ended up sailing off to sea..

[Nicki Markus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Rossetti Letter is the kind of book you take with you to read in the sun, whether in the garden or on the beach. It is easy and quick and gives you all you would expect from a summer read, with some history thrown in for good measure. I enjoyed the book; however, where it fell down in my eyes was the portrayal of Alessandra. I simply didn't care about her. Claire's story arc held my attention, but Alessandra's life and loves didn't captivate me so much, so I felt no emotional attachment to her during her troubles. Nor did Phillips give us enough time/detail with the other 17th century characters for us to engage with them either. Though based on history to an extent, most of the characters are fictional, so it's not a story that inspires you to dash off and read more about the time and people. All up, a pleasant read, but not a book you would return to again and again.

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good. The book has two interconnecting stories: the first takes place in 15th century Venice during The Spanish Conspiracy, and the second is in modern times. In the 16th century parts, the main character is Alessandra Rossetti, a courtesan who learned of a Spanish plot to invade Venice and wrote a letter to the Grand Council that revealed the plot and prevented it, and the modern day story is about Claire Donovan, a history student writing her dissertation on Alessandra and the Spanish Conspiracy. The history was really interesting, and I loved the descriptions of Venice. A good book for anyone who likes Venice or the Renaissance. And it's about a courtesan, so even if you don't like history, you'll still get to read a couple good sex scenes.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that has two stories going alternately at the same time, one in 17th century Venice, the other in present-day Venice. The 17th century story involves a young courtesan and the Spanish Conspiracy. The present-day story involves a young woman working on a dissertation regarding a letter written by the courtesan concerning the Spanish Conspiracy.
This is not deathless literature, but is well-written and not too full of cliches. Also not too full of racy parts. There is one rather lurid scene near the beginning that made me almost quit reading (and skipped part of), but that is the only one. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the ending to both stories was not the predictable ones that I expected.

[NancyG · Rating 3 out of 5]

This debut novel is an ok summer/vacation read about a plot to overthrow the Republic of Venice in 1618 complete with political treachery, sword fights, courteseans and a doomed rommances. Unfortunately, the other half takes place in modern Venice with a boring PhD candidate and an uninteresting plotline about her trying to unravel the secrets from 1618. The author did a good job of going back and forth between the time periods, a literay style I don't normally like, but unfortunately one of the time periods wasn't worth going to with caricatures, not characters, none of whom were worth reading about. All that being said, the historical part of the book is interesting and made me want to visit Venice one day.

[LindSay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Underwhelming. The story was full of cliches, and I wasn't terribly impressed with the author's writing in general. I guess it's a point to her credit that she didn't have Claire and Andrew get together in the end, though it doesn't make their interaction any less contrived. I do like how the narratives switched from Claire's story to Alessandra's, but I feel like the two stories weren't really woven together very well. The story itself was engrossing at parts, but the characters were terribly two-dimensional. Also, for a story - a mystery - dealing with conspiracy and murder, there was very little tension. Certainly not a page-turner.