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62nd out of 273 books
—
222 voters
The Rossetti Letter (Claire Donovan #1)
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...more
Hardcover, 383 pages
Published
March 6th 2007
by Pocket Books
(first published 2007)
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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 t...more
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 s...more
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 s...more
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 i...more
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 i...more
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...more
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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How funny, I forgot I read this one until I read Lori's comment! I much prefered The Devlin Diary over the Rossetti Letter, although as a sucker for historic fiction, I still enjoyed it. Below is the generic Good Reads Review:
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 dr...more
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 dr...more
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 pro...more
I wish it were possible to review a book by cutting it up into three separate books. Because two out of the three would get favorable reviews from me while the third... well, I don't think I'd have read the third after the first 20 pages or so if I had the choice.
Basically, The Rossetti Letter is three stories - that of modern-time Claire, out to prove her dissertation on Alessandra Rossetti, that of Alessandra, a courtesan who lived in seventeenth century Venice, and finally, a political conspi...more
Basically, The Rossetti Letter is three stories - that of modern-time Claire, out to prove her dissertation on Alessandra Rossetti, that of Alessandra, a courtesan who lived in seventeenth century Venice, and finally, a political conspi...more
Oct 21, 2010
Brandie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
lovers of historical fiction, and perhaps even romance
Shelves:
favorites
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 Al...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Phillips' first novel is a lovingly researched half historical, half contemporary about the 1618 Spanish Conspiracy to overthrow the Venetian Republic, the role of courtesans in the city's social structure, and a squabble between modern day academics who begin as rivals and end up working together. Claire Donovan, an American graduate student struggling to finish her dissertation, is attending a conference in Venice when she runs into Andrew Kent a superstar historian from Trinity College, Camb...more
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.
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The Rosetti Letter is one of the best novels I have read this year. It is a dual storyline historical fiction novel, however there are a few more pages dealing with the present than the past. In the present, Claire Donovan is working on her doctoral thesis about the Spanish Conspiracy which happened in Venice in the early 1600's. During the research process she has a difficult time gathering first hand material, and now another professor is researching her topic and will present his work at a co...more
This was an entertaining read. Set in modern day and 17th century Venice. I think Christi Phillips has done a good job of weaving the historical facts with fictional characters. It makes me want to read more about the history of Venice. The story revolves around a plot to overthrow the Venetian Republic by Spanish conspirators. The story captures the intrigue, decadence, and beauty of this magical city.
This is about a present-day scholar, Claire, who is almost finished with her thesis when she discovers that a prominent Cambridge history professor is giving a talk in Venice about the exact same topic: the Spanish Conspiracy in Venice, and specifically Alessandra Rossetti's role in it. Alessandra, who is the protagonist of the historical part of the novel, was a Venetian courtesan who wrote a letter to the Venetian council and exposed a plot by the Spaniards to take over the city-state. Claire...more
Aug 05, 2012
Becca
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Annie
Shelves:
swashbuckling-nuns-kilts-love
You know what I like? Stories with courtesans! This book is one from the school of a relentless researcher in the modern era works to unravel an obscure mystery from the past. Meanwhile, in alternating sections, we get to read the narrative about what really happened. All the while there are echoes of the past in the present and vice versa. It's a straightforward structure that works well here. Phillips, also, has a nice sense of humor and some lovely turns of phrase in her writing. I found this...more
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...more
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...more
Another book I got from my wife's bookcase, this one had an interesting story and was full of historical and cultural information a history buff like me really enjoys. It read quite well, in fact, even though it's not really the genre I usually go for. There is a follow-up (of sorts - just like Angels and Demons was the follow-up to The Da Vinci Code) called The Devlin Diary but I've not read it as of yet.
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...more
Feb 22, 2013
Nay Lin Soe
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction
I bumped into this book in a discount pile about 2 years ago. Being a fan of historical fiction, it interested me with the storyline based on 17th-century Venice. There is plenty to learn in this book about the state of Italy at the beginning of the age of enlightenment, and Venetian Republic in particular which by then was at the start of its decline.
The plot is interesting. There is a fair bit of suspense. And mystery. What sets me back a bit is an abundance of Italian terms (places/descripti...more
The plot is interesting. There is a fair bit of suspense. And mystery. What sets me back a bit is an abundance of Italian terms (places/descripti...more
PhD candidate Claire Donovan is writing her thesis on the role of the courtesan Alessandra Rossetti in the 1618 Spanish Conspiracy when she learns that a well-known Cambridge professor is about to present a paper concerning the same topic in Venice, which could potentially sink her academic career. Short on cash, she agrees to act as guardian to a troubled teenager, whose father is honeymooning in Europe. What unfolds is a parallel story of the past and present, which interweaves Alessandra’s st...more
Philips' writing manages to elevate this book beyond prose, drawing the reader in emotionally and weaving her well spun web through time around the reader. I was equally invested in both the 1600s as well as the present. Rather than going through the motions of reading, it was as if I was brought into their world, watching their lives unfold as a voyeur, yet keenly feeling their pain each time they suffer a loss. The sword fists were brilliantly written - I was literally holding my breath the wh...more
I admit it- I love "dangerous beauty" - the late 90's movie that details the life of courtesan and poetess, Veronica Franco. I loved it so much that when I was in Venice, I went to the library to look at her books even though I couldn't read a word of Italian. I found her biography in the form of a dissertation and read it (even better than the movie). Despite my natural inclination to love this book because it has a similar plot line and is historically contextualized in the height of courtesan...more
This was a good, quick read. It tells the story of Claire Donovan who is working on her PhD in History. Her chosen time period is 17th century Italy. She's trying to prove a link between the Spanish Conspiracy and a Venetian courtesan.
What I enjoyed about this book was that it covered a time in history that I wasn't really familiar with. It made me want to know more about this time in history. It has two plots-the modern day plot of Claire Donovan, and a historical one of the Venetian courtesan...more
What I enjoyed about this book was that it covered a time in history that I wasn't really familiar with. It made me want to know more about this time in history. It has two plots-the modern day plot of Claire Donovan, and a historical one of the Venetian courtesan...more
Combination of fact and fiction based on the Spanish Conspiracy in early 17th C Venice. Set in the past and present as well, the present scenario frequently mirroring the past. (I'm sure there is a literary term for the technique--a figure of speech?)I found the Rosetti Letter very entertaining. It was memory lane re-visiting places we walked in Venice in October 2012 (hopefully not a once-in-a-lifetime traveling experience). I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to historical...more
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 pub...more
I enjoyed the characters and these sort of "historical mysteries" with one part in the past and one in the future. The descriptions and historical background seemed to be well-researched. My biggest disappointment was many of the characters were not compelling for me--I just didn't care what they did or did not to. However, i very much enjoyed the next book The Devlin Diary so would encourage someone on the fence to keep reading and then maybe try the next book instead.
An impressive first novel, following the life of a Venetian courtesan, and the modern-day PhD history student who is trying to uncover the courtesan's story for her dissertation. I actually read the author's second novel (The Devlin Diary) before this, which did spoil a small plot twist in Rosetti - the twist was still amusing, even though I saw it coming but I would recommend reading Rosetti before Devlin. I was very pleased that these first two novels by this author were equally well done and...more
Novel Berat tapi Asyik
Judul: The Rosetti Letter
Penulis: Christi Phillips
Genre: Fiksi sejarah
Penerbit: Gramedia
Penerjemah: Gita Yuliani
Cetakan: Pertama, November 2010
Halaman: 528
Ukuran: 20cm
ISBN: 978-979-22-6265-0
The Rossetti Letter merupakan fiksi yang dipenuhi riset sejarah lengkap tentang konspirasi Spanyol di masa lalu terhadap Venesia. Penulis membawa pembaca masuk ke dalam keindahan Venesia yang penuh intrik, spionase dan pembunuhan di tahun 1617.
Diterjemahkan ke dalam bahasa Indonesia yan...more
Sep 29, 2012
Rio (Lynne)
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
i-own-a-copy,
rome-italy-renaissance
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 f...more
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 f...more
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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.
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