Stradella

by F. Marion Crawford

Stradella is a historical novel written by F. Marion Crawford. The story takes place in 17th century Italy and follows the life of a famous composer and musician named Alessandro Stradella. Stradella is a talented and charismatic man who is loved by many, but also has many enemies due to his reckless behavior and scandalous affairs. The novel explores his relationships with various women, including a wealthy noblewoman named Ortensia and a beautiful singer named Leonora. Along the way, Stradella must navigate the dangerous political and social climate of Italy, as well as the machinations of his enemies. The book is a vivid portrayal of life in Italy during the Baroque period, and includes descriptions of music, art, and architecture of the time. It is a compelling tale of love, passion, and music, and is sure to captivate readers who enjoy historical fiction.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction

Paperback

First published April 1, 2005

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

[The Idle Woman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming romantic novel, first published in 1909, which follows the adventures of the musician and singer Alessandro Stradella in 17th-century Venice and Rome. Employed by a Venetian patrician to tutor his niece, Stradella falls in love with the girl and they elope to Ferrara - and thence to Rome - pursued by the vengeance of the Venetian and (more pertinently) by two dangerous bravi on Stradella's tail. The book has the shortcomings of its period, in that Ortensia is a perfect heroine - beautiful, faithful, pure and innocent beyond compare - and Stradella the ideal lover - restrained, thoughtful and devoted to his young bride. Despite this, it has an unexpected liveliness, largely thanks to the two bravi, Gambardella and Trombin, who turn out to have the best lines in the book and to embody a kind of world-weary cynicism that I didn't quite expect in a book of this date. I could happily read another novel simply about them. This is perfect light reading, ideal for travels or holiday - easy to dip into, and thoroughly enjoyable, if a little over-flowery now and then for our modern age. But it's highly recommended to those who like such things. I'll be looking out for other historical Italian novels by Crawford, and as the ebook is free, there's nothing to lose and much to gain in trying this.

For a longer review and for posts on other books and films, please see my blog:
http://theidlewoman.blogspot.co.uk/20...

[Michelle Arostegui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazon review..."From some ancient Venetian chronicles Mr. Crawford gleaned material that bore upon the life of Stradella, a great musician of the seventeenth century. Out of these fragments he has constructed his story which is rich in its Italian setting. The love of Stradella for a dowerless niece of a pompous, self-sufficient Senator who intended to marry the girl himself, furnishes the key to the difficult situations that crowd one upon another along the course of their experience."

[Italo Italophiles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stradella is a love story that starts in Venice and the ends with the lovers in Rome. It is a highly romanticized account of real-life composer/musician/singer Alessandro Stradella's courtship of a Venetian senator's ward.

Please see my full and illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews
http://italophilebookreviews.blogspot...