THE VIRGINS OF VENICE

Carlotta Brentan uses a mellifluous Italian cadence for this tale of two highborn yet impoverished sisters and their unexpected lives in 1509 Venice. The City of Canals is at war with Pope Julius II, under threat of excommunication. Naïve 13-year-old Rosa wants to join the San Zaccaria convent but is married off to an abusive aristocrat to bolster her family's fortunes. The story is told through the point of view of her sister, Justina, a self-confident 16-year-old who is in love with nouveau-riche Luca Cicogna, but she is given to the convent instead of Rosa. Brentan captures the suspense as Justina and Luca try to rescue Rosa from her in-laws' clutches and restore the Soranzo family's fortunes. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2023]