Silvano and Chiara are two teenagers with a difference. Silvano has been accused of a murder he did not commit. Chiara has been ousted from her family as a young woman with no marriage prospects. For these two very different reasons they are forced to seek refuge in a neighbouring convent and friary. And when they meet they are instantly aware that they are both outsiders, ill at ease with monastic life. Then a grisly murder - followed by another, and then another - strikes fear into the close-knit community. Chiara and Silvano cling together within the terrifying spiral of murder as they, and the friends they have made, attempt to solve the deadly mystery. This remarkably rich mystery thriller, with all the pace and action of a 'whodunnit', is set in the incredibly atmospheric environs of a friary in 14th-century Italy. Amidst all the action of the murder mystery, the author depicts in fascinating and intricate detail the lives and tasks of the friars and nuns, whether it be crushing pigments to create paints for the fresco artists in nearby Assisi, or the daily and nightly ritual of the religious services. All the historical detail is carefully researched. A huge cast of characters with romantic teen heroes, combined with the thriller-murder element, ensure a pacy, richly enjoyable read.
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Silvano and Chiara are two teenagers with a difference. Silvano has been accused of a murder he did not commit. Chiara has been ousted from her family as a young woman with no marriage prospects. For these two very different reasons they are forced to seek refuge in a neighboring convent and friary.
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'Mary Hoffman's medieval murder mystery has all the ingredients needed to weave a satisfying web of intrigue ... This is a pacy and highly enjoyable read ... there is a freshness of perspective and intricacy of plot that lifts the story above the obvious or crass. The female characters and their struggles to find some autonomy beyond the confines of the roles allotted to them provide a particularly vivid thread beneath the mystery narrative ... I defy anyone to read this book and not want to visit Assisi.' Guardian
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Short-listed for the Guardian Fiction Prize The best-selling Stravaganza series is to be relaunched with a striking new cover look in August Over 6,000 copies sold in hardback Striking new paperback cover look
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780747589006
Publisert
2008-04-07
Utgiver
Vendor
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Høyde
198 mm
Bredde
129 mm
Aldersnivå
Y, 03
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
304

Forfatter

Biographical note

Mary Hoffman is a bestselling children's writer and critic, and the author of the hugely popular Stravaganza series. She is also the author of the bestselling Amazing Grace picture books. Mary is the editor of Armadillo, a children's literature review magazine. She has three grown-up daughters and lives with her husband in West Oxfordshire.