Saracinesca

Saracinesca is the first book in a four-part series by Francis Marion Crawford. The book artfully sets the stage for its successors and drags the reader into the complex and fascinating lifestyle of the aristocracy in 19th-century Italy.

The story follows the life of Don Giovanni Saracinesca, a young socialite who has rebuffed his family’s expectations and eschewed conventional social norms by remaining unmarried in his early 30s. To his family, Saracinesca appears to be disinterested in love but is secretly enamored with Duchessa Corona d’Astrardente. Although d’Astrardente reciprocates his feelings, she feels obligated to remain faithful to her much older husband. Despite these concerns, the two ultimately risk it all to embark on an affair. The story contains more than amorous undertones. It is also rife with action and bloodshed, which will appeal to readers of many tastes.

Crawford is a genius at telling a story of forbidden love and action while also conveying a beautiful depiction of Rome in the late 1800s. This story will surely capture the hearts of readers seeking a tale of romance that is simultaneously beautiful and painful, as it has already touched countless readers for over 100 years.