This ravishing historical novel is set in the alleys and canals of 15th-century Venice as the revolution of movable type captivates--and terrifies--the city.
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This ravishing historical novel is set in the alleys and canals of 15th-century Venice as the revolution of movable type captivates--and terrifies--the city.
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Add this copy of The Floating Book: a Novel of Venice to cart. $1.25, good condition, Sold by Once Upon A Time Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tontitown, AR, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Harper Perennial.
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This is a used book in good condition and may show some signs of use or wear. This is a used book in good condition and may show some signs of use or wear.
Add this copy of The Floating Book to cart. $2.68, like new condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Harper Perennial.
Add this copy of The Floating Book to cart. $2.68, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Harper Perennial.
Add this copy of The Floating Book: a Novel of Venice to cart. $3.75, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Harper Perennial.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Floating Book: a Novel of Venice to cart. $4.34, very good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Harper Perennial.
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Very Good. Very Good condition. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp.
Add this copy of The Floating Book: a Novel of Venice to cart. $6.00, like new condition, Sold by Academic Book Solutions rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Medford, NY, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Harper Perennial.
Add this copy of The Floating Book to cart. $8.00, very good condition, Sold by Gils Book Loft rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Binghamton, NY, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by ReganBooks/ HarpeCollins.
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Cover by Michelle Ishay. Very Good+ pp. 490. 14361 shelf. Solid trade paperback, photo indigo covers. Slightly cocked., large bold blue cryptic note FEP. Story set in Venice 1468.
Add this copy of The Floating Book: a Novel of Venice to cart. $10.00, very good condition, Sold by Chatt PublicLibraryFoundation rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Chattanooga, TN, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Harper Perennial.
Add this copy of The Floating Book to cart. $11.31, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2005 by Harper Perennial.
Add this copy of The Floating Book (Paperback Or Softback) to cart. $12.62, new condition, Sold by BargainBookStores rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Grand Rapids, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by ReganBooks.
Venice comes alive in this ravishing tale by Michelle Lovric. Filled with believable and vivid personalities, both ribald and pious, the tale swirls between ancient past and present 15th-century Italy as lovers, businessmen, poets and sundries try to navigate the twisting paths of destiny The mysteries of the printed word casts its undeniable spell on the various characters and on this reader. But rising above it all is the seductive city of Venice, that gleams like a watery jewel.
Catullus has met the unapologetic, lusty, cool-headed and cold-hearted Clodia, daughter of Appius, wife of Quintus Metellus. She makes an impression on him, even though he cannot make one on her. So he falls madly in love with her, as so many other wretches have done.
Excerpt:
?Ah, the poet is arrived.? Her voice, cool and amused, turned me around. I started: she was sparingly dressed.
She did not rise to greet me, but fingered a cushion beside her, and smiled. As I walked toward her I saw hyenas carved on the headrests of her divan.
There were a few preliminaries and then, surprisingly, she gave herself to me without ceremony, as if the act meant nothing to her.
Yet I shall never forget that divan in the porch of her house and the thrum of the cicadas as I kissed her for the first time and fumbled with the cord of her robe, and the puffs of air that came from her pet sparrow?s beating wings. The bird circled around us the whole time, trying to alight if we were still for a second. I remember the lisp of wings in my ears, little claws scraping on my back. The scratches I found there that night must have been the result.
I realized from her deliberate style of lovemaking that she had arranged things so as to enjoy me for as long as she wanted, to test my stamina, to audition me. There were moments when the divan felt like a trough in which she was trying to drown me; others when it seemed to float over the ground. She kept me until a wan and wasted moon swung above us.
I was conscious that she was older than me, perhaps fifteen years older, but instead of disgusting me, that merely made me feel more grown-up myself, as if this were my true arrival not just in adult life, but also in the adult life of Rome and therefore the world. Suddenly all my adolescent desires and flirtations were transformed into earthy male lust.
Her coolness was?alluring. From the start I was drunk as a wineshop fly on the challenge of it. It was on this premise that I fell in love with every part of her, just as all the others had done. I could barely wait to tell the world that I had bedded her, and more eloquently still, how I had already begun to suffer for it. I wrote the first poem that very evening.
