Historical Fiction Renaissance

I 1761 udsendte Frederik V en ekspedition til Mellemøsten og Den arabiske halvø. Fem videnskabsmænd og en tjener drog ud på en rejse, der kom til at vare syv år og gav anledning til oplevelser, der vakte stor opmærksomhed i hele samtidens Europa. Den eneste af deltagerne, der vendte levende tilbage, var den unge astronom og landmåler Carsten Niebuhr. Romanen fortæller om en rejse fyldt med strabadser, intriger og et meget levende tidsbillede fra 1700-tallet. Det er ikke kun en beskrivelse af de meget fremmedartede lande, der besøges undervejs.

Roma, settembre 1683. In una locanda nel cuore della Città Santa la morte improvvisa di un viaggiatore semina il panico: veleno o peste? Per paura del contagio, gli ospiti vengono rinchiusi in quarantena nelle proprie stanze. Tra loro c'è l'abate Atto Melani, ex cantante castrato e ora agente segreto del Re Sole, deciso a scoprire cosa si celi dietro quella strana morte. Atto dovrà scontrarsi con le reticenze e le paure degli altri ospiti, con lo spettro della peste che aleggia sulla locanda.

Fontainebleau, 1536. Francis II, dauphin of France, is dead. Poisoned. And the royal court believe Catherine de' Medici to be the murderer. With the heir apparent dead, her husband Henry will now be the next king of France - and her queen - and Catherine's family is known to stop at nothing to consolidate their power. But not yet queen and without an heir of her own, Catherine cannot be sure of securing her family's legacy. To ensure the conception of an heir, she will need to seek help from an unexpected ally: Nostradamus, the reclusive astronomer and purported seer.

Donna, a bold and unconventional young woman, has always defied expectations. Raised among soldiers and statesmen, she dreams of leading men into battle and unearthing the secrets of the ancient world. But her journey takes an unexpected turn when she finds herself entangled in the shadowy world of the Medici and the cosmic codes of power.

When 17-year-old Giulia, the orphaned, illegitimate daughter of a Milanese nobleman, learns she’s to be packed off to a life behind convent walls, she begs an astrologer-sorcerer for a talisman that will secure what she’s certain is her heart’s desire: true love and a place where she belongs. But does she really know the compass of her heart? The convent of Santa Marta is full of surprises, including a workshop of nuns who are creating paintings of astonishing beauty using a luminous blue mixed from a secret formula: Passion Blue.

1657. The youngest daughter of Oliver Cromwell, 18-year-old Frances is finding her place at England's new centre of power. Following the turmoil of Civil War, a fragile sense of stability has returned to the country. Her father has risen to the unprecedented position of Lord Protector of the Commonwealth, and Frances has found herself transported from her humble childhood home to the sumptuous palaces of Hampton Court and Whitehall, where she dreams of romance.

"Bist du immer so ein Trampeltier oder tust du nur so?" "Und bist du immer so ein Arschloch oder tust du nur so?" Die Hamburger Literaturstudentin Persephone ist unsicher wegen ihrer Figur und darauf bedacht, möglichst wenig Aufmerksamkeit auf sich zu ziehen. Das ist schlagartig vorbei, als sie eines Tages ausgerechnet mit Alexander van Montford, ihrem viel zu gutaussehenden, aber chronisch schlecht gelaunten Mitstudenten, zusammenstößt.

1589. Scottish housemaid Geillis and Danish courtier Margareta lead opposite lives, but they both know one thing: when a man cries “witch”, no woman is safe. Yet when the marriage of King James VI and Princess Anna of Denmark brings Geillis and Margareta together, everything they supposed about good, evil, men, and women, is cast in a strange and brilliant new light. For the first time in history, could black magic – or rumours of it – be a very real tool for women’s political gain?

A marriage of dynasty: that is what is expected of Mary Sidney. A marriage to Sir Henry Herbert, earl of Pembroke, to be precise. But Mary’s sharp mind longs to work on her writing and translation projects and perhaps learn more of the alchemical arts at the elbow of the dazzling Walter Raleigh. Rose Commin, a young country girl with a surprising talent for drawing, is desperate to shrug off the slurs of witchcraft which have tarnished life at home. The opportunity to work at Wilton House, the Herbert’s Wiltshire home, is her chance.

Marie, la fille du seigneur de Croixmart, grand chasseur de sorciers et sorcières, au temps de François Ier, consulte une voyante qui lui prédit, entre autres choses, la mort de son père. Marie prévient son père et ce dernier saute sur l'occasion de faire condamner la "sorcière" qui, bientôt, brûle sur le bûcher. La foule, excédée par toutes ces exécutions, attaque le baron de Croixmart et le massacre. Renaud, le fils de la voyante, jure qu'il se vengera de la fille de Croixmart et la tuera.

Las vidas de Colón, Hernán Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Alonso de Ojeda y Juan Ponce de León se entrecruzan en un momento muy concreto de la historia. En 1509, todos coinciden en una taberna de Santo Domingo conocida como La taberna de los cuatro vientos. Vázquez-Figueroa aprovecha este escenario para proporcionar una voz, un punto de vista y una historia en primera persona a todos estos emblemáticos exploradores en una historia amena, educativa y ágil.

After saving the life of the glamorous Marquise de Harfleur, painfully shy barmaid Alice Henshawe is employed as the lady’s companion and whisked away to Versailles. There, she catches King Louis’ eye and quickly becomes a court favorite as the muse for Charles Perrault’s Cinderella. The palace appears to be heaven itself, but there is danger hidden beneath the façade and Alice soon finds herself thrust into a world of intrigue, murder, and Satanism at the heart of the French court.

In 1642, a pregnant Hester Prynne is found guilty of adultery, shunned by her neighbors, and forced to wear a scarlet letter 'A' on her dress. Meanwhile, Hester's husband - long thought to be lost at sea - has returned to Boston under the assumed name 'Roger Chillingworth' and plots to uncover her lover's identity. After her daughter Pearl is born, Hester is frequently visited by both Reverend Dimmesdale and Chillingworth, but always refuses to name her lover.

Fighting for success in 17th century Amsterdam, a female artist must risk everything - and make enemies along the way. Defying convention, gifted artist Clara becomes a pupil to the renowned painter Osias Beerts. But when the highly prized patronage won from the powerful Burgomeister Fabritius turns to hostility, Clara has to make sacrifices and risk everything to pursue her craft. Together with her fellow pupil, Nico, she finds herself surrounded by dangerous secrets and powerful enemies. But in the face of so much past pain, can something as fragile as love survive?

La giovane eroina di questo romanzo, condannata per adulterio nella Boston dei Puritani, dovrà portare per sempre, cucita sul vestito, una lettera scarlatta. Una vicenda dai risvolti imprevedibili, il risveglio della coscienza femminile per l'affermazione dei diritti delle donne. Musica di Kevin Mac Leod

Frankreich, 1708: Die mittlerweile erfolgreiche Malerin Lianne und ihr Mann besuchen eine Kunstausstellung in Paris, während ihre Tochter Laure solange bei Verwandten in La Rochelle bleibt. Dort wird das Leben von Liannes Nichte Nisani durcheinandergewirbelt, denn sie hat sich in einem schwachen Moment Nicolas hingegeben, der wie ein Bruder mit ihr aufgewachsen ist. Nisani findet zu spät heraus, dass sie gar nicht mit ihrer heimlichen Liebe verwandt ist, denn Nicolas hat nach ihrer gemeinsamen Nacht beschämt die Stadt verlassen …

The second instalment in a prize-winning series charting the rise of the House of Medici as they become Masters of Florence and progenitors of the Renaissance. Florence, 1469. The Medici family is preparing for the marriage of its son and heir Lorenzo. His heart belongs to another, but this union will strengthen the alliance with a powerful Roman family. Torn between love and power, the bounties and the compromises of governing, Lorenzo has become complacent. He has forgotten the bloody path he forged on his ascent to power and the enemies left in his wake.

Nous sommes à Paris en 1609, Henri IV règne sur la France pacifiée. Le chevalier de Pardaillan, qui n'a pas retrouvé son fils, rencontre un jeune truand, Jehan-le-Brave, en qui il ne tarde pas à reconnaître l'enfant de Fausta. Or, Jehan-le-Brave, qui ignore tout de ses origines, est amoureux de Bertille de Saugis, fille naturelle d'Henri IV.

In Judea, under the brutal rule of King Herod, a woman yearns for a child but is outcast when she does not fall pregnant. Against all convention, she masters the art of glassblowing. In Renaissance Florence, a young wife is left penniless by her hopelessly unfaithful husband and struggles to find a way to support herself and her young son. In contemporary Australia, a talented textile conservator, devastated by loss, is desperate to regain control of her life. Each woman wants something that seems unattainable, and it will take all their courage, creativity and determination to achieve it.

Venice is sinking, so they say. And so are Nico's chances to prosper in the most glorious city in the world. Nurse Francesca is threatening to send him to a farm to pick olives, he has failed at two apprenticeships, and one of the most powerful men in Venice would like to sink his lifeless body into the deepest canal. Orphans have very few options, and Nico might be forced to chose the one he most wishes to avoid: leaving Venice behind forever.