Renaissance Fiction

"The Contessa's Legacy" is a novella by Nora D'Ecclesis. The book tells the story of a family living in Pompeii, Naples in 79AD. It follows the lives of the family members as the ancestors eventually immigrate to America, including their relationships with each other, and their struggles to survive in a society that was not known for treating its citizens with compassion.

Venecia, 1793. Arabella Massari contempla desde su palacio la llegada de los invitados. Ha organizado una gran fiesta de máscaras. Entre los asistentes se encuentra Lucrezia Viviani, la hija del mercader Giuseppe Viviani, que acude con su prometido Roberto Manin. Lucrezia no está dispuesta a casarse con un hombre al que detesta y hará todo lo posible por impedir la boda.

Halley, who covers house-sitting jobs for her self-absorbed mom, has Hollywood dreams, but no real life. That is, until the day a job for her mom leads to a tumble back to London in1598, where Halley meets a hot, rich earl named Edmund, and accidentally brings him to the 21st century.

August 1556. Jack Blackjack is on a simple mission: make it back home to his beloved London. It should be simple, right? Wrong. He's made it as far as Exeter, but before he can secure a fresh steed in that hellish city, he's faced with a dead priest, ruthless thieves, and a devious Dean who's determined to see the back of Jack. That suits Jack just fine - he wants to leave! So when wealthy merchant Wolfe, offers passage to London via sea, Jack jumps at the chance...and unwittingly into further danger!

Rome, 1659. Months after the plague has ravaged Rome, men are still dying in unnatural numbers, and rumour has it that their corpses do not decay as they should. The Papal authorities commission prosecutor Stefano Bracchi to investigate, telling him he will need considerable mettle to reach the truth. To the west of the Tiber, Girolama and her female friends are at work, helping other women with childbirths and foretelling their futures. Elsewhere in the city, a young wife, Anna, must find a way to escape her abusive husband. But in a city made by men for men, there are no easy paths out.

At just 19, Katheryn Howard is quick to trust and fall in love. She comes to court. She sings, she dances. She captures the heart of the King. Henry declares she is his rose without a thorn. But Katheryn has a past of which he knows nothing. It comes back increasingly to haunt her. For those who share her secrets are waiting in the shadows, whispering words of love...and blackmail.

Brilliantly read by Nigel Gore, this audiobook joins together George Robert Minkoff’s three critically acclaimed historical novels about the founding of the first English colony at Jamestown - The Weight of Smoke, The Dragons of the Storm, and The Leaves of Fate. The novels are visionary epics chronicling lesser-known aspects of the Elizabethan world, including the importance of alchemy to Queen Elizabeth and her court. The canvas is vast, intertwining the life of John Smith, as a narrator, with that of Sir Francis Drake, the great Elizabethan explorer.

After her husband of 15 years comes out of the closet, a blindsided, 40-year-old Amanda Lewis is forced to salvage what remains of her shattered heart and navigate a new life for herself and her teenage daughter. But will a sizzling secret romance with a famous young NFL quarterback lead her to winning the life she deserves or set her up for her biggest loss yet?

For 1920's society reporter Lanie Price, the photographer found shot through the eye in the back of his studio isn't just another story. It's personal. On a dank night in September, Lanie is called to the scene of a grisly double murder. The victims: a beloved neighborhood photographer and a dazzling Cotton Club beauty. The suspect: the dead man's jealous wife. The cops say she did it and an outraged community believes them. Can Lanie save an innocent woman from a date with the electric chair—or is this innocent woman not so innocent after all? Join Lanie for another suspenseful trip ...

The running wolf inscription told the world that a Solingen blade was at its throat. When a German smuggler is imprisoned in Morpeth Gaol in the winter of 1703, why does Queen Anne's powerful right-hand man, the Earl of Nottingham, take such a keen interest? At the end of the turbulent 17th century, the ties that bind men are fraying, turning neighbour against neighbour, friend against friend and brother against brother.

"Je me vengerai de ceux qui ont trahi ma famille. Ezio est ma nouvelle identité. Assassin est ma destinée." Trahi par les familles dirigeantes d'Italie, un jeune homme se lance dans une épique quête de vengeance. Afin d'éliminer la corruption et de rétablir l'honneur des siens, il deviendra un assassin. Il fera appel à la sagesse de grands esprits comme Léonard de Vinci ou Nicolas Machiavel, car il sait que sa survie dépend des dons qu'il doit développer.

Rival. Sister. Barmaid. Whore. Meg Henshawe has been a lot of things in her life, and few of them good. As proprietress of The Rose and Crown in Restoration Southwark, she has squandered her life catering to the comfort of workmen and thieves. Famous for her beauty as much as her reputation for rage, Meg has been coveted, abused, and discarded more than once. She is resigned to fighting alone until a passing boxer offers a helping hand.

In 1450 Christine de Pisan took up the pen to defend her maligned sex. Her book, The City of Ladies, was built around preserving women's reputations from the slights and misunderstandings of history. In it the author is visited by three spirits - Justice, Rectitude and Reason - who guide her in sifting through countless lives, in search of worthy citizens. Nearly 600 years later, the historian and novelist Lisa Hilton picks up the book and promptly falls asleep, only to be visited by three great women from history: Cleopatra, Lucrezia Borgia and Catherine the Great.

For Henry David Thoreau, there was no separation between public politics and personal principle. "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" is his famous account of the night he spent in jail for refusing to pay taxes to a government that supported slavery and waged war. His impassioned stand for justice later inspired Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and many other peaceful revolutionaries. This volume includes Thoreau's other important political writings: "A Plea for Captain John Brown", "Life Without Principle", and the poem "Independence".

Cinq ans après les événements de Mortal Instruments, Emma Carstairs est prête à venger la mort de ses parents... Après le meurtre de ses parents, Emma Carstairs rejoint l'Institut des Blackthorn pour devenir une redoutable Chasseuse d'Ombres. Et quand des crimes similaires sont découverts, elle est décidée à retrouver l'assassin et à se venger. Mais dans sa quête de vérité émergent de nombreuses questions : que veulent dire ces étranges inscriptions sur les corps ? Pourquoi l'Enclave leur a-t-elle interdit de chercher le coupable ?

À présent familiarisé avec les mœurs japonaises – notamment grâce à l’enseignement de Mariko, son interprète –, Blackthorne est parvenu à gagner le respect de Toranaga. Celui-ci, conscient de l’importance du "barbare" dans le conflit à venir, l’a même élevé au rang d’hatamoto. Mais en ces temps troublés, où complots et trahisons sont légion, celui que l’on surnomme Anjin-san sait qu’il ne pourra compter que sur lui-même. Car Ishido a rallié le Conseil des régents à sa cause, poussant Toranaga dans ses derniers retranchements... et rendant la guerre inévitable.

Tal como los alquimistas medievales se obsesionaron con la piedra filosofal, un sacamuelas sevillano, que llega hasta el virreinato peruano huyendo de la Inquisición, se afana en la búsqueda del gusano de los dientes que taladra las muelas y anida en las encías, precipitando la corrupción del cuerpo y flagelando a los cristianos con una espina del dolor de la Pasión, porque el imperio español de los siglos XVI y XVII era también el imperio del dolor.

Nous sommes en 1573. Jean de Kervilliers, devenu Monseigneur l'évêque prince Farnèse, fait arrêter Léonore, sa maîtresse, fille du baron de Montaigues, supplicié pendant la Saint Barthélémy. Alors que le bourreau lui passe la corde au cou, elle accouche d'une petite fille. Graciée par le Prévôt, elle est emmenée sans connaissance vers la prison.

Caterina da Broni, governante, prostituta, avventuriera e strega. Caterina è una bambina strana per il suo tempo, sa addirittura leggere grazie al padre maestro. Rimasta incinta a tredici anni in seguito a una violenza, va in sposa a un uomo che non è chi dice di essere. Ma invece di rassegnarsi a un destino di schiavitù, sceglie di fuggire. La sua intera vita diventa così una picaresca ricerca del proprio posto nel mondo, attraverso un territorio lombardo intriso di acque e brume, dove la vita è scandita dallo scorrere del Po.

Enjoy these poems exploring the dignity, wisdom, passion, and beauty in struggle. This collection of works by Harlem Renaissance authors is ideal for Black History programs.