Regular readers of EDIWTB probably know by now that I tend to stay away from historical fiction. I just glanced down the list of books I've read since I started the blog, and not a single one of them took place earlier than post-WWII. Most of them were set in the last 10 years. (A few of them do take place abroad – my taste is not that narrow.) Apologies to those of you who like historical fiction and who might appreciate a recommendation or two!
Here's some solace – a giveaway of three copies of Laurel Corona's The Four Seasons: A Novel of Vivaldi's Venice, a new novel set in 18th century Venice. From Amazon:
Chiaretta and Maddalena are as different as night and day. The two sisters were abandoned as babies on the steps of the Ospedale della Pietá, Venice's world-famous foundling hospital and musical academy. High-spirited and rebellious, Chiaretta marries into a great aristocratic Venetian family and eventually becomes one of the most powerful women in Venice. Maddalena becomes a violin virtuoso and Antonio Vivaldi's muse. The Four Seasons is a rich, literary imagination of the world of 18th-century Venice and the lives and loves of two extraordinary women.
This book isn't due out until November 4, so there aren't many reviews out there yet. Here is an interview with Laurel Corona from Hyperion.
I have three copies of The Four Seasons to give away. If you'd like a copy, leave me a comment here (with your email address) and I will pick three names at random on Sunday November 2.
Thanks to Alexandra at Hyperion/Voice for the giveaway, and good luck!