Vorab-RezensentenMarina Fiorato

Marina Fiorato, international bestselling author of The Glassblower of Murano and The Botticelli Secret, is back with her latest novel that once again will keep readers on the edge of their seats! It’s 1729, and the Palio, a white-knuckle horse race, is soon to be held in the heart of the peerless Tuscan city of Siena. But the beauty and pageantry masks the deadly rivalry that exists among the city’s districts. Each ward, represented by an animal symbol, puts forth a rider to claim the winner’s banner, but the contest turns citizens into tribes and men into beasts—and beautiful, headstrong, young Pia Tolomei is in love with a rider of an opposing ward, an outsider who threatens the shaky balance of intrigue and influence that rules the land.

After the dissolution of her marriage, beautiful English artist Leonora Manin is hired as an apprentice glassblower in the Venetian suburb of Murano, in Fiorato's strong U.S. debut. Leonora's ancestor was master glassmaker Corradino Manin, and her new boss plans to exploit that connection. But centuries-old jealousies and treachery surface and the public relations campaign is suddenly canceled. A modern-day relative of Corradino's mentor resents Leonora, while a journalist who was once involved with Alessandro Bardolino, Leonora's new love, decides she wants him back. Complex connections, but nothing compared to those in Corradino's time, when draconian Venetian laws enslaved glassmakers on Murano to insure techniques would remain exclusive to Venice. The author's descriptive prose brings the beauty and danger of 17th-century Venice vividly to life, when Corradino became a traitor seeking freedom for himself and his secret daughter. Leonora's determined to investigate Corradino, but throughout, Alessandro's allegiance is suspect. Those who enjoy intrigue and European history will be easily drawn into this romantic story.

In the heart of Medici Florence, part-time model and full-time prostitute Luciana Vetra stumbles across a deadly secret when she is asked to pose for the central figure of Flora in Sandro Botticelli's famous Primavera. A novel that is Dan Brown meets Sarah Dunant, The Botticelli Secret is a masterful concoction of intelligent and lucid mystery, historical intrigue, and romantic adventure.

The Glassblower of Murano, an instant independent bookstore bestseller and a #1 bestseller in Europe has left readers, reviewers, and book groups in awe. Leonora Manin leaves her unhappy life in London to embark on a grand exploration of life and love as a glassblower in the city of her ancestors, Venice. But when her fate becomes inextricably linked with that of her ancestor, and treacherous secrets of his life come to light, Leonora learns that the past isn't as clear as blown glass. Read the first three chapters, view the reading group guide, and to get a sneak peek at an excerpt from Fiorato’s upcoming novel The Boticelli Secret, at http://us.macmillan.com/theglassblowerofmurano

In this internationally bestselling debut, Leonora Manin leaves her unhappy life in London to embark on a grand exploration of life and love as a glassblower in the city of her ancestors, Venice. When her fate becomes inextricably linked with that of her ancestor, and treacherous secrets of his life come to light, Leonora learns that the past isn't as clear as blown glass. Click here to read the first 3 chapters and download the reading guide!