Romola

George Eliot&#146;s <b>Romola</b> writes Robert Kiely in his Introduction embodies the author&#146;s &#147;wrestling with her own best theories of history and human nature as a creative experiment of the highest order.&#148; Set in Florence in 1492 a time of great political and religious turmoil Eliot&#146;s novel blends vivid fictional characters with historical figures such as Savonarola Machiavelli and the Medicis. When Romola the virtuous daughter of a blind scholar marries Tito Melema a charismatic young Greek she is bound to a man whose escalating betrayals threaten to destroy all that she holds dear. Profoundly inspired by Savonarola&#146;s teachings then crushed by the religious leader&#146;s ultimate failure Romola finds her salvation in noble self-sacrifice. This Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the 1878 Cabinet Edition.