Saracinesca

Saracinesca is a novel written by F. Marion Crawford first published in 1887. The story is set in Rome Italy and follows the lives of two aristocratic families the Saracinesca and the Del Ferice. The novel explores the themes of love family and social class in the late 19th century.The Saracinesca family is headed by the elderly Prince Saracinesca who is deeply respected in Roman society. His grandson Giovanni is the protagonist of the story. Giovanni is a young man who is passionate about horse racing and falls in love with a beautiful American woman named Corona d'Astrardente.The Del Ferice family is headed by the cunning and manipulative Prince Del Ferice who is determined to marry his daughter Donna Tullia to Giovanni. However Giovanni is not interested in Donna Tullia and is determined to marry Corona. The two families become embroiled in a bitter feud which threatens to tear them apart.Throughout the novel Crawford explores the complexities of love and relationships as well as the social and political issues of the time. The novel is known for its vivid descriptions of life in Rome and its engaging characters making it a classic of 19th-century literature.1887. With frontispiece. F. Marion Crawford was one of the more famous authors in the English-speaking world at the time of his death in 1909. He wrote over forty novels most of which were in the style of disposable romances popular at the time. He also wrote stories of the horror and occult which are generally the ones for which he is remembered today. Saracinesca begins: In the year 1865 Rome was still in a great measure its old self. It had not then acquired that modern air which is now beginning to pervade it. The Corso had not been widened and whitewashed; the Villa Aldobrandini had not been cut through to make the Via Nazionale; the south wing of the Palazzo Colonna still looked upon a narrow lane through which men hesitated to pass after dark; the Tiber's course had not then been corrected below the Farnesina; the Farnesina itself was but just under repair; the iron bridge at the Ripetta was not dreamed of; and the Prati di Castello were still as their name implies a series of waste meadows. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting preserving and promoting the world's literature in affordable high quality modern editions that are true to their original work.