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Published Jan 2009
384 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
It’s 1498, the dawn of the Renaissance, and Venice is teeming with rumors about an
ancient book thought to hold dangerous secrets. Powerful men will stop at nothing to get it, and those who have it will die to protect it.
Luciano, a street orphan who survives by his wits, is taken into the kitchen of the doge’s palace to be the chef's apprentice. As Luciano is initiated into the mysterious alchemy of the kitchen, he catches hints of the chef ’s shadowed past as well as murderous plots brewing behind the scenes. Luciano finds himself drawn into a
web of intrigue that will inflame his desires, test his loyalties, and force him to a heart-wrenching life-and-death decision.
Rich with historical detail, vivid characters, thought-provoking "heresies," and sumptuous culinary metaphors that readers will love, The Book of Unholy Mischief is a unique treat.
"Newmark does a fine job of building suspense and keeping the novel barreling along, and her knowledge of and affection for 15th-century Venice adds charm to this nicely told adventure yarn." - Publishers Weekly.
"Newmark uses great historical detail and marvelous descriptions of food to make this debut historical novel come alive." - Library Journal.
This information about The Book of Unholy Mischief was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Elle Newmark is the acclaimed author of The Book of Unholy Mischief and The Sandlewood Tree. Sadly, she died in 2011 after a long illness; before which she lived and worked in the hills north of San Diego.
Revealing Questions
Q. How would you describe your life in only 8 words?
A. one surprise after another after another after another
Q. What is your motto or maxim?
A. remember to breathe
Q. How would you describe perfect happiness?
A. To wear the world like a loose garment.
Q. What’s your greatest fear?
A. not writing well
Q. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be?
A. In a clean well-lighted place working on my next novel
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