Secretum
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Trade in Secretum for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Plus, get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'absorbing and fascinating' NEW BOOKS MAGAZINE 'Their novels are so rich in colour and context that it's often hard to tell where the history stops and the fiction starts,' THE LADY
Product Description
July, 1700, Rome. Atto Melani - once a celebrated castrato soprano, now a spy in the service of King Louis XIV, the Sun King - mingles with other high-ranking guests at the villa of Cardinal Spada. Despite being there to celebrate the Cardinal's nephew's wedding, the main topic of conversation is the grave illness of the Pope and the approaching demise of Charles II, King of Spain. Charles has no heir and Kaiser Leopold of Austria and King Louis are each demanding the throne, with the Vatican supposedly mediating. Keen to promote his master's cause, Melani sets in motion a grandiose conspiracy that will plunge him into a world of secret languages, religious sects, forged Royal wills and Europe into war.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
When I read Imprimatur (which I loved) I failed to realise (rather dopily) that it had any sequels and so I was surprised to discover Secretum, which I came across by chance whilst browsing in Amazon a couple of weeks ago. I can't remember if my hand shook when I clicked the mouse to buy it, but it certainly did when I removed the packaging and opened the cover a few days later. I soon discovered that I had yet again stumbled upon another wonderful book in which the same narrator continues his story after a gap of 17 years when Atto Melani suddenly reappears back into his life immediately turning it upside down by involving him in the political intrigues of the day. This gem of a book not only a well written (and translated) and marvellous historical political thriller told with vivid style and humour; it's other facets include a fascinating insight in the political history of Europe (Louis XIV and the run up to the War of the Spanish Succession), discourse on art, poetry, music and philosophy and consideration of the nature of friendship, love, trust, loyalty and betrayal. Having just finished the 700 plus pages of Secretum I feel regret at reaching the end of this instalment and no small impatience to read the next in the series (Veritas - written, but not yet translated). This is accompanied by slight relief that I can at last start to come down from the state of nervous excitement I have been in for the past two weeks and return to a relatively normal life where I can sleep and eat...
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
First of all my judgement: very positive.
"Secretum" filled me with enthusiasm ("Imprimatur" did the same). It seemed to me that Abbot Melani was an acquaintance of mine and Rome in 1700 was a familiar setting.
Rita Monaldi and Francesco Sorti have been able to insert wisely a huge amount of details they gathered before writing the book. In my opinion they have achieved a well-balanced and credible plot.
I think that the deep historical investigations and the richness of details are the added value of "Secretum". Moreover, I must underline the excellent quality of the english translation.
"Secretum" filled me with enthusiasm ("Imprimatur" did the same). It seemed to me that Abbot Melani was an acquaintance of mine and Rome in 1700 was a familiar setting.
Rita Monaldi and Francesco Sorti have been able to insert wisely a huge amount of details they gathered before writing the book. In my opinion they have achieved a well-balanced and credible plot.
I think that the deep historical investigations and the richness of details are the added value of "Secretum". Moreover, I must underline the excellent quality of the english translation.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
After devouring Imprimatur earlier, I was excited to pick up Secretum recently and again venture into the scheming world of the aging castrato spy, Atto Melani. In general, I found the read to be very satisfying, but felt that the 800 pages devoted to this opus was a bit much. At some points, the historical backstory exposited by Melani became ponderous and I daresay, boring. Some plot diversions put in to ostensibly throw Melani "off the trail" so to speak, were momentarily interesting, but looking back, totally overwrought. Careful editing by the authors could have easily shaved 150 pages off the bulk of the novel. In some ways, the mysteries presented in the plot also did not seem quite as compelling as those in Imprimatur. Regardless of these rather minor piques I had with the story, the lavish and painstaking historical detail in the writing, and the humorous moments that pepper the narrative are absolute gems. I've certainly become a fan!
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Fiction > Historical
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
