Saracinesca (1887) is a novel by Francis Marion Crawford. Originally
serialized in Blackwood's Magazine, Saracinesca became the first in
a series of four novels. Followed by Sant'Ilario (1889), Don Orsino
(1892), and Corleone (1897), Saracinesca is an epic tale of history,
family, and romance set in Rome during a time of immense cultural
change. "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." In this city of living history, church and state vie for
control of a people divided on the basis of class. Against this
sociopolitical backdrop, Don Giovanni Saracinesca proves an unusual
character. Against the expectations of his friends and family, he
remains unmarried in his early thirties and refuses to adhere to
aristocratic tradition. In reality, he is deeply in love with a married
woman, the Duchessa Corona d'Astrardente, who married the Duca--a much
older man--when she was young. Although she feels strongly for Giovanni,
she knows that her station in life will not allow an affair. Despite
this, the two continue to meet, risking both life and reputation for the
sake of love. Saracinesca is the first in a series of novels set in
Italy by Francis Marion Crawford, a master of romance with a talent for
detailed historical research. Although his reputation as a novelist has
largely faded in recent years, Crawford was a bestselling author in his
time and received glowing reviews for many of his novels and stories.
With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript,
this edition of Francis Marion Crawford's Saracinesca is a classic of
American literature reimagined for modern readers.
