Hawthorne's classic "international novel" showcases the durability of life and art, chronicling the adventures of a group of American expatriates in Italy. Befriended by the handsome Donatello, who possesses all of the grace of a marble statue of a faun, the Americans find themselves swept up in events beyond their reason and expectations. Italy and Rome become characters in this witty and symbolic romance, drawing on art, literature, and the Fall from Grace as its themes. Hawthorne's last completed romance; he believed it to be his finest work. last novel, which he thought to be his best.
