The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi [Paperback]

Jacqueline Park (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 1998

The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi is a sweeping tale of intrigue and romance set in a time rife with court politics, papal chicanery, religious intolerance, and inviolable social rules. Grazia, private secretary to the world-renowned Isabella d'Este, is the daughter of an eminent Jewish banker, the wife of the pope's Jewish physician, and the lover of a Christian prince. In a "secret book," written as a legacy for her son, she records her struggles to choose between the seductions of the Christian world and a return to the family, traditions, and duties of her Jewish roots. As she re-creates Renaissance Italy in captivating detail, Jacqueline Park gives us a timeless portrait of a brave and brilliant woman trapped in an unforgiving, inflexible society.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The "secret book" of the title--or libro segreto, in the old Florentine manner--is the detailed account of Grazia dei Rossi's exciting and turbulent life, written so that her son might know his legacy. Inspired by a letter written centuries ago by a young Jewish woman to Isabella d'Este, The Secret Book of Grazia is a rich and complex work of fiction. This historical novel brings to life the sublime art, political corruption, and religious intolerance of 16th-century Florence from a rarely explored vantage point: the complicated symbiosis between Christian and Jew. Grazia dei Rossi, educated daughter of a wealthy Jewish family, has fallen in love with a young Christian nobleman. Forced to choose between her love and her faith, she chooses love. But her betrothed is whisked away by kinsmen, and the humiliated Grazia is ruined--until fate throws her another chance in the guise of a second marriage proposal, this one from the powerful Judah del Medigo, scholar, physician, and adviser to popes and kings. Under his guardianship, Grazia flourishes as a scholar and scribe, eventually becoming the secretary to Isabella d'Este, where she reenters the world of courts and courtiers.

And that's just the beginning; Park blends scholarship, imagination, and a compelling heroine to serve up good, old-fashioned literary stew, thick with the irresistible details of place, plottings, and passions. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Two letters from the court of Isabella d'Este found in an attic and published in an obscure Italian journal provide the inspiration for this historical novel. Park, a founder of the Dramatic Writing Program at New York University's Institute of Film, brings both considerable writing experience and thorough research to her first novel. Building on the hints of a romance between a Christian nobleman and a young Jewess, Park successfully evokes the tensions underlying the luxuries of 14th-century Italian court life. Her heroine, Grazia Dei Rossi, is the finely educated daughter of a well-to-do Jewish family. Despite their wealth, her family remains on the edges of society and subject to the capricious whims of their court patrons. Bearing witness to family intrigues, religious persecution, and changing political alliances, Grazia pens her memoirs as a legacy for her son. The result deftly mixes romance, historical details, memorable characters, and drama. Recommended for all fiction collections.?Jan Blodgett, Davidson Coll., N.C.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Scribner Paperback Fiction; 1ST edition (September 8, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684848406
• ISBN-13: 978-0684848402
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #238,604 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A skillfully crafted period AND character piece, October 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi (Paperback)

It is rare that I develop the fierce attachement to a novel and its characters that I did when reading this novel. The novel skillfully intertwines history with the plot without bogging the reader down in mind-numbing, plot-detracting, detail (almost as if the plot were an excuse for the research the author did). Many historical novels fall into this trap. Park makes Renaissance Italy come alive for the reader. You come away with a sense of actually having been there. This is accomplished by Park's style of skillful description without the using the mystifying authority of a research novelist. The protagonist Grazia is a strong and able woman with all the faults and vulnerabilites of any real woman. Her actions always reflect her emotional development at each point in the story. Hence she allows herself to be seduced by her dashing Christian suitor...at the age of 13...when we are all prone to romantic flights of fancy and passion. What is so amazing is that Park manages to keep her characters REAL and plausable while still keeping them and the plot infused with enough drama and unpredictability to intrigue the reader. An excellent first novel and I eagerly await another.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Secret Book" earns a spot high on my favorites list, June 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi (Paperback)

I picked up this book because the name Rossi is a family name. I didn't expect to be all that into the book, though, because I didn't think I would be interested in a story that took place so long ago. This book proved me very wrong. Not only was captivated by the main character, Grazia, but i also would like to think that I absorbed some of the historical information and learned much about Renaissance Italy and events in that time. The book brought history alive for me in the days that I was reading it. Ms. Park should be thanked for doing such excellent research and presenting us with such a wonderful gift of literature. She writes in a sometimes sarcastic, very informative, and always friendly style and I hope to see some more books on the shelves by her.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hey! I liked this book!, February 3, 2000

By 

A. Nelson "reloaly" (Bellevue, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi (Paperback)

I was under the impression that I was not a big fan of historical fiction.....until I read THE SECRET BOOK OF GRAZIA DEI ROSSI. Who would of thought that the life of a Renissance-era Jewish woman in Italy would be so absorbing! This book went everywhere with me! Granted, life back then was not easy for anyone, but to be Jewish and a woman and told where you will live, what profession you will persue, and who you will marry and STILL live a full life, is an accomplishment beyond comprehension. Grazia is a wonderful character, intelligent, full of fire and passion, my only disappointment is that she was not real. Ms. Park makes her seem so.