Customer Reviews

Vendetta or the Story of One Forgotten

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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Vendetta or the story of one forgotten is a book whose great beauty is in the plot and the personal tragedy of the characters involved.The plot was set in pre-industrial europe during the time of the plague.The count was a man of courage and honor who not mindful of his priviledged position went out of his way to help his subject and in the process contracted the plague and presumably died and was buried or DID HE? A must reading for all lovers of romance . Definitely 5*****.

First, let me correct some errors about the publication date of the book. "Vendetta" was first published by Bentley (a firm famous for such writers like Wilkie Collins and Ouida, later bought by now famous Macmillan) in 1886, immediately after the unexpected success of supernatural "A Romance of Two Worlds." The author, Marie Corelli was, though now forgotten, to be THE bestselling author of late Victorian era with the publication of "The Sorrows of the Satan," 9 years later, surpassing even Conan Doyle in popularity, and "Vendetta" surely shows some of her skill as a creator of melodrama.

It is narrated by an Italian hero, Fabio Romani, who is accidentally buried alive (!) in the epidemic-ridden village. He somehow returns home, only to find that his wife has been unfaithful to him, having an affair with his best friend (!!). Using disguise, he comes back to take a revenge on them. It is obvious that the story is borrowed from authors like Dumas (remember "Count of Monte Cristo"), but its power is not lost even today. If you like this kind of melodrama, try it.

Compared to Bulwer Lytton, the greatest of Victorian occult romancers, this novel has been praised for its narrative strength and brutal gothicism, depicting a premature burial in cholera-ridden Naples of 1884, with a gut-wrenching climax of revenge. Gothic, rather than supernatural, this second novel of Corelli sparked her onto further success to become one of the most widely read authors in Victorian England. If you are new to Corelli, then you are in for a wild ride!

I read this book in 1972. I have never read a book like it since then. From start to finish, I was not distracted by anything more important than reading it. I took it to a restaurant with me and I over stayed my welcome reading it.. I was told to give room to others who might want to come in for lunch.I didn't realize that I had stayed that long. I apologized and left with the understanding that the owner had the right to make money, regardless how much I liked the book.

Dear Sir,
I would like to purchase the book but I prefer to have its movie no matter vhs or dvd.
Please advise if it is possible to get a movie of VENDETTA, THE STORY OF ONE FORGOTTEN.
Thanks
Regards
Abdul Latif Al ulama