Deborah Weisgall

Excellent novel with parallel stories of the marriages of two women, both artists, who visit Venice 100 years apart. In 1880 Marian Evans Cross, better known to the world as George Eliot, is on her honeymoon. She has, to the world's surprise, married her much-younger financial adviser relatively soon after the death of her longtime partner, George Lewes. In 1980, Caroline Spingold is in Venice at the behest of her much older and controlling husband, Malcolm, who is afraid she is reclaiming her identity as an artist (she is a sculptor) and moving away from him. The women's stories are as different as the times and circumstances in which they live but both are enthralling. This novel would be a good choice for people who liked The Hours by Michael Cunningham -- for people who want to know more about George Eliot and her love life, I highly recommend Parallel Lives: Five Victorian Marriages by Phyllis Rose.… (mais)

A fictional account of a year George Eliot spent in Venice on her honeymoon with a man not quite her soul mate, intermingled with the account of a modern woman in Venice with her husband to celebrate their 10 year marriage which has become stale over time. Their parallel stories are told in alternating chapters as they each search for love and identity in the city rich with beauty and history.

I love George Eliot, and was thrilled to read about her as a character in a work of fiction. I think Weisgall portrays George Eliot in a friendly and faithful way. The book was not as gripping as it could have been, more of a gentle friendship than a passionate love affair. But very enjoyable.… (mais)