Author:Ann Radcliffe,Robert Miles,Robert Miles,Robert Miles

From the first moment Vincentio di Vivaldi, a young nobleman, sets eyes on the veiled figure of Ellena, he is captivated by her enigmatic beauty and grace. But his haughty and manipulative mother is against the match and enlists the help of her confessor to come between them. Schedoni, previously a leading figure of the Inquisition, is a demonic, scheming monk with no qualms about the task, whether it entails abduction, torture - or even murder. The Italian secured Ann Radcliffe's position as the leading writer of Gothic romance of the age, for its atmosphere of supernatural and nightmarish horrors, combined with her evocation of sublime landscapes and chilling narrative.
'Under the heat and the hammering of bombs, Rinaldi paints the essence of the Second World War in exciting miniature'
—— David Hughes , Mail on Sunday'Much to enjoy...Rinaldi has tremendous fun evoking the rich cultural pudding that was Malta in 1942, its weird combination of superstition, fatalism and grafted-on anglophilia, of ricotta and stiff upper lip'
—— Patrick Gale , Daily Telegraph'Funny, romantic, disturbing...A marvellous tapestry of war...Moving and satisfying'
—— The New York Times'A beguiling, romantic story in an illuminating and surprising setting'
—— Joseph HellerThis is Elton at his best - mature, humane, and still a laugh a minute. At least
—— Daily TelegraphOnly Ben Elton could combine uncomfortable questions about gender politics with a gripping, page-turning narrative and jokes that make you laugh out loud
—— Tony ParsonsA very funny book about a sensitive subject ... Ben Elton the writer might even be funniter than Ben Elton the comic
—— Daily MailThe selections from the greats are generous and well chosen
—— Guardian






