The Venetian mask - Rosalind Laker

Enduring friendships and long-held vendettas come alive against the splendor and
decadence of eighteenth-century Venice.

In 1775 Venice--known to outsiders as "the
brothel of Europe"--the tradition of mask-wearing has allowed adultery and debauchery
to flourish. But Marietta and Elena, two friends at the Ospedale della Piet,
a world-famous orphanage and music school for girls, know little of that milieu--until
they come of age.

Elena is forced to wed the head of the Celano clan, a jealous,
brutal man, while Marietta marries Domenico Torrisi, whose family vendetta with the
Celanos is centuries old. Tradition dictates that the friends should never speak
again, but their bond is too strong to break.

As the French Revolution unsettles
all of Europe, Elena's husband frames Domenico and he becomes a political prisoner.
Marietta and Elena plot to save him, and the women discover that Venetian masks have
noble purposes, too--but will their efforts put their own lives at risk?

Embodying
the glitter and the treachery of the city it portrays, The Venetian Mask will keep
you turning pages long into the night.