Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and author Carol M. Cram are excited to
announce The Towers of Tuscany Book Blast! Join us from April 7-13 as The Towers of
Tuscany is featured around the blogosphere, along with a chance to win one of three
copies of this amazing new novel! Called "a beautifully crafted masterpiece of
historical fiction", "lush", and "page-turning" Cram's debut
novel will appeal to readers who enjoy a strong female lead who, against great odds,
dares to follow a dream. The Towers of Tuscany includes a Reader's Guide making it a
perfect Book Club pick! In honor of the Book Blast we are giving away three copies
to three lucky readers, see below to enter.
Publication Date: January 23, 2014
New Arcadia Publishing
Formats: Paperback, Ebook
Genre: Historical Fiction
Set amid the twisting streets and sunlit piazzas of medieval Italy, the Towers of Tuscany tells the story of a woman who dares to follow her own path in the all-male domain of the painter's workshop. Sofia Barducci is born into a world where a woman is only as good as the man who cares for her, but she still claims the right to make her own mistakes. Her first mistake is convincing her father to let her marry Giorgio Carelli, a wealthy saffron merchant in San Gimignano, the Tuscan city of towers. Trained in secret by her father to create the beautifully-crafted panels and altarpieces acclaimed today as masterpieces of late medieval art, Sofia's desire for freedom from her father's workshop leads her to betray her passion and sink into a life of loveless drudgery with a husband who comes to despise her when she does not produce a son.
In an attack motivated by vendetta, Sofia's father is crushed by his own fresco, compelling Sofia to act or risk the death of her soul. The choice she makes takes her on a journey from misery to the heights of passion, both as a painter and as a woman. Sofia escapes to Siena where, disguised as a boy, she paints again. When her work attracts the notice of a nobleman who discovers the woman under the dirty smock, Sofia is faced with a choice that nearly destroys her.
The Towers of Tuscany unites a strong heroine with meticulously researched settings and compelling characters drawn from the rich tapestry of medieval Italy during one of Europe's most turbulent centuries. The stylishly written plot is packed with enough twists and turns to keep readers up long past their bedtimes.
READ AN EXCERPT.
"Carol Cram's lush descriptions and intriguing characters bring this dramatic tale of medieval Tuscany to life. If you love Italian art, a feisty heroine, and a page-turning plot, you will adore this novel."- Deborah Swift, Author of A Divided Inheritance.
"The Towers of Tuscany has all the elements of a wonderful historical novel, a talented, frustrated heroine, a treacherous, feckless husband, and a promise to a dying, much loved father who orders the heroine on a dangerous mission. Carol is a first rate storyteller. The research is well done. Every chapter displays a fine knowledge of painting technique of the 14th century, and customs and mores of the age. The details of dress, fabric, food, are flawless. The clever dialogue and fast pace make the novel zing along." - Roberta Rich, Author of The Midwife of Venice and The Harem Midwife.
"Sofia will set your heart racing as she attempts to find what we all, in our own ways, strive to seek: love, resolution, and artistic freedom. The legacy of this story will leave you yearning for more."- Cathleen With, award-winning author of Having Faith in the Polar Girls Prison.
Amazon (Paperback)
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository
IndieBound
Carol M. Cram has enjoyed a great career as an educator, teaching at Capilano
University in North Vancouver for over twenty years and authoring forty-plus
bestselling textbooks on business communications and software applications. She
holds an MA in Drama from the University of Toronto and an MBA from Heriot-Watt
University in Edinburgh, Scotland. Carol is currently focusing as much of her
attention as she can spare between walks in the woods on writing historical novels
with an arts twist.
She and her husband, painter Gregg Simpson, share a life on beautiful Bowen Island
near Vancouver, Canada.
Blog
Goodreads
Facebook
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Literary Chanteuse
Bibliophilia Please
Cheryl's Book Nook
A Bibliotaph's Reviews
Confessions of an Avid Reader
Tuesday, April 8
Mari Reads
Peeking Between the Pages
History From a Woman's Perspective
Wednesday, April 9
Reviews by Molly
Susan Heim on Writing
Oh,For the Hook of a Book
Thursday, April 10
Passages to the Past
Book Lovers Paradise
To Read or Not to Read
Curling Up With a Good Book
Friday, April 11
Words and Peace
The Mad Reviewer
Historical Fiction Obsession
Saturday, April 12
Book Nerd
Layered Pages
Princess of Eboli
Kelsey's Book Corner
Sunday, April 13
West Metro Mommy
The True Book Addict
Caroline Wilson Writes
Publication Date: January 23, 2014
New Arcadia Publishing
Formats: Paperback, Ebook
Genre: Historical Fiction
Set amid the twisting streets and sunlit piazzas of medieval Italy, the Towers of Tuscany tells the story of a woman who dares to follow her own path in the all-male domain of the painter's workshop. Sofia Barducci is born into a world where a woman is only as good as the man who cares for her, but she still claims the right to make her own mistakes. Her first mistake is convincing her father to let her marry Giorgio Carelli, a wealthy saffron merchant in San Gimignano, the Tuscan city of towers. Trained in secret by her father to create the beautifully-crafted panels and altarpieces acclaimed today as masterpieces of late medieval art, Sofia's desire for freedom from her father's workshop leads her to betray her passion and sink into a life of loveless drudgery with a husband who comes to despise her when she does not produce a son.
In an attack motivated by vendetta, Sofia's father is crushed by his own fresco, compelling Sofia to act or risk the death of her soul. The choice she makes takes her on a journey from misery to the heights of passion, both as a painter and as a woman. Sofia escapes to Siena where, disguised as a boy, she paints again. When her work attracts the notice of a nobleman who discovers the woman under the dirty smock, Sofia is faced with a choice that nearly destroys her.
The Towers of Tuscany unites a strong heroine with meticulously researched settings and compelling characters drawn from the rich tapestry of medieval Italy during one of Europe's most turbulent centuries. The stylishly written plot is packed with enough twists and turns to keep readers up long past their bedtimes.
READ AN EXCERPT.
Praise for The Towers of Tuscany
"The Towers of Tuscany is a delightful escape to the Siena we all love. Carol Cram has crafted a delicious story about a strong woman torn between her secret past, her love of painting and the forbidden charms of her rich patron. Hard to resist and highly recommended!" - Anne Fortier, Author of The Lost Sisterhood and the New York Times bestseller, Juliet."Carol Cram's lush descriptions and intriguing characters bring this dramatic tale of medieval Tuscany to life. If you love Italian art, a feisty heroine, and a page-turning plot, you will adore this novel."- Deborah Swift, Author of A Divided Inheritance.
"The Towers of Tuscany has all the elements of a wonderful historical novel, a talented, frustrated heroine, a treacherous, feckless husband, and a promise to a dying, much loved father who orders the heroine on a dangerous mission. Carol is a first rate storyteller. The research is well done. Every chapter displays a fine knowledge of painting technique of the 14th century, and customs and mores of the age. The details of dress, fabric, food, are flawless. The clever dialogue and fast pace make the novel zing along." - Roberta Rich, Author of The Midwife of Venice and The Harem Midwife.
"Sofia will set your heart racing as she attempts to find what we all, in our own ways, strive to seek: love, resolution, and artistic freedom. The legacy of this story will leave you yearning for more."- Cathleen With, award-winning author of Having Faith in the Polar Girls Prison.
Buy the Book
Amazon (Ebook)Amazon (Paperback)
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository
IndieBound
About the Author
Author Links
WebsiteBlog
Goodreads
Book Blast Schedule
Monday, April 7Literary Chanteuse
Bibliophilia Please
Cheryl's Book Nook
A Bibliotaph's Reviews
Confessions of an Avid Reader
Tuesday, April 8
Mari Reads
Peeking Between the Pages
History From a Woman's Perspective
Wednesday, April 9
Reviews by Molly
Susan Heim on Writing
Oh,For the Hook of a Book
Thursday, April 10
Passages to the Past
Book Lovers Paradise
To Read or Not to Read
Curling Up With a Good Book
Friday, April 11
Words and Peace
The Mad Reviewer
Historical Fiction Obsession
Saturday, April 12
Book Nerd
Layered Pages
Princess of Eboli
Kelsey's Book Corner
Sunday, April 13
West Metro Mommy
The True Book Addict
Caroline Wilson Writes
Thank you, Lauralee; it was a great review. I have put my name down for one of the free copies, but I have also added it to be To Be Read list. I did some extensive research on women artists some years back, and Sofia's predicament (though fiction) was not at all unusual.
ReplyDeleteThanks! The book was free on April 6th and April 7th. I got the book on April 7th. had I not looked on the author's website, I would not have known that.
ReplyDeleteThat's okay. I can't read e-Books, so it really doesn't make a lot of difference as far as I am concerned. I will try to get hold of a print copy.
ReplyDelete