"Marietta and Elena are two girls living in a Venetian school for orphans. Both want to become famous singers. Elena, however, gets engaged to Marco, heir to the House of Celano. Sadly, Marco dies of a fever, and Elena is passed along to his brother, Filippo. Filippo is cruel to Elena and abuses her for failing to give him a child.
Marietta falls in love with a Frenchman named Alix Desgrange. They plan to elope but are prevented from doing so by Alix's guardian. Marietta accepts the loss of Alix and devotes herself to her musical career and becomes a star in Venice. Suddenly, Marietta is informed that the governors of the orphange have arranged a marriage between herself and Domenico Torrisi. Marietta is shocked. The Torrisis and the Celanos have been mortal enemies for years. If she marries into the Torrisi family, she will never be allowed to see Elena again. The two young women devise a plan to always be together, despite the opposition they will receive from their husbands."
Marie Morris, Resident Scholar
Click above for the new Obama Girl Parody video!
Review Analysis of The Venetian Mask
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- upbeat
Time/era of story
- 18th century
Romance/Romance Problems
Yes
Life of a profession:
- singer
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Job/Profession/Status story
Yes
Lover is
- an historical enemy
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- musician
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Italian
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- healthy but a geeky weakling
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- wealthy
Eccentric/Smart/Dumb:
Yes
Eccentric:
- wild
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 6 (an above average amount)
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Italy
Water?
Yes
Water:
- pleasure/love boat
- drowning
Misc setting
- prison
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Unusual Style:
- a lot of flashback and forwards
- No single main character?
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
