Description

Alessandra is desperate to escape.

Desperate to escape her stepmother, who's locked her away for a year; to escape the cloister that awaits her and the marriage plans that have been made for her; to escape the expectations that limit her and every other girl in fourteenth-century Italy. There's no tolerance in her quiet village for Alessandra and her keen intelligence and unconventional ideas.

In defiant pursuit of her dreams, Alessandra undertakes an audacious quest, her bravery equaled only by the dangers she faces. Disguised and alone in a city of spies and scholars, Alessandra will find a love she could not foresee—and an enduring fame.

In this exquisite imagining of the centuries-old story of Alessandra Giliani, the world's first female anatomist, acclaimed novelist Barbara Quick gives readers the drama, romance, and rich historical detail for which she is known as she shines a light on an unforgotten—and unforgettable—heroine.

About the author(s)

Novelist and poet Barbara Quick is author of Vivaldi's Virgins, translated into 13 languages, made into an audiobook, and in development as a mini-series by Lotus Pictures. Her first novel, Northern Edge, was awarded the Discover: Great New Writers Prize. Her debut book of poems, The Light on Sifnos, won the 2020 Blue Light Press Poetry Prize. She returned to Italy to write A Golden Web, which tells the tale of the pioneering teenage anatomist, Alessandra Giliani. Barbara’s fourth novel, What Disappears (2022), is a multi-generational tale of ballerinas and Jewish history set in Belle Époque Paris. An avid student of other languages, Barbara has traveled the world to do the research for her stories. She and her husband split their time between the Hudson River Valley and the Wine Country of Northern California.

Reviews

“Alessandra’s intellectual curiosity is wonderfully depicted, her philosophical musings are entertaining, and her commitment to the pursuit of biological knowledge enlivens the plot. Quick’s prose is fluid and authentic, bright and engaging.” — Publishers Weekly

“Quick has crafted an absorbing story about a delightful, courageous, intelligent young woman determined to make a difference in a time when women could be burned for societal rebellion far less dramatic than acquiring an education.” — ALA Booklist

“A Golden Web is pure gold. This is a gripping plot blessed with gifted writing.” — Grace Cavalieri, Producer/Host, "The Poet and the Peom from the Library of Congress"