Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Mini Book Review: The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark


The Book of Unholy Mischief: A Novel 
The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Publish Date: November 3, 2009
Paperback, 400 pages


Confession time:  I was fully planning on having this book done today for  my tour date even though I received the book last week.  I couldn't wait to dig into this one.  What I didn't realize is this isn't a book you just rush through, this is a book to savor and savor it I will, so today you get a mini-review with a full review to follow when I finish the book.


Mini Review:
Why I read this: I have been wanting to read this one since it came out - the cover it's beautiful, the description sounds exciting.  So when I was offered a chance through Pump Up Your Book Promotion, I said yes.

How is the novel driven:  From what I have read so far, primarily character, though there is action, there is murder, mayhem and suspense, but mainly this is about Luciano.


My thoughts:  I did start this book with my usual reading mentality - blow through it quickly, enjoy it enough and be done with it.  However, this is not what The Book of Unholy Mischief allows you to do.  I got sucked into the descriptions and would daydream and picture Venice at the time of the book.  I created the looks of Luciano and his friends in my mind.  I envisioned the kitchen Luciano works in and the streets he runs through.  The chefs house and so much more.  The book takes you from the seedy side to the wealthy and Luciano straddles both worlds by working in the kitchen of a wealthy and important man.  The intrigue is just starting to build, but I have a feeling it will be great.  If the rest of the book is half as good as the beginning, then it will still be a wonderful book and I know it will exceed my expectations.

Beautifully written, The Book of Unholy Mischief takes you back to Venice and the beginning of the Renaissance and tells a tale of intrigue and suspense. 



About the Book:
It is 1498, the dawn of the Renaissance, and Venice teems with rumors of an ancient book that holds the secret to unimaginable power. It is an alchemist's dream, with recipes for gold, immortality, and undying love. Everyone, rich and poor alike, speculates about the long-buried secrets scrawled in its pages and where it could possibly be hidden within the labyrinthine city. But while those who seek the book will stop at nothing to get it, those who know will die to protect it.
As a storm of intrigue and desire circles the republic that grew from the sea, Luciano, a penniless orphan with a quick wit and an even faster hand, is plucked up by an illustrious chef and hired, for reasons he cannot yet begin to understand, as an apprentice in the palace kitchen. There, in the lavish home of the most powerful man in Venice, he is initiated into the chef's rich and aromatic world, with all its seductive ingredients and secrets.

Luciano's loyalty to his street friends and the passion he holds for a convent girl named Francesca remain, but it is not long before he, too, is caught up in the madness. After he witnesses a shocking murder in the Palace dining room, he realizes that nothing is as it seems and that no one, not even those he's come to rely on most, can be trusted. Armed with a precocious mind and an insatiable curiosity, Luciano embarks on a perilous journey to uncover the truth. What he discovers will swing open the shutters of his mind, inflame his deepest desires, and leave an indelible mark on his soul.

Rich with the luxurious colors and textures of Venice, The Book of Unholy Mischief delights the senses and breathes fresh life into an age defined by intellectual revival and artistic vibrancy. A luminous and seductive novel, it is, at its heart, a high-spirited tribute to the fruits of knowledge and the extraordinary power of those who hold its key. In a world of violence and intrigue, who guards the truth?

About the Author:
Elle Newmark is an award-winning writer whose books are inspired by her travels. She and her husband, a retired physician, have two grown children and five grandchildren. They live in the hills north of San Diego.

Her Website

FTC Information: I received this book through Pump Up Your Book Promotion for review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

Book Tour: The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark

The Book of Unholy Mischief banner

 

***My review is coming later today, but for now read more about The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark.  Be sure and check out the other tour sites as well. ***

About Elle Newmark

Elle Newmark
Elle Newmark is an award winning writer whose books are inspired by her travels. She prowled the back streets of Venice to cook up The Book of Unholy Mischief and explored India by car and elephant to conjure The Devil’s Wind. She calls California home.
For more information on Elle or her work visit http://www.ellenewmark.com/

About The Book of Unholy Mischief

The Book of Unholy MischiefIt is 1498, the dawn of the Renaissance and Venice teems with rumors of an ancient book that hold the secrets of unimaginable power. Rich and poor alike speculate abouthe the long buried secred tht might be scrawled in its pages and where the book might be hidden in the labyrinthine city. While those who seek the book will stop at nothing to get it, those who know will die to protect it.
As a storm of intrigue percolates in Her Most Serene Republic, Luciano, a penniless orphan, is plucked off the street by the doge’s chef and taken in as the chef’s apprentice. In the palace kitchen Luciano is initiated into the chef’s rich and mysterious world where recipes are more than they seem.
It is not long before Luciano is caught up in the madness. Torn between loyalty to his street friends and his passion for Francesca, a convent girl, Lucianco’s worthiness is tested. Armed with a precicious mind and insatiable curiosity, Luciano embarks on a perilous journey to uncover the truth. What he discovers will swing opent he shutters of his mind, inflalme his deepest esires, and leaven an indelible mark on his soul.

Read the Excerpt

My name is Luciano ― just Luciano. I’m Venetian by birth, old now and chained to my memories, compelled to return, link by link, seeking clarity.
There’s a matter about which I am sworn to secrecy, but times have changed since I took my oath. In my lifetime, I’ve witnessed man’s emergence from centuries of darkness. Great thinkers have unlocked our minds, and great artists have opened our eyes and our hearts. Some are calling it a renaissance ― a rebirth ― and it will reverberate far into the future because of a miraculous new invention called the printing press. Perhaps, now, it would be a disservice to the advancement of knowledge to remain silent. Perhaps the pendulum has swung a full arc, and the time has come for me to speak. If I proceed with caution … well, those who have ears let them hear.
The intrigue took place in my youth, when I served as an apprentice to the doge’s chef in Venice. I first suspected some unholy mischief when the doge invited an uncouth peasant to dine with him in the palace. In the time-honored tradition of servants everywhere, I assumed my post behind the slightly open service door to the dining room in order to spy, and I marveled at the sight of them together: the doge, chief magistrate of the Most Serene Republic of Venice, gracious and bejeweled, sat with his guest, a bewildered paesano with calloused hands, dirt under his fingernails, and unwashed hair that had been hastily wetted and pushed off his face to show respect.
banner-bar1
THE BOOK OF UNHOLY MISCHIEF’S VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER ‘10 TOUR SCHEDULE
banner-bar1


Tuesday, September 7
Guest Blogging at My Reading Room
Wednesday, September 8
Book Reviewed at My Reading Room
Thursday, September 9
Book Reviewed at Andilit
Friday, September 10
Book Reviewed at Must Read Faster
Monday, September 13
Book Reviewed at Marta’s Meanderings
Interviewed at Diva’s Bookcase
Tuesday, September 14
Guest Blogging at Marta’s Meanderings
Book Reviewed at Diva’s Bookcase
Wednesday, September 15
Book Reviewed at Girls Just Reading
Thursday, September 16
Book Reviewed at Rundpinne
Friday, September 17
Guest Blogging at A Book Blogger’s Diary
Monday, September 20
Book Reviewed at The Book Tree
Tuesday, September 21
Book Reviewed at My Reading Table
Wednesday, September 22
Guest Blogging at My Reading Table
Thursday, September 23
Book Reviewed at ‘Til We Read Again
Monday, September 27
Book Reviewed at To Read or Not to Read
Tuesday, September 28
Book Reviewed at 2 Kids and Tired Book Reviews
Wednesday, September 29
Book Reviewed at Book Reviews by Buuklvr81