Book Description
Venice can be a dangerous place for a man's emotions--particularly at Christmas, particularly if he's the grief-stricken art historian John Ruskin. In 1876, a year after the death of his clandestine love, Rose La Touche, Ruskin arrived in the city of canals and arched bridges. The author of such acclaimed books as Modern Painters and The Stones of Venice, Ruskin suddenly found himself adrift without his Rose. He'd seen his own youthful marriage scandalously annulled; he had lost his faith, his love, his fortune. It was time to heal.Ruskin's Rose tells the unforgettable story of Ruskin's relationship and of his time in Venice, when he rediscovered art through the paintings of fifteenth-century artist Vittore Carpaccio. Gorgeously illustrated with photographs of letters, maps, flowers, lockets, and other artifacts, this tale will stir the heart of every reader.


About the Author
Mimma Balia is an art teacher who lives in Venice, near the Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni, which houses several Carpaccio paintings. This is her first book. Michelle Lovric writes, researches, and designs illustrated anthologies and children's books. She splits her time between London and Venice. Ann Field's collages and illustrations have been exhibited worldwide and featured in magazines and books. Born and raised in England, she lives in southern California.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

John Ruskin, the esteemed nineteenth-century art historian and author of Stones of Venice, in 1858 fell deeply in love with a young Irish girl named Rose La Touche. What ensued is the stuff of tragedy: forbidden love, brain fever, stolen moments, lost fortune, misunderstandings, reconciliations, and tragic loss. Using material from Ruskin's and Rose's letters, as well as autobiography, books, and other writings, Ruskin's Rose retells the dramatic true story of this critical time in Ruskin's life.

The tale begins in Venice, a year after Rose's death. Ruskin had fled there to escape his pain, but the dangerous romance of Venice's canals and bridges only intensified his emotions. He found himself unable to leave but without a reason to stay -- until the day he stumbled across the paintings of fifteenth-century artist Vittore Carpaccio and found Rose in the fairy-tale portraits.

Set in Victorian London and Venice, this tantalizing book reveals what Ruskin discovered -- about himself and about love -- during the final months of 1876 and into early 1877. It will touch the heart of every reader.

FROM THE CRITICS

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