Lover's Path: An Illustrated Novel — Kris Waldherr

Filamena Ziani is the much younger sister of the most famous courtesan in sixteenth-century Venice, Tullia Ziani. Orphaned as an infant, Filamena has come of age bent like a branch to her sister's will, sheltered and lonely in the elegant but stifling confines of their palazzo by the sea. Then a dark-haired stranger offers a gift that will change the course of her life forever: a single ripe plum, and an invitation to walk along the lover's path, wherever it may lead.

The Lover's Path, a moving tale of forbidden love, is a feminist epic told in multiple layers. Through a novel combination of Filamena's narrative, famous allegorical love stories from history and mythology, sumptuously ornate illustrations, and "actual" letters to and from Filamena that must be opened to be read, Filomena's path is beautifully described and, finally, stunningly revealed.

Praised by The New York Times Book Review for her "quality of myth and magic," Waldherr brings to life a remarkable period in Venetian history. Her glorious celebration of romance, the feminine spirit, and the power of love to transform will inspire and move readers everywhere.