His last duchess pdf ebook
Gabrielle kimm
About the author
Novelist Gabrielle Kimm lives in West Sussex. She is
the author of two books - 'His Last Duchess' (Sphere
2010) and 'The Courtesan' s Lover' (Sphere 2011).
'His Last Duchess', set in Renaissance Italy, was
originally inspired by a Robert Browning poem. It tells
the story of the ill-fated marraige of the fifth duke of
Ferrara and Lucrezia de' Medici. Published in the
summer of 2010, 'His Last Duchess' was one of 20
books longlisted for the RNA Novel of the year. 'The
Courtesan's Lover' takes a secondary character from
'His Last Duchess' - the duke's mistress, Francesca -
and places her centre-stage in her own story, three
years after the end of the previous novel. The opening
chapter of 'The Courtesan's Lover' was shortlisted for
the Impress Prize for Fiction in 2007.
Gabrielle is a member of the Chichester Book Club, a
website dedicated to reading groups and book clubs in her local area, where she and her
fellow authors regularly run creative writing talks, readings and workshops across the
South East.
Gabrielle is a qualified English and Drama teacher.
His Last Duchess is the captivating fictionalised account
of the ill-fated marriage of Alfonso d’Este, fifth duke of
Ferrara, and Lucrezia de’ Medici. They married in 1559,
but just three years later Lucrezia mysteriously disappears
from records. While some believe that she died of natural
causes, others, including Victorian poet Robert Browning,
preferred to believe that Alfonso was in some way
responsible for her demise.
Browning’s depiction of the widowed duke in his dark and
sinister poem ‘My Last Duchess’ has long fascinated
Gabrielle Kimm and is the inspiration behind her debut
novel.
Kimm’s Lucrezia is young and naive with a curiosity and
love of life that betrays her eminent social standing. Her
passion and energy intrigues the ambitious duke, and she looks forward to an idyllic life
with her handsome husband. But what enchants and beguiles in courtship, soon
displeases in marriage and no sooner have the newlyweds returned to the oppressive
Castello Estense than the union begins to crumble.
As tensions mount, the absence of an heir jeopardises Alfonso’s political standing and the
Vatican threatens to reclaim his title. The duke’s growing resentment towards his young
duchess soon becomes unbearable and he begins to plot an unthinkable way to escape his
problems.
His Last Duchess is a stunning debut, rich in historical detail that explores women’s
freedom, forbidden love and the passions, and people, of 16 thcentury Tuscany and
Ferrara.
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