City of Masks

Stravaganza, Book 1

By: Mary Hoffman

Narrated by: Kathe Mazur

This is a fantastic first novel in a trilogy. Set in a parallel world, in an Italy that in this world is called Talia and in a Venice that in this world is called Bellezza, the narrative follows Lucien, who in this world is ill with cancer. Given a marbled notebook to help him communicate when his throat hurts too much to speak, this notebook is the means that transports Lucien to this magical, dangerous new world. This is a world which is set in the C16, and thrills to the delight of political intrigue, including assassination attempts both foiled and successful. The parallel Venice is astonishingly evoked, with the silks and velvets, the sensuousness of the food and the elegance of the city and its waterways all beautifully and powerfully described. The world of Talia is unforgettably and convincingly real.

©2004 Mary Hoffman (P)2012 Listening Library

great book

I love the Stravaganza series, the story is unique and magical. It took me a little while to get used to the narrator's voice and pronunciation of the Italian words.

I loved this audiobook!

A parallel world. The ability to travel between them using a talisman of some sort. The discovery of both by Lucien, who is living in London fighting cancer. When he discovers that sleeping with a particular book causes him to travel to a city that is very similar to Venice of several hundred years in the past. While there, Lucien finds himself quickly pulled into the middle of a web of political intrigue. He also discovers that his spending time in Bellezza - the alternate Venice - is also helping his health improve.

But what will happen when someone tries to control who rules Bellezza; and what will happen when that person discovers Lucien's secret?

This was such a neat story, looking at parallel worlds and time travel in a different way. The author does a wonderful job of weaving the two different storylines for Lucien when he is in Bellezza and when he is in present-day London. Though there is more time spent in Bellezza, Lucien's time in his own world has important implications for his time in Bellezza. The political intrigue was also very well done, and it served the storylines very well.

With the way this story ended, I definitely want to read the next book in this series. While reading this book, I also had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook, which was narrated by Kathe Mazur. Mazur gave a wonderful performance; I absolutely loved listening to her voice - especially her Italian accent. It rolled off her tongue and sounded very natural, and I will definitely be listening to the sequels in this series.

Middle School Perfection

Any additional comments?

This story is so unique and heartwarming that I decided to read it again seven years later. You will not be disappointed. The narrator did a fantastic job on the accents and made the story come to life. However, not being used to the Italian accents, I sometimes had to rewind to fully understand a certain line. Hope more than just the sequel come out on audio!

A fun romp in an Alternate Venice

Such a fun story! Suitable as young adult or general fiction! I greatly enjoyed it and the performance is very well done also.