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    The Saffron Crocus
    The Saffron Crocus
    The Saffron Crocus
    Ebook250 pages3 hours

    The Saffron Crocus

    By Alison McMahan

    4.5/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Venice, 1643. Isabella, fifteen, longs to sing in Monteverdi’s Choir, but only boys (and castrati) can do that. Her singing teacher, Margherita, introduces her to a new wonder: opera! Then Isabella finds Margherita murdered. And now people keep trying to kill Margherita’s handsome rogue of a son, Rafaele. Isabella has to solve the mystery of the Saffron Crocus fast, before Rafaele hangs for a murder he didn’t commit, though she fears the truth will drive her and the man she loves irrevocably apart.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBlack Opal Books
    Release dateDec 13, 2014
    ISBN9781626942172
    The Saffron Crocus

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    Reviews for The Saffron Crocus

    4.5/5

    7 ratings4 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I hadn’t realized when I accepted this book for review that it was a young adult novel – I do read them I just didn’t take particular note when reading the synopsis. This tale of mystery, murder, song and romance takes place in Venice. Our heroine, Isabella, has a remarkable singing voice and longs to sing in public. Her singing teacher, Margherita, has a magical voice and a history. Not to mention a very handsome son, Rafaele. Margherita has never told her son who his father is. She gives him a special gift and promises to tell him his parentage but the next night she is found murdered.Secrets abound in this story and for an adult reader most of them are easy to discern but a younger reader would be intrigued by the breadcrumbs left by the author as Isabella tries to help Rafaele find who killed his mother and then help him get out of serious trouble.It is a sweet tale with a few twists and turns along the way to keep the young reader very engaged. The time period was complicated for political and religious reasons and Ms. McMahan weaves the necessary information into her story well. The ugly aspects of history are handled discretely enough so that they won’t offend sensitive readers. I read the book on a flight from Nashville to Denver and it made the time enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      Isabella longs for nothing more than to sing in Monteverdi’s Choir, but in 17th Century Venice, only men may sing in public, not fifteen-year-old young ladies. Isabella’s vocal teacher, Margherita encourages her to keep singing in hopes that she will be able to perform in opera. However, after one of Margherita’s performances Isabella finds her dead, strangled. After Margherita is murdered, secrets about her life begin to surface. The secrets affect Margherita’s handsome son, Rafaele, as well. Rafaele kept Margherita’s saffron business alive, but now someone seems to want to kill Rafaele also. After a botched attempt on his life, Rafaele is accused of murder and Isabella is determined to find out who killed her beloved vocal teacher and set Rafaele free. The Saffron Crocus is an intriguing young adult historical mystery that incorporates many historical aspects and people in 17th Century Venice. Isabella is young but determined, and while trying to solve the mystery of her teacher’s death, she matures and grows into a young woman. Isabella is given many challenges to overcome, finding out who killed her teacher, a chance to sing in men’s clothing, and the opportunity to save the man she loves; by the end she is a woman I could connect with and respect. The mystery is engaging, with a few twists and turns. I was glad to see a lot of history of the time incorporated into the mystery also, such as saffron as a cure for the plague, the treatment of Jews in Venice as well as art, music and culture. Overall, an interesting young adult historical mystery.
    • 5/5
      A fast paced, young adult read filled with the mystery promised and so much more.

      It speaks of a time when women were respected and yet only so much. They were permitted to be seen but not speak their own minds freely. They were allowed to visit with male callers but not without a chaperon in attendance. They were given the chance to let their voices soar in song, but only in the venues chosen by the men that surrounded them. Yes ladies, it was a man's world. *grumble grumble* For our leading lady Isabella, that proved a very difficult point to accept for she desired to sing in the infamous all male choir and wouldn't you know it, between fate and circumstance...she got just what she wanted. Or did she? You see, that "dream come true" came at a price most high with consequences undesired and a change of heart most unexpected. Though it fulfilled one wish, it opened the door to so many more...good thing she's not a girl to take things lying down.

      I really enjoyed getting to know Isabella. She was full of spunk and a healthy appetite for life despite the fact that society wasn't really in her favor at the time. She didn't let the day rule her though it tried; she let her heart and mind work together to sort through the good, bad, and deadly. Her unanticipated (yet arranged to some degree by his own mother, Margherita...who has an interesting past of her own!) connection with Rafaele packed a punch, though little in any form of "action" actually occurs. That's right ladies and gents, it's back to a time when the words both said and unsaid really made a difference as well as the belief in one another. Speaking of Rafaele, though he acted the spoiled brat at times, he wasn't without his good qualities, the more of which came out as he learned about his own history. It was great watching him grow from the experiences he had as well as the reciprocated feelings from one lovely girl. The tortures he survives are certainly stomach clenching but the limited detail included won't have you face first over any buckets any time soon. (Good balance!)



      **review copy received in exchange for my honest review....full post can be seen on my site ***
    • 4/5
      I hadn’t realized when I accepted this book for review that it was a young adult novel – I do read them I just didn’t take particular note when reading the synopsis. This tale of mystery, murder, song and romance takes place in Venice. Our heroine, Isabella, has a remarkable singing voice and longs to sing in public. Her singing teacher, Margherita, has a magical voice and a history. Not to mention a very handsome son, Rafaele. Margherita has never told her son who his father is. She gives him a special gift and promises to tell him his parentage but the next night she is found murdered.Secrets abound in this story and for an adult reader most of them are easy to discern but a younger reader would be intrigued by the breadcrumbs left by the author as Isabella tries to help Rafaele find who killed his mother and then help him get out of serious trouble.It is a sweet tale with a few twists and turns along the way to keep the young reader very engaged. The time period was complicated for political and religious reasons and Ms. McMahan weaves the necessary information into her story well. The ugly aspects of history are handled discretely enough so that they won’t offend sensitive readers. I read the book on a flight from Nashville to Denver and it made the time enjoyable.

    Book preview

    The Saffron Crocus - Alison McMahan

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