Friday 56: Of a Renaissance Explorer, a Computer, and a Metamorphosis

Friday! Friday! Friday! Check out this unique book I pulled my Friday 56 from!

Never heard of  Friday 56? 

It's so simple, you should consider joining!

• Grab a book, any book. 
• Turn to page 56. 
• Find any sentence that grabs you. (Yes, I cheat sometimes and put a little more than a sentence!) 
• Post it. 
• Add your (url) post in Freda's Voice Linky. 

I have The Venetian's Wife: A Strangely Sensual Tale of a Renaissance Explorer, a Computer, and a Metamorphosis by Nick Bantock on my coffee table.

I fell in love with Nick Bantock when I first got my hands on Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence. I happily Bookmooch'ed both these books off some very kind souls. (I would love to get my hands on the whole trilogy! Someday, someday!)

Anyway, page 56 is an illustration of a tattered old book, a book which reveals who this "Renaissance Explorer" is. And being a graphic novel, I felt that skipping over to another page would do the book an injustice.

(Watch for my review of this, I'll take some photos!)


To further whet your appetite, here's the summary from Amazon:

Nick Bantock's illustrated novel, The Venetian's Wife, is part love story, part mystery, and part ghostly tale—and an altogether bewitching brew of sensuality and lost treasures. Thoroughly bored with her job at the local museum, Sarah heads to the gallery to take another look at that new drawing, the one she can't stop thinking about, the one of the Hindu god Shiva, who dances...That's when it all begins. 

The next day, an e-mail message brings her a job offer: to find the few remaining pieces of a 15th-century adventurer's renowned collection of Indian sculptures. Her employer, curiously, wishes to communicate only by computer. She has no idea who he is or why he wants her. But other mysteries soon preoccupy her, such as the meaning of an enigmatic illuminated manuscript—and the sensual transformation that seems to be overtaking her. 

Through her quirkily decorated diary and the artful e-mail exchanges between Sara and her mentor, Nick Bantock has conjured up a richly illustrated tale of a relentless quest, an amorous legacy, and the resonating power of art—a lush, romantic adventure of the soul that tantalizes the reader to the last line.

 I hope you all have a wonderful Friday, and a lovely weekend!