For five hundred years a statue of the madonna has watched over venice. Mar 30, 20 author of pascalis island, stone virgin, losing nelson, the songs of the kings, morality play, the big day, mooncrankers gift, sacred hunger barry unsworth open library donate. Barry unsworth frsl 10 august 1930 4 june 2012 was an english writer known for his historical fiction. On the off chance that you are partial to writing which comprise of sentiment and tension both and you adore describing characters in the story, then stone virgin is immaculate book for you. Into three mens lives, and over five centuries, the stone madonna brings an equal amount of sexual ecstasy and misery. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Novel italyvenice stone carvingconservation and restoration art. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading stone virgin.
Julian barnes ian mc ewan peter carey pat barker kazuo ishiguro david mitchell kate atkinson margaret atwood penelope fitzgerald sebastian faulks books by this author. Stone virgin by barry unsworth book cover, description, publication history. Perhaps his best foray into the past is stone virgin, a novel about art and history set in venice in the 15th, 18th and 20th centuries. In its romantic and dangerous tour of history, barry unsworth s stone virgin rivals a. Jun 08, 2012 barry unsworth, who has died of lung cancer aged 81, was a writer in the tradition of william golding and joseph conrad. Stone virgin by unsworth, barry penguin random house south. Barry unsworth was one of the foremost writers of historical fiction and won. In addition to eudora welty, he counted william faulkner and carson mccullers as his major influences. Barry unsworth frsl 10 august 1930 4 june 2012 was an english writer known for his. He grew up in a small mining community in county durham, in the north of england. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. A mysterious sculpture of a beautiful and erotic madonna holds the key to the fornarini familys secrets. Books by barry unsworth authors like barry unsworth what should i read next.
Morality play is a semihistorical detective novel by barry unsworth. Preeminent among novelists of empires in decay, his range spanned the. Barry unsworth when conservationist simon raikes goes to venice to restore a statue of the madonna, he is unprepared for the effect this stone virgins strange, seductive beauty and mysterious past will have on his. Stone virgin by barry unsworth goodreads share book. Other novels included stone virgin 1985 and losing nelson 1999. Compared to the judging of this years turner prize for british art, you cant. From 195153, in the british army, royal corps of signals, he served and became second lieutenant. As simon raikes immerses himself in the painstaking task of cleaning and repairing, he is inexorably drawn to the stories of. He has spent a number of years in the eastern mediterranean area and has taught english in athens and istanbul. Now, dulled by time and pollution, she is prepared for restoration.
Barry unsworth when conservationist simon raikes goes to venice to restore a statue of the madonna, he is unprepared for the effect this stone virgin s strange, seductive beauty and mysterious past will have on his. Click download or read online button to get the stone virgin book now. A masterful, thoroughly engrossing tale from acclaimed historical novelist unsworth pascalis island, 1980. Stone virgin by barry unsworth penguin books australia. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. I rate barry unsworth highly, and have done so ever since he was recognised with the booker prize in 1992, for his book sacred hunger a book i would recommend reading, together with much of his other works. Morality play, which was shortlisted for the 1995 booker prize. At the time of the publication of these books, the historical novel was still looked on with some suspicion, but he. Books blog how the sports book of the year reached the right result.
Stone virgin by unsworth, barry, 1930publication date 1986 topics art publisher boston. As simon raikes immerses himself in the painstaking task of cleaning and repairing, he is inexorably drawn to the stories of violence and lust which have surrounded this stone virgin. Barry unsworth excels at recreating bygone eras and ways of thinking in novels like sacred hunger and pascalis island. The book, published in 1995 by hamish hamilton was shortlisted for the man booker prize. Author of pascalis island, stone virgin, losing nelson, the songs of the kings, morality play, the big day, mooncrankers gift, sacred hunger barry unsworth open library donate. When raikes, a conservation expert, tries to restore her, he is swept under the statues spell and swept under the spell of the seductive chiara litsov, a member of the fornarini family now married to a famous sculptor. Br43, 1 pgs in cleaning a 15thcentury stone madonna in venice, an englishman named raikes is surprised and moved by the humanity and intimacy of her expression. A mysterious sculpture of a beautiful and erotic madonna holds the key.
This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. See all books authored by barry unsworth, including sacred hunger, and morality play, and more on. He published 17 novels, and was shortlisted for the booker prize three times, winning once for the 1992 novel sacred hunger. Barry unsworth, author houghton mifflin harcourt hmh. Barry unsworth books list of books by author barry unsworth. Barry unsworth as simon raikes restores a fifteenthcentury venetian masterpiece, he becomes obsessed with the sculpture, becoming involved in a crime as he reconstructs the past and is drawn into the mysteries of. This book, stone virgin, is brilliant, and i have just read it again for the third time, prompted by a holiday in venice. Read stone virgin by barry unsworth available from rakuten kobo. Buy this book unsworths stories of familial secrets and revenge.
Barry unsworth on an eloquent if unquestioning account of awaiting christs return. She is the madonna of the annunciation, carved in venice 540 years ago and now encrusted by an acid rain that rots the stone. Passionate, erotic and haunting, this is a brilliant novel by one of britains most important novelists. Stone virgin by unsworth, barry penguin random house. In land of marvels, a thriller set in 1914, he brings to life the schemes and doubledealings of western nations grappling for a foothold in mesopotamia now iraq in the dying days. Stone virgin barry unsworth haftad 9780099558545 bokus. Buy stone virgin by barry unsworth from amazons fiction books store. This acclaimed book by barry unsworth is available at in several formats for your ereader. Unsworth did not start to write historical fiction until his sixth novel, pascalis island 1980, the first of his novels to be shortlisted for the booker prize.
In its romantic and dangerous tour of history, barry unsworths stone virgin rivals a. Stone virgin download pdfepub ebook gets free book. Sacred hunger, which was joint winner of the 1992 booker prize. Between the sculptors and restorers narratives, unsworth slips in the erotic history of another rake, the destitute 18century patrician ziani, hard at work on his scandalous memoirs, lengthy excerpts of which record his encounter with the madonna. When raikes, a conservation expert, tries to restore her, he is swept under the statues spelland that of chiara litsov, a member of the fornarini family. A 15century sculpture of the virgin links these three alternating stories, all set amidst the mystery and splendor of venice. I rate barry unsworth highly, and have done so ever since he was recognised with the booker prize in 1992, for his book sacred hunger a. Dec 29, 2010 i rate barry unsworth highly, and have done so ever since he was recognised with the booker prize in 1992, for his book sacred hunger a book i would recommend reading, together with much of his other works.
Jun 08, 2012 barry unsworth, considered one of the foremost historical novelists in english, who was known for rich, densely textured fiction that conjured lost worlds those of the trojan war, medieval. In its romantic and dangerous tour of history, barry unsworths stone virgin. The judges of the booker prize last month couldnt, in the end, choose between michael ondaatje and barry unsworth. Buy stone virgin by barry unsworth from waterstones today. Download or read stone virgin book by clicking button below to visit the book download website. The book is set in medieval england sometime near the end of the 14th century and the events described. Simon rakes a conservation expert is restoring the stone virgin, a statue that cost the life of its creator in the 14th century. Books by barry unsworth authors like barry unsworth what. We personally assess every books quality and offer rare. Simons investigations lead him to chiara litsov, the wife of a renowned. After studying english at manchester university and completing two years national service, he lived in france for a year where he taught english. Stone virgin, 1986about the british slave trade in the mid18th century and a shipboard mutiny from which arose a community based on racial equality. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Preeminent among novelists of empires in decay, his range spanned the ottoman, the venetian and the british hegemony, and the middle ages to the present day.
Stone virgin by barry unsworth overdrive rakuten overdrive. Barry unsworth was born in 1930 in a mining village in durham, and he attended stocktonontees grammar school and manchester university, b. This is my second unsworth novel and im quite impressed. The stone virgin download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. A dangerous attraction develops between them and it appears inevitable that once again the stone virgin will bear witness to passion, betrayal and murder. Barry unsworth was born in 1930 in a mining village in durham, and he attended stocktonontees grammar school and manchester university. Click to read more about stone virgin by barry unsworth. Barry unsworth, considered one of the foremost historical novelists in english, who was known for rich, densely textured fiction that conjured lost worlds those of the trojan war, medieval. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. Stone virgin isbn 9780099558545 pdf epub barry unsworth. Barry unsworth has 29 books on goodreads with 36603 ratings. After studying english at manchester university and completing two years of national service, he lived in france for a year where he taught english. Books by barry unsworth authors like barry unsworth. Barry unsworth a stone madonna, masterpiece of venetian gothic sculpture, five centuries old, blackened and disfigured by time and weather and chemical pollution, stands high up on the facade of a church.
He was the author of many novels, including pascalis island, which was shortlisted for the 1980 booker prize. This is from stone virgin houghton mifflin, by barry unsworth. Buy this book unsworth s stories of familial secrets and revenge. Barry unsworth, who has died of lung cancer aged 81, was a writer in the tradition of william golding and joseph conrad. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.