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The Healer

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Authors

Vinti, Laura

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Abstract

Naples, 1541 It is the middle of the night, and someone knocks at the door of the physician Don Antonio Marizzi. It is Brother Matteo, a monk sent by the abbess of the illustrious convent of San Francesco delle Monache to ask the physician and his young assistant Betta for assistance. A nun is gravely ill, and the abbess wants Don Antonio to inspect her. But when Don Antonio and Betta examine Suor Anna, they find her symptoms baffling and are unable to make a diagnosis. Speaking with the abbess, the physician discovers that Suor Anna is the daughter of Porzia, the noblewoman who broke his heart when he was young. As his memories of Porzia resurface, Don Antonio, who was already fighting depression after a recent scandal that almost destroyed his career, becomes even more despondent. Meanwhile, young Betta is determined to find out what illness afflicts the nun, and what therapy can be employed to cure her. Set in the splendid capital of the Kingdom of Naples at intersection between Renaissance and Counter-Reformation, The Healer is a gripping tale of love and fear, forgiveness and regret that will transport the reader to one of the most turbulent periods in Italian and European history.

Description

This document has been embargoed for 5 years and will not be available until July 2021 at the earliest.

Keywords

Fiction, Historical, Novel, Naples, Italy, Renaissance

Citation