Italian Caprice - Softcover

Rippon, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 190520342X ISBN 13: 9781905203420

Publisher: Pen Press Publishers, 2005

Synopsis

Sebastian Haverhill, antiquary and literary scholar, pieces together the events of the Grand Tour of Foreign Parts undertaken by his grandfather and namesake, 'exactly one hundred years ago' in 1785. Also in the travelling party as it made its way through France, Italy and the German speaking lands were old school friend Ned Farrell and, as mentor, 'my Uncle Greenwood of Bowland in Lancashire', swordsman and linguist, with his own confidential link to the Foreign Office. In Paris and the Loire Valley they enjoy the generous hospitality of kind, and cultivated French cousins and establish relationships of a lasting, and even sentimental character before continuing on their way south to Provence and into Italy, 'the land of fabulous content'. And hovering in the background of their tale of travel is the figure of the young Sebastian's dashing aunt, Harriet de Savigny, 'who took a much less than proper interest in her handsome young nephew' and who plots to implement purposes of her own ...It is a time of carefree happiness, adventure and new experience for the young men under the guidance of Julian Greenwood, whose intention it is that their memories of the Tour should sustain them through future life. But History lies in wait, and the events of the French Revolution leave their irredeemable mark. From the vantage point of 1885 the grandson pieces together the tour itself, and post-tour developments of his forebears' story from family papers and the kind of anecdotes and reminiscences, voiced through the collective memory of generations.

About this title

About the Author

ITALIAN CAPRICE is Peter Rippon's third novel & celebrates his life- long love of mainland Europe & the languages & cultures he read & engaged with at Cambridge over forty years ago. A former schoolmaster & Open University tutor-counsellor, Peter Rippon taught English & Arts subjects for many years. His previous novels are THE RIVER CROSSING (1998) & SHADOW IN SUNLIGHT (2001). He is currently at work upon a fourth, as yet untitled, to be set in nineteenth-century Berlin & Paris.

Edition details

• Publisher: Pen Press Publishers
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 190520342X
• ISBN 13: 9781905203420
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176