Daughter of Venice » (Reprint)

Donna Jo Napoli is the author of Crazy Jack, The Magic Circle, Stones in Water, and many other books, and is the chairperson of the linguistics department at Swarthmore College.

In 1592, Donata is a noble girl living in a palazzo on the Grand Canal. Girls of her class receive no education and rarely leave the palazzo. In a noble family, only one daughter and one son will be allowed to marry; Donata, like all younger daughters, will be sent to a convent.

Book Magazine

Sixteenth-century Venice springs to life in this entrancing historical novel. Rebelling at the restrictions that surround her, fourteen-year-old Donata seeks adventure and education, and finds them, along with romance and a greater understanding of her world. Napoli takes on a lot, writing about commerce, Judaism and a host of other subjects, but the strength of the plot and characters ties it all together in this outstanding novel.