Faun, A Novel of Intrigue
I’ve never done a book review here, but longtime friend Martha Horton recently published her first novel. She sent it to me and I just need to share it with you. In the next post, I’ll include an interview I did with her about the book. Martha’s a fascinating woman. Faun’s an intriguing book.
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Love, intrigue, murder and . . . Rome!
Martha Horton’s novel, Faun revolves around four characters: Nathan Kendall, a freelance writer; Dr. Hannah Ingram, a composer; Lilli Castelli, an art dealer with a gilded past and a shady present; and Donatello, a wine maker, who might be descended from the mythical creature. (Check the ears!)
The novel is loosely based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Marble Faun. It’s clear from the beginning that the author knows Rome as only a one-time resident can. (In fact she wrote for tourist magazines in Rome in the 1960s). Her descriptions of the cobblestone streets, the corner cafes, the ancient buildings, are beautiful word pictures that bring the city to life. I found myself re-reading passages, feeling as though I were in the city, sitting, walking, eating and sharing a glass of wine the main characters.
I was intrigued by the book’s construction. The story is told through Kendall’s narrative, Hannah’s journal and Lilli’s notes from the future, creating three different perspectives of the same events, and enough tension and suspense to push the reader to the next chapter.
While love develops between Hannah and Kendall, a relationship forms between the innocent “faun” Donatello and the worldly Lilli who is being threatened by a sinister character from her past. It leads to murder, a fall from grace and a slow healing.
Horton’s knowledge of the language, music, literature, myth and history make every page dance. She weaves the information into the narrative in a subtle, pleasurable way that adds dimensions to the book.
Beyond the adventure and intrigue, Faun is a sensuous work—food, wine, the arts, love for others and love of life.
I read a lot of novels.
This one I savored.
It’s available on Amazon.com