Messenger Boy

By Cat Perry, 4/7/2010

Wandering the bookstores a few months back, I got tingle somewhere in the back of my mind that begged to read just one more historical fiction, one that could pull me into some distant alley and then in front of a roaring fire with each line. It was winter; I needed something [...]

The Passion, by Jeanette Winterson, rescues historical fiction from a wintry wasteland taking it out on a stolen gondola at 4 a.m. with a handle of bootleg wine and nowhere to go till sunrise. From From France to Venice and the great harsh unknown, “The Passion” is an exhilarating whip of sensuous fresh air. Death, innocence, Napoleon, queer sexuality, and the seedy muddle known as Venice weave together a quick read about love, war, and learning to let go of your heart—or take it back.