Romance, religion, and familial duties clash in Leigh Grant’s historical novel, Mask of Dreams, a 15th century drama centered on the fates of two unlikely loners.
Imprisoned in a life she never asked for, the rebellious Caterina is far from the typical Venetian maiden, as arranged marriages to elderly strangers and docility for the sake of her father’s reputation have never been her priority. Her loyal and beloved nurse, Nonna, urges her to accept her fate as the daughter of a wealthy merchant, and embrace her future marriage, but Caterina’s youthful desire for freedom is unquenchable.
A sailing disaster frees Caterina from one unwanted marital expectation, but that only speeds her father’s process of finding her a new match. Through “saintly” cloistering, illness, assassins, and more, Caterina hopes only for a husband of good character, rather than a lecherous and unkind match to benefit her father’s standing.
Unbeknownst to them both, an adventurous thief from the Balkans has evaded the Turks and is moving towards Venice, lured to the city by the promise of profit and a mysterious invitation he secured in a game of chance. Rade is a rugged warrior, a quiet leader, and a progressive thinker, particularly when it comes to the realms of romance, but his face is not acceptable in noble courts. Against all odds, he and Caterina are joined in a begrudging betrothal, but they’re only bound through the secrets that lie behind an impossibly realistic mask, adding a level of risk to Rade’s already dangerous gambit. As he says, “Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant,” and this sprawling story shows exactly how unpredictable and irresistible destiny can be.
Thematically, the book delves into the forbidden nature of sensuality, the overlooked power of women in the fortunes of men, the veils of identity and loyalty, and the balance between honor and self-preservation. With a rich cast of supporting characters and alternating narration that slowly brings the two protagonists into orbit, this is tense and escapist storytelling at its best, laced with plenty of lasting lessons and bursts of profundity. The storylines move along clearly and quickly, despite the author taking time for ample world-building and historical context-setting.
There is a tendency to overuse italicization, sometimes without an obvious reason for the additional emphasis, and the author also uses a number of Italian derivations of words that can occasionally cloud the meaning of a sentence or phrase; though this can be confusing, it simultaneously adds to the immersive nature of this story.
On that note, Grant excels in historical consistency – at no point does the language or dialogic exchanges feel anachronistic, idiomatic, or inauthentic. The amount of research required to craft such a detailed piece of historical fiction is impressive, and is evidenced by the level of detail found in the writing, which brings this unique historical period to careful life.
With an original setting of Italian high society that has curious parallels with modern-day mores, this is an enthralling, character-driven drama underlined by timeless themes of integrity and independence.
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