{"product_id":"valperga","title":"Valperga","description":"\u003ch4 class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eA woman of peace. A man of war. A love that history would not allow.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMary Shelley turns to the landscape of medieval Italy to explore the entanglement of political ambition, personal loyalty, and moral conviction. Within its historical scope, the novel becomes a meditation on power as both external force and inward struggle.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAt the center of the narrative stands Euthanasia, the Lady of Valperga, whose rule is marked by compassion, integrity, and a steadfast desire for peace. Her life becomes entangled with that of Castruccio Castracani, a rising military leader whose brilliance and ambition draw him inexorably toward conquest and authority. As their paths converge, affection and ideology become increasingly difficult to separate, and personal attachment is tested against the demands of political destiny. Around them, the shifting alliances of warring factions form a turbulent backdrop in which cities, loyalties, and identities are continually reshaped.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCastruccio is based on a historical figure: a fourteenth-century condottiere who conquered much of Tuscany. Euthanasia is Shelley’s invention: a woman who rules her small domain with justice and mercy, who loves Castruccio but refuses to support his wars. He offers her power. She refuses. He conquers her city. She stands trial for treason. He offers to spare her if she becomes his mistress. She refuses again. She is exiled. She dies at sea. Castruccio becomes Duke of Lucca, but his victory is hollow.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is Shelley at her most politically engaged and tragic: a novel about the impossibility of reconciling love with power, peace with ambition, and the quiet strength of a woman who chooses principle over survival. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eValperga\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is the forgotten masterpiece of a writer who understood that history is written by the men who win—but remembered, sometimes, by the women who lose.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublished in 1823, Mary Shelley’s first historical novel, following the success of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrankenstein\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBased on the real-life figure of Castruccio Castracani (1281–1328), a condottiere who became Duke of Lucca\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA feminist historical novel that gives voice to a woman who refuses to compromise her principles for love or power\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAvailable in multiple formats:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePaperback \u0026amp; Hardcover:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Beautifully designed print editions presenting the complete, unabridged text made to last.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEbook:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e DRM-free EPUB compatible with Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, and all major e-readers.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAudiobook:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Professionally narrated, complete and unabridged, available on all major audiobook platforms.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA beautifully crafted edition for your shelf, your device, or your ears, or the perfect gift for anyone who knows that peace is not the absence of war, but the courage to say no.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ds-markdown-paragraph\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMary Shelley\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (1797–1851) was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFrankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (1818). Born Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin in London, she was the daughter of the philosopher William Godwin and the feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft. In 1816, she married the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eValperga\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e was published in 1823, following her earlier novel \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMathilda\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e(written 1819–1820, published posthumously). The novel reflects Shelley’s deep engagement with Italian history, which she studied extensively during her years in Italy with Percy. It also explores themes of political power, gender, and moral choice that were central to her father’s political philosophy and her mother’s feminist writings. The novel was not a commercial success in its time, in part because it was published after the height of the historical novel craze. It has since been recognized as a pioneering work of feminist historical fiction. Shelley died in London in 1851.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Casa Carlini","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":54424502829428,"sku":null,"price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Ebook","offer_id":54424502862196,"sku":null,"price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":54424502894964,"sku":null,"price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":54424502927732,"sku":null,"price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0988\/5561\/6884\/files\/casa-carlini-simple-audiobook-valperga-53566709629300.png?v=1779965689","url":"https:\/\/casacarlini.com\/products\/valperga","provider":"Casa Carlini","version":"1.0","type":"link"}