Hope Restored In Florence

It is the opportunity of a lifetime, all she has ever dreamed of, the chance for Lucrezia Sims to study art restoration at the Palazzo Moretti in Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance. But even before she gets there, her life is devastated by the sudden separation of her parents. And once she arrives in Florence, she soon becomes the suspect in a violent crime, and betrayed by the one woman she had come to trust, whilst at the same time believing herself to be the victim of an odious assault. Her father, Jeffrey, who flies to be by her side, is himself soon a murder suspect as the full extent of the criminal network headed by Tommaso Rialo becomes shockingly clear.Jeffery must find a new sense of purpose as he works alongside ex-intelligence officer Marco di Luca, frustrated by a population in thrall to the criminal magnate and ignored by a police officer too scared or too corrupt to act against him. Together, they pull apart the threads of a sophisticated network of forgery and money laundering, risking their very lives to uncover the truth.Alongside this dark mystery, we are shown some of the lesser known beauties that Florence possesses, celebrating its women artists, those involved in the conservation and restoration of its many treasures and the Mannerist artists, who advanced art beyond the epoch of the High Renaissance.And we celebrate the life of Eleanora di Toledo, wife of Cosimo the First, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Their life long fidelity was unusual for their time, as was Eleanora's determination to emerge from the shadow of her husband and be recognised in her own right. Her story has echoes of that of Lucrezia, as past and present mirror each other.

For every woman who knows a little chocolate is good for the soul. Stimulating. Satisfying. Tantilizing. Delicious. Chocolate is that sweet “something extra” that infuses anything ordinary with delectable flavor and zest. In the same way, loving friendships can sweeten a woman’s life and make almost any situation — good or bad — taste even better. Blending true stories and several original choclate recipes with rich biblical examples, Karen Porter explores eight ways that friends can help one another enjoy life — and point each other to the God who made every good and perfect gift — especially chocolate!

'Cornel West is one of the most authentic, brilliant, prophetic, and healing voices in America today' --Marian Wright Edelman Nine of America's most influential artists, scholars, and public figures-Maya Angelou, Bill Bradley, Harry Belafonte, Patricia Williams, Wynton Marsalis, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, James Washington, James Forbes, and Haki Madhubuti-talk with Cornel West about their political awareness, art and politics, and the possibility of hope among African-Americans today.

This book looks at the variety of Britons who became residents of Florence between the end of the Napoleonic wars and the absorption of Tuscany into the kingdom of Italy. Many of them were leisured, and some aristocratic; a few were writers or artists; the British clergy and physicians who ministered to them were gentlemen. Many others were shopkeepers, merchants and even engineers. Some achieved a more profound knowledge of the country (and its language) than others, but all were affected to some degree by the momentous events which led to Italian unification.

This meticulously edited religious collection is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents: Scripture: Bible First Clement Second Clement Didache Epistle of Barnabas Shepherd of Hermas The Infancy Gospel of Thomas Apocalypse of Peter History: History of the Christian Church (Philip Schaff) Creeds of Christendom (Philip Schaff) Philosophy of Religion: The Confessions of St. Augustine (St. Augustine) On the Incarnation (Athanasius of Alexandria) On the Soul and the Resurrection (Gregory of Nyssa) On the Holy Spirit (Basil the Great) Pastoral Care (Pope Gregory I) An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith (John of Damascus) Summa Theologica (Saint Thomas Aquinas) The Imitation of Christ (Thomas à Kempis) A Treatise on Christian Liberty (Martin Luther) The Interior Castle (St. Teresa of Ávila) The Practice of the Presence of God (Brother Lawrence) The Age of Reason (Thomas Paine) The Natural History of Religion (David Hume) Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (David Hume) The Religious Affections (Jonathan Edwards) The Essence of Christianity (Ludwig Feuerbach) Beyond Good and Evil (Nietzsche) All of Grace (Charles Spurgeon) Humility: The Journey Toward Holiness (Andrew Murray) Orthodoxy (Chesterton) The Everlasting Man (Chesterton) The Sovereignty of God (Arthur Pink) The Kingdom of God Is Within You (Tolstoy) Religious Fiction: Divine Comedy (Dante) Paradise Lost (John Milton) The Pilgrim's Progress (John Bunyan) Zadig (Voltaire) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (Lew Wallace) Quo Vadis (Henryk Sienkiewicz) In His Steps (Charles M. Sheldon) The Story of the Other Wise Man (Henry Van Dyke) The Ball and the Cross (Chesterton) The Enchanted Barn (Grace Livingston Hill) The Grand Inquisitor (Dostoevsky Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship (Goethe) Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Nietzsche) Spirituality: The Conduct of Life (Ralph Waldo Emerson) Lessons in Truth (H. Emilie Cady) As a Man Thinketh (James Allen) Thoughts are Things (Prentice Mulford) The Game of Life and How to Play It (Florence Scovel Shinn)