Portrait of a Woman

Historically founded on the seventeenth century Stradivari family, PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN is a novel about Beatrice Stradivari, a young concert guitarist, and the two men who vie for her love; of an older Beatrice who, during World War II, rescues Italian Jews by crossing the Swiss border; finally, of an aging Beatrice, who, as a Benedictine nun, Mother Ambrose, catches the interest of a novelist who falls in love with her in his imagination. In his effort to translate his devotion into a novel, he searches out Mother Ambrose's secret on the shores of Como, Istanbul, Dubrovnik, and Rome.

This single novel involves three interlocking stories woven into a seamless garment: a double romance, a thriller based on a priceless formula for varnish; a memoir of love lost and repossessed. Each story takes its turn illuminating the others, and ultimately, Mystery itself. PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN is a classic for the new millennium.

Joseph Roccasalvo is a standing member of the Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard, and holds a Ph.D. from that university. He lives and writes in New York City.