Claudia Lionetti Books

This moving collection of letters, diary entries, and other writings offers a rare glimpse into Nelson Mandela's life through his own direct and private voice. An international bestseller, it serves as an intensely personal complement to his autobiography. In the foreword, President Barack Obama notes that this work provides an extraordinary insight into Mandela as a man. Readers are taken through the darkest hours of Mandela's twenty-seven years of imprisonment, including his troubled dreams on Robben Island. The collection features a draft of an unfinished sequel to his autobiography, notes from his famous speeches, and even doodles made during meetings. It includes photos from his life, journals written while he was on the run during the early 1960s anti-apartheid struggles, and nearly 70 hours of recorded conversations with friends. This intimate journey captures the evolution of Mandela's political conscience and his significant role on the world stage. Critics have praised it as more revealing and moving than his autobiography, describing it as a heart-wrenching yet uplifting read that blends the mundane with the monumental, providing the fullest picture yet of Mandela.

In this exhilarating cross between The Da Vinci Code and The Birth of Venus, an irrepressible young woman in 15th-century Italy must flee for her life after stumbling upon a deadly secret when she serves as a model for Botticelli...When part-time model and full-time prostitute Luciana Vetra is asked by one of her most exalted clients to pose for a painter friend, she doesn't mind serving as the model for the central figure of Flora in Sandro Botticelli's masterpiece "Primavera." But when the artist dismisses her without payment, Luciana impulsively steals an unfinished version of the painting--only to find that somone is ready to kill her to get it back. What could possibly be so valuable about the picture? As friends and clients are slaughtered around her, Luciana turns to the one man who has never desired her beauty, novice librarian Brother Guido. Fleeing Venice together, Luciana and Guido race through the nine cities of Renaissance Italy, pursued by ruthless foes who are determined to keep them from decoding the painting's secrets.Gloriously fresh and vivid, with a deliciously irreverent heroine, The Botticelli Secret is an irresistible blend of history, wit, and suspense.

Oggi come ieri la luce emanata dal re Sole tinge di giallo la storia di Francia. Versailles ai nostri giorni: nella celebre reggia, teatro della sontuosa corte di Luigi XIV, una donna viene trovata morta con un foro di pistola in mezzo alla fronte. Nonostante il commissario Axel Beaumont e il suo staff dispongano immediate misure di sicurezza, la mano assassina colpisce ancora con precisione indisturbata, penetrando negli ambienti senza forzarne le serrature. In breve e con grande imbarazzo degli inquirenti, il numero delle vittime sale a quattro. Sono tutte giovani, uccise secondo le stesse modalità e senza un chiaro movente. Le persone che per motivi di lavoro ruotano attorno allo splendido palazzo vengono interrogate una per una: dall'agitatissimo direttore Evrard all'ignaro giardiniere Édouard, dalla dolce restauratrice Marie al burbero architetto Rodolphe. Ma se da questi si ricavano scarse indicazioni utili alle indagini, è dalle informazioni storiche sul luogo e soprattutto sugli intrighi e le passioni che l'hanno animato ai tempi di Luigi XIV che scaturirà il filo rosso per la risoluzione del caso. Un intreccio avvincente che proietta il lettore in un mondo sospeso fra le ombre del passato e le figure del presente in un gioco di specchi dagli esiti sorprendenti.

Cats that insist on drinking from a tooth mug, cats that take their owners on (slow) walkies, cats with saggy tummy syndrome and cats that will only eat if their owners lie flat on the kitchen floor and say 'Yum yum yum' over the food bowl: these are some of the amusing dilemmas addressed by bestselling author Celia Haddon in this gem of a book. Drawing on her years of experience as a pet agony aunt on the pages of the Daily Telegraph, the author has advice for fat cats, faddy cats, food weirdo cats - and their humans - in this charming, light-hearted and well informed book. She unravels the mysteries of cat behaviour and dispenses tips and advice to help readers make their cat very happy indeed. Underpinned by up-to-date scientific research, this book is full of real cat stories and true owner dilemmas. It adds up to indispensable reading for cat lovers everywhere.