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Scherzo

by Jim Williams
$2.00
Scherzo - Thryft
Scherzo - Thryft
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

Scherzo

by Jim Williams
$2.00
ISBN: 9780684840123
Authors: Jim Williams
Publisher: Scribner
Date of Publication: 1999-08-01
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: Mystery/Crime/Thriller, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Related Topics: Mystery
Goodreads rating: 3.12
(rated by 256 readers)

Description

Jim Williams' Scherzo takes us to the city of gondolas and masks in its most decadent period, to an 18th-century never-never land where dates and identities blur. Castrated as a boy to preserve his soprano voice for the church, Lodovico survives by singing, whoring and his wits. With a visiting French philosopher going by the name of Arouet, Lodovico finds the stabbed and disembowelled body of his employer's rival Signor Molin hanging from a bridge. Lodovico's troubles do not end there. He is pursued by Jesuit conspirators and a jealous madman obsessed with a blue velvet suit Lodovico has borrowed from his gigolo friend Giacomo (as with Arouet, Williams makes us guess at Giacomo's true identity). As he shares in Arouet's investigation of the murder, Lodovico matches wits with the sharpest minds of his time and proves considerably more than the Watson-like narrator he at first appears. Williams has produced one of the more decorative historical thrillers of recent years and at the same time interestingly subverts the whole genre. After all, "scherzo" means "joke", and there are deep levels at which this is not a wholly serious book--"the solution to a mystery is not like the goal of a journey, and that it is the journey not the destination which enlightens us". The games intrinsic to thrillers are played with delicious frivolity. And yet, what is serious is the touching portrait of the vulnerable narrator Lodovico who gradually acquires self-respect amid the threats and contempt of his social superiors.
Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

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Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.