Books › Strange Rapture
Strange Rapture
First published 1972 · 352 pages
A lush, vintage romance that sweeps from the sun-drenched canals of Venice into the bittersweet ache of a shattered dream.
What it feels like
Reading this vintage romance feels like drifting through a sun-drenched daydream before waking up to a sudden, bittersweet reality. The narrative wraps the reader in the atmospheric magic of springtime in Venice, painting a world of golden afternoons, glittering waters, and moonlit gondola rides. It is a story steeped in earnest yearning, capturing the sharp ache of unrequited love and the intoxicating rush when a long-held fantasy finally materializes. The prose is lush and emotive, leaning heavily into the romantic enchantment of its setting while maintaining a steady, dramatic pull. It will delight readers who crave classic, atmospheric love triangles, where the intoxicating highs of a European romance are inevitably tempered by the dramatic, crumbling angst of a shattered illusion.
- Mood
- enchanted
- yearning
- bittersweet
- sun-drenched
- Tone
- earnest
- romantic
- dramatic
- wistful
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- unrequited love · romantic disillusionment · love triangles · the magic of a new city
- The writing
- Lush, emotive, and atmospheric, leaning heavily into the romanticized imagery of its European setting.
- The arc
- Moves from wistful yearning and enchanted hope to sudden romantic fulfillment, before descending into dramatic heartbreak.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love vintage romance, atmospheric European settings, and the dramatic angst of love triangles.
Content notes
- heartbreak
- romantic betrayal
About the book
Springtime in Venice, romantic, enchanted city of dreams where anything can happen. Sara is too young, too full of love and life to want the magic to pass her by. She would give anything to be out there by the glittering water, floating in a gondola through golden Venetian afternoons and moonlit evenings with the man of her dreams. But the man she loves has never noticed Sara. Nicholas Pelham is too bust flirting with her employer, the exquisitely beautiful Olive. Until the night that all that changes and Sara's dreams come true. But dreams of love can crumble and turn to dust...
But you ought to have told me... sent for me!
Description from Open Library.
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