
A lyrical voice drifts through the glittering canals of Venice, where a wandering dreamer has chased a phantom love across seas and skies. The opening swirls poetry and myth, introducing a yearning that feels both ancient and intimate, as the narrator confronts a city guarded by a lion‑spotted sentinel and bathed in the glow of sunset. The atmosphere is dense with longing, the sea’s rhythm echoing the pulse of a heart that has never known rest.
From the bustling market squares to the hushed arches of Saint Mark’s, the story follows his restless pursuit of a mysterious “Mae Madden,” a figure painted in white light and Alpine purity. Along the way, the narrator wrestles with questions of destiny, loyalty, and the weight of a love that seems both imagined and inevitable. The prose blends musical cadence with vivid description, promising a richly imagined romance that lingers long after the first tide recedes.
Language
en
Duration
~3 hours (209K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Donald Lainson; David Widger
Release date
2006-05-12
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects
A 19th-century American novelist whose work follows spirited young women through travel, friendship, and romance, she wrote fiction with an easy, inviting style and a strong sense of place.
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