The Fiery Alphabet

It's dangerous for a girl to be a mathematical prodigy in eighteenth-century Rome. Daniela Messo and her father withdraw from the world, but Giuseppe Balsamo arrives with his occult magic and the claim that Daniela has inherited the secrets of a long-dead Jewish mystic. Posing as wonder-working pilgrims, they swindle their way across Europe, ever further east, en route perhaps to Jerusalem or to an ambiguous salvation. Daniela's struggle to find a woman's place in the world for her body, mind, and soul tells us how far society has come and how far we still must go. "... philosophical and deeply sensual... Diane Lefer writes with fire on every page, taking the reader straight to the molten core of life." -Gayle Brandeis, author of The Book of Dead Birds "... enchanting and wondrous ... In a voice as unique and thrilling as any I've encountered in literature, Daniela Messo seeks the secrets not only of her past, but of life itself." -Robin Oliveira, author of My Name Is Mary Sutter