Stolen from Gypsies

A twisted tale indeed, featuring love lost, alluring demons, idiotic servants, beautiful ladies, magicians, spells, pirates, and duels, Stolen from Gypsies has been called a comedic tour de force comparable to Shakespeare. The unusual hero is British nobleman Ambrogio Smythe, a rich but comical hypochondriac. Obsessed by childhood memories of Gypsies, the frail but determined Ambrogio leaves his ancestral estate in Warwickshire and makes his way to Italy during the Napoleonic Wars. Finding himself happily marooned in Tuscany, Ambrogio meets a wandering storyteller who spins him a magical yarn about a Gypsy babe kidnapped by a demon. Ambrogio buys a shred of parchment as evidence and begins to write his own florid version of the saga, vowing one day to publish it in high style.

With a sure hand, the author takes us back and forth from Ambrogio's Italian abode to "The Gypsy's Tale" in a rousing adventure full of action and insight.


Genre: Historical

"Noble Smith's wit and inventiveness and the astonishing range of his learning recreates the picaresque novel almost single-handedly... The book is a pure delight..." - Peter S Beagle