“Incandescent angels of love ... an electric voyage” – The Advocate

Two heroes, reflective Peter and Byronic Chase, indulge their youthful appetites in Florence. Over the next 20 years their paths diverge and reconverge. Chase marries into the Italian aristocracy and Peter pursues his passion for Lorenzo, a beautiful young Florentine. The past impinges on the present as the story of Chase’s ancestor, Orvil Starkweather, is revealed -- the secrets of his life sounding a counterpoint to Chase’s. New York City’s Central Park and the imposing figure of designer Frederick Law Olmsted provide a mysterious connection to Chase’s life. The story of the two men unfolds in Florence and New York exposing the unimagined and startling connection with the past, and taking them finally on a fateful cruise up the Nile aboard the luxury yacht.

Originally published in 1985, this new edition contains a foreword by Andrew Holleran (Dancer from the Dance).

“Enthralling … euphoric imagination … we can never forget the bliss we are allowed to share.” – Richard Howard

“Authentic fiction … surprising, sad, funny, wise … communicating gay experience knowingly and sensitively … a treasure!” – The Advocate

“Ferro is a born narrator.” – Ned Rorem

“A lush chronicle of the heart’s education … Ferro revels in life’s ups and downs in a prose rife with pleasures rich as those described.” – The Village Voice

“Stylishly told … page-turning impetus.” – Booklist

“Shimmering … elegance, even if touched here and there by a measure of decadence, prevails … superb taste and style.” – Publisher's Weekly