The book is a reissue of the author's eponymous book.
Athens, 1902. Laura Alfieri, Countess of Monreale in Sicily and descendant of the Chrysolorades of Byzantium, a woman of unparalleled beauty, is forced to marry the humble-born but extremely wealthy Zakynthian Philip Roma. She angrily calls him "coalman" and "misspelled frog," as the marriage is arranged to save her family from financial ruin. However, without realizing it, the frog will gradually turn into a prince in her heart...
Philomila Lapata guides us through the "city of sorrows" and gifts us the stories of a multitude of unforgettable heroes: from Katigo Chrysolorades and her sister Margiola, the psychiatrist and professor at the University of Athens Aristeidis Baltatzi, Count Francesco Alfieri, Aunt Kokona Krystallenia, and other characters, unsuspecting heirs of memory, to whom the author gives life with a vivid language full of sounds, voices, and colors.
A novel set against the backdrop of cosmopolitan Belle Époque Athens. A story full of stories. A sacrifice that sparks great stubbornness and a great love, intrigues, hatreds and passions, small lives and great destinies.
