The Gift From Fortuny

"Like the intricacy of a Fortuny gown, with its thousands of pleats-each one its own story-this novel takes the reader to the streets and canals of Venice in the late 1940s, affluent Los Angeles in the 1980s and the ancient cities of Granada and Seville. Weaving its way through family sagas, flamenco dance, the sub-culture of Spanish gypsies and lyricism of Italian opera, it brings together a fascinating and disparate collection of characters whose lives are surprisingly and disarmingly intertwined."-Pamela Fiori, former editor of Town & Country Magazine

Terry Stanfill, born in West Haven, Connecticut, is a first generation American of Italian descent. She received a degree in English Literature with a minor in Medieval History from the University of Connecticut.

For her efforts in raising funds for the restoration of San Pietro di Castello, the ancient cathedral of Venice, she was decorated by the president of Italy with the Ordine al Merito, Cavaliere della Repubblica Italiana, and more recently as Commendatore. She is vice president emerita of Save Venice, Inc, and was founder of The California Chapter of Save Venice Inc. http: //www.savevenice.org