Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction

The Lion of St. Mark

G. A. Henty Book Reports

Peter Twitchell 3/23/09

Title: The Lion of St. Mark

Author: G. A. Henty

What Type of book Historic Fiction

Setting: Venice

Main Character Names: Francisco Hammond, Matteo, Guissepi, Maria, Giulia, Signor Polani, and Ruggiero Mocenigo.

Francisco is a English boy who went to Venice with his father. At the beginning of the book he rescues Maria and Giulia from Ruggiero and gets invited into Signor Polani’s house. After a adventure with pirates, war is declared with Genoa, Hungary, and Padua. When war was declared Francisco with his friend Matteo went to Sicily to get grain and bring it back to Venice. When in a Sicilian Harbor they got captured by the Genoese. As there were only 4 people on board (the rest were on shore leave) the Genoese let them go but said that the Genoese would keep the ship. That night the original crew of the ship retook the ship and hid. After the Genoese tried to find it and failed, the ship went back to Venice and Francisco did not have any adventures for a little while. Then he received the thanks of Venice by rescuing the admiral’s ship at the battle of Antium. After a adventure in which he was captured by Ruggiero and escapes he then goes to Corfu and stops Ruggiero from carrying off Maria and Giulia. During the fight Ruggiero and his crew were killed. After that adventure he was put second in command of a ship and fought in the battle of Pola (which was lost by Venice) and was taken prisoner by the Genoese. On the way to Genoa Francisco recaptured the ship and some other ships. When he got back to Venice he discovered that the Genoese fleet was almost to Venice. The Padua and the Genoese army’s besieged Venice and almost won, but the Fleet of Venice came up just as the city was going to give up. After that Francisco married Giulia and became a merchant.

I learned that Venice was almost destroyed.

I really liked the battles

I didn’t like when Ruggiero took Francisco.

I wonder that Venice didn’t attack the Padua army.

I would recommend this book because it is exciting history.

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