The Fiery Alphabet

It’s dangerous for a girl to be a mathematical prodigy in eighteenth-century Rome.

Daniela Messo and her father withdraw themselves from the world until Giuseppe Balsamo, occultist and charlatan, finds them, convinced Daniela has inherited the secrets of a long-dead Jewish mystic. In Balsamo’s company, Daniela sets off across Europe en route to Jerusalem, as they play the role of wonder-working pilgrims, swindling people even as they seek salvation.

Daniela’s struggle to find a woman’s place in the world for her body, mind, and soul tells us how far society has come and how far we still must go.

“... enchanting and wondrous ... In a voice as unique and thrilling as any I’ve encountered in literature, Daniela Messo seeks the secrets not only of her past, but of life itself.”
—Robin Oliveira, author of My Name Is Mary Sutter

“... philosophical and deeply sensual... Diane Lefer writes with fire on every page,
taking the reader straight to the molten core of life.”
—Gayle Brandeis, author of The Book of Dead Birds