'Enchanting, always interesting, always entertaining . . . a big, old-fashioned broth of a book' John Banville, The New York Times The British Ambassador at the court of Naples has only two passions – his precious art collection, and his fascination with volcanoes – until he agrees to care for his nephew's discarded mistress. He acquires a new obsession in the shape of this beautiful, vulgar, carefree woman and eventually takes her for his wife. But when the heroic captain of the British Navy arrives in Italy, the affair that erupts between him and the ambassador's wife threatens to throw everyone's lives off course. Susan Sontag's exquisite re-telling of the story of Nelson and Emma Hamilton is a powerful exploration of love and possession that, with its shifting voices and viewpoints, conjures up an entire age. 'A great novel. It repeatedly scales heights of complex thought, passion and expression that few American writers ever approach, while reimagining a majestic love story in dazzling style' Philadelphia Inquirer