Some uneven narrative tricks and minor blunders in pace (towards the end of the book) on the part of Sontag do not significantly detract from the joy of reading this page-turner.
William Hamilton was British Ambassador to the kingdom of Naples under the uncouth Ferdinand and clever Maria Carolina. Hamilton gamely puts up with the barbarisms and politics of the time and place, while ardently pursuing his interest in volcanoes, geology, biology, and art of Roman antiquity.
Next paragraph contains a very minor plot spoiler if you haven't read your Wikipedia on Hamilton.
When Hamilton's genteel and talented wife dies, he woos and eventually weds vivacious and gorgeous young commoner Emma Lyon, who makes a name (and sensational reputation) following Hamilton's directions in artistically posting as living sculptures of legendary females, to the delight of the smart set and the court of Naples. If you want to know more about Emma, she's well-documented online, and there are great paintings of her by notable painters of the day.
The strength of this novel is the absolutely deft portrayal of Naples in the Baroque, influenced by the Bourbons, populated by a wide array of foreigners and common Neapolitans. The city comes alive in the pages, reader understands and sympathizes with the pure appreciation (albeit from a rich collector's view) of art and the strange raw power of Vesuvius. The heat, the noise, the characters' various lusts, the turmoils and trials of Naples... it's all here.
And that makes it a fantastic read to prepare oneself for a trip to this fascinating city. Many parts of Naples, beset by fires and revolts and disease and earthquakes over the centuries, has not been sacked or significantly destroyed since the Baroque period. So a visit to the Centro Storico or the Spanish Quarter will reveal the city as built up and enjoyed by the characters in this book. What a treat to see the palazzos, the villas, the castles, and the churches, and what fun to read a little of the human history of the place during what was possibly its last great hurrah.
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