An actress travels back in time to Venice and has a passionate affair with William Shakespeare, in this novel by a #1 New York Times-bestselling author.   A glamorous Hollywood film star, Jessica Pruitt fears the best days of her career are behind her. Arriving in Italy soon after losing custody of her young daughter, she hopes to forget her woes by serving as a judge at the Venice Film Festival and immersing herself in preparations for her starring role in a new cinematic take on The Merchant of Venice. For the aging but still beautiful actress, this ancient, crumbling city of canals is the perfect escape, enchanting her with its history, its magic, and its mystery. Then one day, while strolling through the old Jewish quarter, she finds herself in a very different Venice--one that hasn't existed for five hundred years--as the heroine of a new theatrical endeavor by an enigmatic young playwright named Will Shakespeare. Suddenly, impossibly, Jessica has found a new beginning, a new audience--and, in the arms of a genius fledgling bard, a love affair more stimulating, satisfying, and liberating than any she will ever know, even five centuries on. Originally published as Serenissima, this "hypnotic" novel by the bestselling author of Fear of Flying is a magical tale set in a magical city, and a delightfully uninhibited love story that transcends time (The Washington Post Book World).   This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erica Jong including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author's personal collection.