Five Questions with Anna Rasche
Celebrating The Stone Witch of Florence
Ron Block sat down with Anna Rasche recently to chat about her latest book, The Stone Witch of Florence, which was a Globe & Mail bestseller and named a Washington Post Noteworthy Book, a CrimeReads Best Debut Crime Novel, and an Indie Next Pick when Park Row Books published it on October 8, 2024. We’re delighted Anna could join us here to discuss this book which Sarah Penner has called, “impeccably researched with vibrant prose…magnificent.”
What 5 words best describe your book?
Surprising. Medieval. Gems. Plague. Mystery.
Tell us what The Stone Witch of Florence is about, then in true Friends & Fiction tradition, tell us what the book is REALLY about?
Stone Witch is a historical novel with a bit of magic, a bit of mystery, a lot of dark humor, and a really vivid medieval setting. It’s about a woman named Ginevra, who as a girl learns to harness the healing magic of gemstones, and as an adult must use these skills to investigate a series of evil thefts in plague-stricken Florence: as churches are abandoned, a thief plucks the bones of saints from their altars, stripping the city of its divine protectors. Ginevra’s sole qualification as detective is a coral amulet that protects her from the Black Death, so she’s the only one who might actually live long enough to solve the crime. But as she closes in on the thief, she realizes that powerful people with their own nefarious motives do not want her to succeed...
But REALLY, the book is about two things: The first is carrying on the tradition of the wonderfully fun and adventurous tales of medieval literature found in places like The Decameron, The Canterbury Tales, and The Arabian Nights. The second is keeping a sense of optimism, purpose, and camaraderie even when it feels like the world has never been in a darker place.
Where did the idea for the book come from?
I was doing research for an academic paper on the traditional uses of coral in Italy, and came across a number of medieval manuscripts called lapidaries. These books outlined the ways stones might be useful to people, and include many magical and medicinal applications. Coral for example was believed to protect against misfortune caused by the Evil Eye, stop bleeding, and protect crops from lightning strikes (so versatile!). As a lifelong reader of historical fiction, it struck me immediately that this would be a really exciting concept for a book: a novel of the Middle Ages, but with a subtle fantastical element in that the powers of the gems actually worked.
What did you bring to the story from your career as a Gemologist and Historian?
So much! A big part of my job is circa-dating jewelry that does not have a known provenance, so you have to make your determination on age just by observing the style, materials, craftsmanship etc. While I do not handle medieval jewelry very often (authentic pieces are quite rare on the open market), I had a basic familiarity with what varieties of stones were available and used at that time, and then scoured the aforementioned lapidary texts for references to these stones to decide what Ginevra and her jewel collection may or may not be capable of. Also, because I am so tuned into these little details of jewels, when I was writing the story I was able to draw on the intricacies of personal objects, both for world building and for plot, in what I hope are some original ways.
In a more general sense, understanding how to do advanced historical research in libraries, archives, and with digital resources was invaluable and really how I plotted. I spent a lot of time tracking down primary sources because I wanted the story to advance in a way that could only have taken place in the city of Florence in the year 1348. I went through chronicles, letters, inventories, etc. that were actually written during the Middle Ages and flagged any detail I found intriguing, moving, or funny. I was also fortunate to be able to spend some time in Florence to research the artifacts and architecture of the medieval city that are still present (there are many!). I saw relics in their gorgeous bejewelled caskets, the bits of 14th century frescoes that remain in forgotten side-chapels, the bedchamber of a well-to-do merchant...all the good stuff that I find transporting when I read other novels.
Congratulations on your debut! What were some unexpected surprises for you along the way?
Thank you! The biggest surprise of all for me is that I even have a debut, haha. I didn't have any publishing connections, and I still can't believe the manuscript made it out of the slush pile and into libraries and bookshops around the world. And so the next surprise was how many incredibly smart people it takes to make something like that happen. There are many, many amazing new titles all vying for attention at the same time, and it takes a lot of effort to make sure a book reaches its audience. I am humbled by the hard work and dedication of the teams at Park Row & Janklow & Nesbit, and by my publicist, Kathleen Carter. It truly takes a village! Lastly, I remember the wonderful moment I received my shipment of Stone Witch hardcovers—I was blown away by how gorgeous they were! I already knew I loved the cover imagery, but I had no idea it would be rendered in iridescent foiling, how pretty the blue edges would be. In the Middle Ages books were treated as art; it is so cool to see publishers leaning back into this, and very special to see it in the design of my own novel.
Bonus: What can you tell us about your next project???
It is early days BUT: I’m working on a story that follows a cursed stone through one hundred years of New York City history, from the Gilded Age to the modern day Diamond District. I spent many years working with antique jewelry dealers in the District, and I’m thrilled for the opportunity to share this fascinating and secretive bastion of old NYC with readers.
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About the Author
Anna Rasche is a historian and gemologist who has previously worked in the jewelry collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and as a curatorial fellow at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Rasche's debut is based on original research she conducted on the uses of gemstones in medieval medicine at the Cooper Hewitt Museum and on site in Italy. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and infant daughter.
About the Book
“A twisty, historical witchy escape.” —Entertainment Weekly
A woman’s secret. A deadly Plague. Unleash the hidden magic...
1348. As the Black Plague ravages Italy, Ginevra di Gasparo is summoned to Florence after nearly a decade of lonely exile. Ginevra has a gift—harnessing the hidden powers of gemstones, she can heal the sick. But when word spread of her unusual abilities, she was condemned as a witch and banished. Now the same men who expelled Ginevra are begging for her return.
Ginevra obliges, assuming the city’s leaders are finally ready to accept her unorthodox cures amid a pandemic. But upon arrival, she is tasked with a much different mission: she must use her collection of jewels to track down a ruthless thief who is ransacking Florence’s churches for priceless relics—the city’s only hope for protection. If she succeeds, she’ll be a recognized physician and never accused of witchcraft again.
But as her investigation progresses, Ginevra discovers she’s merely a pawn in a much larger scheme than the one she’s been hired to solve. And the dangerous men behind this conspiracy won’t think twice about killing a stone witch to get what they want...
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Another wonderful interview! Thank you, Ron!
Thank you so much for having me, Ron! It was a delight :)