Purpurengel

In 1458, Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini became Pope Pius II. Obsessed with the plan of the crusade against Constantinople, he needs a master for the most expensive color of the ancient world – purple, a symbol of power and wealth. From the Norwegian monastery of Nonneseter near Bergen, he brings young Anna, the only living master of the secret of making purple from the secretions of murex snails (ten thousand snails were needed for just one gram!).

Anna marries the pope's bodyguard, Lorenzo, and receives a strict order: purple may be used exclusively for the Church. But she is a woman of strong will, artistic passion and an indomitable desire for freedom. When he places a single drop of purple on his own image of Saint Agatha, he breaks the unwritten rules of power and the Inquisition.

Sensual, visually rich and tense historical novel that combines love, eroticism, political intrigue, forbidden art and female resistance in a world ruled by men and the Church. Løkkeberg masterfully evokes the scents of Tuscany, the splendor of olive groves and the danger of Renaissance courts.

A perfect choice for fans of historical novels in the style of Herbjørg Wassmo or readers who like strong female characters and stories about the price of freedom. Purpurengel – the story of one drop of paint that changes fate.