The Birth of Venus
Books | Fiction / Historical
3.7
(298)
Sarah Dunant
Alessandra Cecchi is not quite fifteen when her father, a prosperous cloth merchant, brings a young painter back from northern Europe to decorate the chapel walls in the family's Florentine palazzo. A child of the Renaissance, with a precocious mind and a talent for drawing, Alessandra is intoxicated by the painter's abilities. But their burgeoning relationship is interrupted when Alessandra's parents arrange her marriage to a wealthy, much older man. Meanwhile, Florence is changing, increasingly subject to the growing suppression imposed by the fundamentalist monk Savonarola, who is seizing religious and political control. Alessandra and her native city are caught between the Medici state, with its love of luxury, learning, and dazzling art, and the hellfire preaching and increasing violence of Savonarola's reactionary followers. Played out against this turbulent backdrop, Alessandra's married life is a misery, except for the surprising freedom it allows her to pursue her powerful attraction to the young painter and his art. The Birth of Venus is a tour de force, the first historical novel from one of Britain's most innovative writers of literary suspense. It brings alive the history of Florence at its most dramatic period, telling a compulsively absorbing story of love, art, religion, and power through the passionate voice of Alessandra, a heroine with the same vibrancy of spirit as her beloved city. From the Hardcover edition.
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More Details:
Author
Sarah Dunant
Pages
397
Publisher
Random House
Published Date
2003
ISBN
1400060737 9781400060733
Ratings
Google: 4
Community ReviewsSee all
"This book was INTOXICATING! And as a student of art history, the authors extensive research into this period of Italy really shows. I'm not usually a fan of historical-fict, but this book has turned me! 4.5☆"
Lars
"Ah Firenze. A hot wild colorful city that is near and dear to my heart. <br/><br/>This book is a gripping historical fiction set during the Italian Renaissance and the religious backlash that followed afterwards.<br/><br/>The book is descriptive and paints a lovely picture of what Florentine life might have been like back then. I enjoyed the book because I had the setting in my mind, and the stories brought back some of those beautiful places but also tainted them with new images of violence. <br/><br/>Some of my own photographs taken of the city.<br/><br/>The Baptistry<br/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bekahpaige/3563874792/" title="Florence Baptistry by bekahpaige, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3305/3563874792_2ed82f8396_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Florence Baptistry"></a><br/><br/>Piazza della Signoria:<br/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bekahpaige/1291576056/" title="Florence parade by bekahpaige, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1272/1291576056_067731b392_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Florence parade"></a><br/><br/>Ghiberto's Bronze Doors<br/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bekahpaige/3642770944/" title="Gates of Paradise by bekahpaige, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3661/3642770944_1f3c170737_m.jpg" width="160" height="240" alt="Gates of Paradise"></a><br/><br/>Overall, I enjoyed the story and the setting and the main characters were interesting. I kept getting a sense that there was a little too much of our "modern" perspective woven in to be a realistic view of the thoughts and philosophies of the day, but an enjoyable and delightful read nonetheless, that provided a vivid snapshot into that amazing city and country during that incredible time. <br/><br/>There were times the book dragged with lengthy descriptions and a casual languid pace (almost like a hot summer day in Tuscany!), so if you are impatient, I would not recommend it. <br/>"
R T
Rebekah Travis
"Read this book years ago, and still think about its twists and turns from time to time. Its a historical fiction/coming of age story, that makes you consider the hardships of sex and love during the renaissance. Really pulls you into the time period and has a few suprising moments. "
Athena X
"Slow going, at first, but gets really interesting about halfway through, when Allessandra suddenly has to make a choice to grow up. Having lived in Florence, right around the corner from the piazza della signoria, all of the landmarks (ponte vecchio, Santa croche, Santa Maria novella, etc) really hit home and she did a great job of making the city a vibrant character all its own. I wish a bit of the wrap up with her mother's past was extended, and some bits dragged on a bit too long, but overall a nice historical fiction piece."
Dana Reinert
