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In the Company of the Courtesan

By Sarah Dunant

(21)

| Hardcover | 9780316029681

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Critics

A courtly lady

In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant Little, Brown £12.99, pp408 Sarah Dunant is continuing along the trajectory set by her previous novel, The Birth of Venus, with the scene moving from 16th-century Florence to Venice. The story is that o ... (read full critics)

guardian.co.uk published on Sat, 25 Sep 2010

Mistress of all the arts

In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant 408pp, Little, Brown, £12.99 The voice of the dwarf Bucino Teodoldi opens the story with characteristic energy: "My lady, Fiammetta Bianchini, was plucking her eyebrows and biting colour into her lips w ... (read full critics)

guardian.co.uk published on Sat, 25 Sep 2010

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3 Reviews

3 people find this helpful

We live not in truth, man, but on the power of gossip and malice, as you well know!
A wonderful and faithful depiction of sixteenth-century Venice

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Georgiana1792 said on Jun 6, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

3 people find this helpful

In the Company of the Courtesan

A compelling historical novel weaved around the sins of pleasure and the pleasure of sins! Set in 16C Italy the main characters are Fiammetta Bianchini, a Courtesan and her dwarf manservant Bucino Teodoldi. The story narrated by Bucino starts with them having to flee from their home in Rome after t ... (continue)

A compelling historical novel weaved around the sins of pleasure and the pleasure of sins! Set in 16C Italy the main characters are Fiammetta Bianchini, a Courtesan and her dwarf manservant Bucino Teodoldi. The story narrated by Bucino starts with them having to flee from their home in Rome after the city comes under siege. Fiammetta was originally from Venice, so it here that they decide to take refuge and rebuild their business. Together they make a good team, Fiammetta knows of no other life than the entertainment of gentleman, whilst Bucino takes care of the business side of things. To recover from the ravages suffered in Rome to Fiammetta’s health and beauty it is necessary for them to call on the services of La Draga. La Draga, Elena Crusichi was a healer, though in those times such a person was often considered a witch.
It was fascinating to read about 16C Italy, with some wonderful descriptions especially of Venice and the various personalities that Fiammetta and Bucino come into contact with. La Draga becomes predictably a very important contact, gaining sympathy from Fiammetta she wheedles her way into their life.
The author has successfully blended fact and fiction with her passion for this particular period of history to tell a story that has some surprise twists along the way. I did guess the outcome, ending but personally felt it was a successful way of bringing the novel to a close.

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Lindyloumac said on Aug 25, 2009 | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

In the Company of the Courtesan

Even though I liked all three Renaissance Italy books written by this author this was by far my favorite - I absolutely loved this narrator's "voice".

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Readingrat said on May 15, 2011 | Add your feedback