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The Birth of Venus

By Sarah Dunant

(65)

| eBook | 9780748112937

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Book Description

Alessandra is not quite fifteen when her prosperous merchant father brings a young painter back with him from Holland to adorn the walls of the new family chapel. She is fascinated by his talents and envious of his abilities and opportunities to paint to the glory of God. Soon her love of art and heContinue

Alessandra is not quite fifteen when her prosperous merchant father brings a young painter back with him from Holland to adorn the walls of the new family chapel. She is fascinated by his talents and envious of his abilities and opportunities to paint to the glory of God. Soon her love of art and her lively independence are luring her into closer involvement with all sorts of taboo areas of life. On excursions into the streets of night-time Florence she observes a terrible evil stalking the city and witnesses the rise of the fiery young priest, Savanarola, who has set out to rid the city of vice, richness, even art itself.

Alessandra must make crucial decisions about the shape of her adult life, as Florence itself must choose between the old ways of the luxury-loving Medicis and the asceticism of Savanorola. And through it all, there is the painter, whose love will change everything.

Critics

  • A brush with destiny

    The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant Little, Brown £12.99, pp320 As soon as I finished this book I wanted to go straight back and read it all over again. Alessandra, the novel's precocious and charismatic narrator made such wonderful company. Add to th ... (read full critics)

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

  • Savonarola's women

    The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant 412pp, Little, Brown, £12.99 Genre writing has provided fertile ground for feminist fiction. Detective stories, thrillers and historical novels have been pressed into service to explore gender-based issues of psycho ... (read full critics)

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

6 Reviews

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  • If you are at all interested in historical fiction, you will love this book. Definitely a love story, but a convoluted and unexpected one. Beautifully written and captivating throughout.

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    Sarabear135 said on Feb 25, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • As a fan of historical fiction and a lover of art history, I truly enjoyed this book.
    Strong characters & an engaging story made it a real pleasure to read!

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    Nini said on Jan 16, 2010 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

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