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From Amazon
The Birth of Venus is all the more fascinating a historical novel for the author's inability to make up her mind what it is about. Is it a novel about the limited choices available to a woman with talent in Renaissance Florence--marriage or the convent? Or is it a novel about the choices you make to survive in a totalitarian society? As Savonarola takes Florence closer and closer to being an ascetic theocracy, Alessandra, her gay brother and his lover whom she has married for mutual protection find themselves in more and more peril. It could also be a detective story--Allesandra is in love with a painter whose religious mania and fascination with the body makes him a plausible suspect for a series of killings and dismemberments. Some historical novels wear their research too heavily--Dunant's is light, fluent and pacy, but her fascination with the possibilities revealed by research leaves her failing to make choices.
The Birth of Venus is a highly intelligent novel kept from incoherence mostly by the intensely imagined Alessandra, through whose eyes we see the tragic end of a key moment in human culture and whose lively sensibility constantly sparks ideas about art and her time. --Roz Kaveney --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
In this arresting tale of art, love and betrayal in 15th-century Florence, the daughter of a wealthy cloth merchant seeks the freedom of marriage in order to paint, but finds that she may have bought her liberty at the cost of love and true fulfillment. Alessandra, 16, is tall, sharp-tongued and dauntingly clever. At first reluctant to agree to an arranged marriage, she changes her mind when she meets elegant 48-year-old Cristoforo, who is well-versed in art and literature. He promises to give her all the freedom she wants-and she finds out why on her wedding night. Her disappointment and frustration are soon overshadowed by the growing cloud of madness and violence hanging over Florence, nourished by the sermons of the fanatically pious Savonarola. As the wealthy purge their palazzos of "low" art and luxuries, Alessandra gives in to the dangerous attraction that draws her to a tormented young artist commissioned to paint her family's chapel. With details as rich as the brocade textiles that built Alessandra's family fortune, Dunant (Mapping the Edge; Transgressions; etc.) masterfully recreates Florence in the age of the original bonfire of the vanities. The novel moves to its climax as Savonarola's reign draws to a bloody close, with the final few chapters describing Alessandra's fate and hinting at the identity of her artist lover. While the story is rushed at the end, the author has a genius for peppering her narrative with little-known facts, and the deadpan dialogue lends a staccato verve to the swift-moving plot. Forget Baedecker and Vasari's Lives of the Artists. Dunant's vivid, gripping novel gives fresh life to a captivating age of glorious art and political turmoil.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Birth of a great novel,
This review is from: The Birth of Venus (Paperback)
I flew through THE BIRTH OF VENUS. The best parts about the novel are the obscure facts and details of Florence, the Renaissance, Art and Politics. Romance looms above it all. I found myself excited by the pace and adventure, hoping for the underdog, even though, at times, the underdog was wrong or at least difficult to root for. Perhaps even stubborn, in a way. Like the images and age she describes, Sarah Dunant has really created a work of art within itself with THE BIRTH OF VENUS. I recently had the pleasure of reading a novel by another great author who writes beautifully and yet has some jaw-dropping moments and heart-felt goodness---THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD---A Tour of Southern homes and Gardens. Simply fantastic and first-rate. Check it out, but first, please, please read VENUS.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
Gave up after 120+ pages,
By
This review is from: The Birth of Venus (Paperback)
I know I'm going to be in the minority here, but I could not get into this book. I found nothing to interest me, no chemistry between the two main characters, and if I want to read about a serial killer run loose I will pick up the next Ann Rule book. It was all I could do to not throw the book across the room.If you feel you will enjoy this book based upon other reviews, get it from the library first. Then if you love it, buy it. I am sorry I wasted my money. JMHO.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous book!!!,
This review is from: The Birth of Venus (Paperback)
One of the best books I've ever read (and I'm a big reader), along with the author's In the Company of the Courtesan. In addition to great character development, intriguing pager-turner plots, and an amazing writing style, Dunnant gives us glimpses into the past that help us understand the social and political history of the Renaissance era. Highly recommended, especially for those who like historical fiction.
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