The Birth of Venus

by Sarah Dunant | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 1844080358 Global Overview for this book
Registered by darkhorse4460 of Bletchingdon, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on 2/6/2008
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4 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by darkhorse4460 from Bletchingdon, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Synopsis
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.

Journal Entry 2 by darkhorse4460 from Bletchingdon, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on Saturday, March 8, 2008
This gripping and vivid novel begins with an intriguing prologue in which we discover something very bizarre and mysterious about a dead nun. The answer to that mystery is unravelled in the story of Alessandra Cecchi, a spirited and unusual young woman who has both the fortune and misfortune to inhabit a historical time and place that is both exciting and very dangerous.

Alessandra is a intelligent, educated, curious and opinionated and has a budding artistic talent – all things not considered appropriate for a woman in a world where a passive resignation to early marriage, motherhood and the management of the household were the designated role – unless you were a prostitute or a nun.

She is torn between her own desires and the necessity to conform and finds herself caught up in both family intrigue and the consequences of the political and religious turmoil in late C15 Florence, especially the rise of the terrifying fundamentalist preacher Savanarola.

Any more about the plot would be spoilers.

Sarah Dunant brings Renaissance Florence vividly to life in all its sensuality and violence. I particularly love the attention to the domestic details of food, clothes, the traditions and ceremonies of family life and the creation of art.

A fantastic thrilling read with a sympathetic and well drawn central character - and an eye opening history lesson.

This is going out on a bookray


Some Bookray 'rules' (thanks to Rivercassini)

* Journal the book when you receive it.
* PM the next person on the list for their address when you receive it so as to try to avoid hold-ups later on.
* If you don't hear from the next participant within a few days, PM them again. If after a few more days you still haven't heard from them, PM me to let me know, and move on to the next person on the list.
* Read (and hopefully enjoy!) Don't feel pressurised to read it in a rush (and remember that life gets in the way sometimes for all of us!) but if you need to keep hold of the book for longer than say six weeks or a couple of months, please journal to let us know.
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DSP - UK (Prefers EU)
RubyBlueLady - UK (Prefers Europe)
kotus123 - Germany (intl) - BOOK HERE
snufkin81 - South Africa (intl)
ealasaidmae - USA (N America)
Breeze144 - Canada (?)

If anyone else wishes to join, pm me.


Released 15 yrs ago (4/29/2008 UTC) at To the next participant in Bookring/Bookray, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Canada

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On its way to DSP. Hope you enjoy it!

Journal Entry 4 by DSP from Leeds, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Thursday, May 1, 2008
Received today from Darkhorse4460 as a bookray.Thanks very much and thanks for the post card.
I shall read this after the book I started last night.

Journal Entry 5 by DSP from Leeds, West Yorkshire United Kingdom on Monday, May 19, 2008
What an unusual and interesting book ! The detail of life in Florence really brought this period to life and I found myself carried along with the characters' lives and dilemmas.

Off to the next participant in the bookray by the end of the week.

Released 15 yrs ago (5/24/2008 UTC) at To the next participant in Bookring/Bookray, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Canada

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Sent in the post to the next bookray participant.

Journal Entry 7 by RubyBlueLady from Avebury, Wiltshire United Kingdom on Thursday, May 29, 2008
This arrived yesterday but the BC site wouldn't load up. I've read half the book so will contact the next person on the list for when I'm finished.

Journal Entry 8 by RubyBlueLady from Avebury, Wiltshire United Kingdom on Friday, May 30, 2008
I'm an Italianophile and particularly like stories set in Venice and Florence. I like history and I like art, so, as this book contains all those elements, I should have loved it, right? However, there was a jarring tone in an interesting, often informative book. It was Alessandra I had a problem with, I never felt her 'voice' authentic, I can't quite put my finger on it, but I just didn't believe in her or the way she thought/spoke. Sadly, I ended up not liking her very much either.

I had planned to read all of Sarah Dunant's books and I wont let my issue with this one put me off. Thank you for sharing this one.

I have the address for kotus123 so will send the book of in the next day or so.

Journal Entry 9 by RubyBlueLady from Avebury, Wiltshire United Kingdom on Monday, June 2, 2008
This was posted this morning.

Journal Entry 10 by kotus123 from Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein Germany on Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Its Arrived! - amd in my mailbox too unlike some others which somehow landed in our postbox for big parcels in the town's main post office.

Shall start on it asap and I'm really excited with the info by RubyRedLady even though she was not impressed by the heroine. Shall journal afterwards and am pming the next in line rightaway too.

Till later then...

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