The Birth of Venus
Registered by stringofpearls of Escondido, California USA on 6/4/2012
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
2 journalers for this copy...
Set in Florence, Italy, circa 1500 - interesting story of a young woman's coming of age.
Mailed this today to my partner in the Historical Fiction exchange. I hope you like it!
Oh, how lovely! A beautiful, hardcover copy of a book, covered with praise from luminaries such as Antonia Fraser and Amanda Foreman. And a clever notepad from Martha Stewart (who would throw up if she ever saw the inside of my house).
It looks like a wonderful book, stringofpearls, and thank you for choosing it for me. It will have to wait its turn in the TBR queue, but it is nice to have something this good to look forward to.
It looks like a wonderful book, stringofpearls, and thank you for choosing it for me. It will have to wait its turn in the TBR queue, but it is nice to have something this good to look forward to.
A lovely book, well-written and easy to stay with, and a good example of why I enjoy historical fiction: it's an easy way to learn a little history. In this case, it's 15th-century Florence and the rise of Savonarola. Believe it or not, this is the first time I realized the origin of the phrase "bonfire of the vanities."
I was especially interested, and a little frustrated, in the relationship between the main character, Alessandra, and her husband Cristoforo. To me it seemed as if they had all the ingredients of a deep and lasting friendship - they had strong and similar tastes in literature and art, and the same reaction to Savonarola's extremism. They even each approached their marriage with a private agenda: hers to get away from her family, and his - well, I'll let you discover that for yourself. But I suppose the idea of a male/female friendship is one that would occur to someone in the 21st century, not the 15th.
The main theme of the book is about the creation of art, and someone who's interested in art or painting will find this book irresistible. The other part of the story is what fascinated me: the rise of a tyrant, the people who gather around that tyrant as an excuse for their own cruelty, and the difficulty of ordinary citizens in finding a means to combat the tyrant. A great struggle, playing itself out in so many times and places.
But that's just one person's opinion. Future readers, what do YOU think of this book?
I was especially interested, and a little frustrated, in the relationship between the main character, Alessandra, and her husband Cristoforo. To me it seemed as if they had all the ingredients of a deep and lasting friendship - they had strong and similar tastes in literature and art, and the same reaction to Savonarola's extremism. They even each approached their marriage with a private agenda: hers to get away from her family, and his - well, I'll let you discover that for yourself. But I suppose the idea of a male/female friendship is one that would occur to someone in the 21st century, not the 15th.
The main theme of the book is about the creation of art, and someone who's interested in art or painting will find this book irresistible. The other part of the story is what fascinated me: the rise of a tyrant, the people who gather around that tyrant as an excuse for their own cruelty, and the difficulty of ordinary citizens in finding a means to combat the tyrant. A great struggle, playing itself out in so many times and places.
But that's just one person's opinion. Future readers, what do YOU think of this book?
Journal Entry 5 by JudySlump612 at Gingko Coffee Shop - Snelling And Minnehaha in Saint Paul, Minnesota USA on Saturday, September 7, 2013
Released 10 yrs ago (9/7/2013 UTC) at Gingko Coffee Shop - Snelling And Minnehaha in Saint Paul, Minnesota USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
On OBCZ shelves
