From Amazon

Sarah Dunant's gorgeous and mesmerizing novel, Birth of Venus, draws readers into a turbulent 15th-century Florence, a time when the lavish city, steeped in years of Medici family luxury, is suddenly besieged by plague, threat of invasion, and the righteous wrath of a fundamentalist monk. Dunant masterfully blends fact and fiction, seamlessly interweaving Florentine history with the coming-of-age story of a spirited 14-year-old girl. As Florence struggles in Savonarola's grip, a serial killer stalks the streets, the French invaders creep closer, and young Alessandra Cecchi must surrender her "childish" dreams and navigate her way into womanhood.

This was the first time I had read a book by Sarah Dunant and it is certainly not the last. I absoluetely love this book! The characters were so real, that Alessandra became a part of my life for some days. Italy is one of my favorite countries and to read so much about its history was amazing because so much are not common knowledge. Everyone knows about the Borgias, but who knew about Savonarola ? Not only did I learn about the era, the writing was flawless as everything else in that book.

RELEASE NOTES:

sending to Ealisaid. Enjoy !!!

Received in the mail this afternoon. Many, many thanks for checking my wish list, KarinAlyssa! I'm looking forward to reading this.

I really enjoyed "The Birth of Venus" and was totally immersed in the story. Dunant does a good job of describing life in 15th century Florence. The setting is so captivating that I was reluctant to put the book aside and stayed awake half the night last night in order to finish reading it.

However, that being said, I do have a few minor quibbles. I felt that the final part of the story was unsatisfying. **********Spoilers********** After spending so much time showing Alessandra's spunky, independent spirit, Dunant has Alessandra end up spending most of her life in a convent. I didn't understand why Alessandra made this choice, particularly when it was open to her previously and she was horrified by the idea. There were many other options for her, and I felt that the rush to a convent was a big let-down. I was also disappointed that Dunant never reveals the name of The Artist. There was, surely, much more to his story than Dunant tells us, but she leaves him an enigmatic, nameless character. I felt sure that Dunant was leading up to something here but then she just leaves us hanging.

As I said though, my complaints are minor and overall I think the story was terrific. Thanks again for sharing, KarinAlyssa!

I'm placing this book in Judester's "20 Books I Loved" book box.

Happy reading!

Taking out of the bookbox.

What a wonderful story! The historical details were so interesting as well. I highly recommend this book. I am going to pass it on to another bookcrosser to read.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

This book is on its way to LittleSuz. At least, I hope it is, as I cannot find the book anywhere and I have a scrap of paper with your address on it. Here's hoping I packaged it and took it to the post office. It may take a couple of months as I mailed it by surface mail. Enjoy1

Thank you so much loveamystery!

Honestly, this couldn't have arrived on a better day. I'm supposed to be going to the Amsterdam convention tomorrow morning but with all the flight disruption it's looking less and less likely that I'll make it. Getting this rabck has really made me smile on a very disappointing afternoon.

I liked this, but not as much as I liked In the Company of the Courtesan I'm afraid. Alessandra got on my nerves a bit - and particularly so in the final part of the book. It all got very silly.

The history of Savonarola's rise and fall was great though - brought back memories of former mediaeval history classes :-)

To be released at meetup.

If you are new to bookcrossing - welcome and congratulations for finding a book! Please leave a journal entry to let me and any other readers know where it has gone and what you thought of it.

Tried really, really hard to get into this but, regrettably, just couldn't get engaged with it.

Released at BX Meetup

caught at meetup last night & probably heading for the obcz later this month

releasing to OBCZ

Now available on the Official BookCrossing Zone bookshelf in the Bovril Johnston Cafe on Main Street, Roslin, Midlothian, Scotland.


The OBCZ is on the top shelf in the cafe by the counter, and is clearly labelled.

If you have picked up this book, thank you for visiting the website (and the cafe!). Please take a moment to let us know you have the book, then post your review when you've read it, and pass it on to someone else. If you join, you'll be able to see what's happened to it afterwards - for ever!

Disappeared from obcz shelf December 2010, presumed travelling :-)