/Sarah Dunantshelf | The Birth of Venus

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.

Alessandra’s story, though central, is only one part of this multi-faceted and complex historical novel. Dunant paints a fascinating array of women onto her dark canvas, each representing the various fates of early Renaissance women: Alessandra’s lovely (if simple) sister Plautilla is interested only in marrying rich and presiding over a household; the brave Erila, Alessandra’s North African servant (and willing accomplice) has such a frank understanding of the limitations of her sex that she often escapes them; and Signora Cecchi, Alessandra’s beautiful but weary mother tries to encourage yet temper the passions of her wayward daughter. (Daphne Durham.)

I finished the book in one sitting - it’s a story that captured me from even the prologue (and I am very rarely captivated by those) and wouldn’t let me set it down, even as 6am drew near. And the thing is, the facts revealed near the end still surprised me. Maybe I need to brush up on my historical non-fiction.