My lady, Fiammetta Bianchini, was plucking her eyebrows and biting color into her lips when the unthinkable happened and the Holy Roman Emperor's army blew a hole in the wall of God's eternal city, letting in a flood of half-starved, half-crazed troops bent on pillage and punishment. " "Thus begins In the Company of the Courtesan, Sarah Dunant's epic novel of life in Renaissance Italy. Escaping the sack of Rome in 1527, with their stomachs churning on the jewels they have swallowed, the courtesan Fiammetta and her dwarf ...
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My lady, Fiammetta Bianchini, was plucking her eyebrows and biting color into her lips when the unthinkable happened and the Holy Roman Emperor's army blew a hole in the wall of God's eternal city, letting in a flood of half-starved, half-crazed troops bent on pillage and punishment. " "Thus begins In the Company of the Courtesan, Sarah Dunant's epic novel of life in Renaissance Italy. Escaping the sack of Rome in 1527, with their stomachs churning on the jewels they have swallowed, the courtesan Fiammetta and her dwarf companion, Bucino, head for Venice, the shimmering city born out of water to become a miracle of east-west trade: rich and rancid, pious and profitable, beautiful and squalid. With a mix of courage and cunning they infiltrate Venetian society. Together they make the perfect partnership: the sharp-tongued, sharp-witted dwarf, and his vibrant mistress, trained from birth to charm, entertain, and satisfy men who have the money to support her. Yet as their fortunes rise, this perfect partnership comes under threat, from the searing passion of a lover who wants more than his allotted nights to the attentions of an admiring Turk in search of human novelties for his sultan's court. But Fiammetta and Bucino's greatest challenge comes from a young crippled woman, a blind healer who insinuates herself into their lives and hearts with devastating consequences for them all. A story of desire and deception, sin and religion, loyalty and friendship, In the Company of the Courtesan paints a portrait of one of the world's greatest cities at its most potent moment in history: It is a picture that remains vivid long after the final page. "From the Hardcover edition."
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Good. 12 AUDIO CDs, polished for your satisfaction for a worthwhile set, withdrawn from the library collection. Library sticker and marking to the case and the CDs. The AUDIO CDs are in individual slots, protected and clear sounding. Enjoy this AUDIO CD performance!
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Good. Audience: General/trade. 12AUDIO CDs withdrawn from the library collection. Our service inlcudes taking the time to polish each individual CD for a worthwhile set. Cleaning the CDs as we do helps insure that you will receive shiny CDs for a smooth listening experience. Enjoy this reliable Audio CD performance.
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Fine in very good dust jacket. Audience: General/trade. (3314CDVD)FOLLOWING SPECIAL DESCRIPTION CAREFULLY: This sale is for a EX-Library s AUDIO BOOK on CD s SET (OF 12 CD s). There is no visible Scratches on this disc) Case is (Good), The disc s Holding tab is (Good), case is (good) and its not Missing the Cover pamphlet. These is no Marking ON the Discs. if you ve received the item and you are not at most 65% satisfied with this item, return the item.
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Good. Audience: General/trade. Withdrawn from library circulation: DVD/BLU-RAY (10315CDVD) PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING SPECIAL DESCRIPTION CAREFULLY: This sale is for (SET OF 12 audiobook). This DVD s May Contains minor visible Scratches) DVD Case is (Good) a little DVDs Holding tab is (Good). This case is not Missing Cover pamphlet. DVD Contains may Marking Apply ON the Discs or on the case. If you are received the item and you are not at most 65% satisfied with this item, your purchase refund guarantee.
From the first chapter of this book, the story starts its sprint; we are quickly introduced to Fiammette, the strong, proud, and very wealthy courtesan of a corrupt Roman cardinal and her dwarf companion, Bucino. They have to fend for their lives in the sacking of Rome and eventually end up in Venice and must completely rebuild their lives from scratch. A blind healer named La Draga also comes into the story and changes the characters' situations dramatically several times. Throughout the story, she changes from guest, to friend, to enemy, to ally, and many other roles. Her character is very intriguing, mysterious and I was always wondering what she would do next. The story is told from the 1st person perspective of Bucino the dwarf, which makes for a very unique approach to telling the story. Dunant does a wonderful job of showing how much differently Bucino was treated because of his stature, yet at the same time, shows how his mind is sharp as a tack. He also presents a very unique sense of humor and wit to the story. Bucino uses his stature for several comedic situations that just wouldn't be funny if a full-sized person was in them. I found this story's plot very interesting. To generalize, it was a rags-to-riches story as the characters had to rebuild their fortune and overcome obstacles along the way. The story is very compelling, and I felt very connected to the characters; happy when they had achieved success, sad when it was stolen from them. My only concern with the book was the ending. I didn't feel that Dunant gave the characters sufficient motivation to do the things they did nor the time to finish the story properly. Several times I was left wondering, "Wait, why did he just do that?" Not to ruin the ending, but when I had about 20 pages left, it seemed like another 200 pages should have followed. The ending was somewhat confusing and abrupt. The writing is very detailed, but not to the point that it slows the book down; in fact, I found this book to be a very quick read. Dunant writes in a way so that a general impression and mood of scenes is given, but many details are left to the reader to fill in for himself. Overall, I highly recommend this book for its compelling story, realistic characters, and exciting setting.
jennie
Jun 7, 2007
History Comes Alive
Here is Rome being ravaged by the Protestents while the Turks begin their a reluctant retreat from the shores of the Adriatic, and not so long ago, either. A wealthy courtesan and her "business manager" flee to what they think is the safety of Venice (but not without losing their wealth and reputation), where they must re-establish themselves. The story is fascinating and well-told, with lots of description, but what makes it memorable is that it is told from the viewpoint of the shrewd little dwarf who tends to the courtesan, and saves her more than once. Here again is history come alive.
