With their stomachs churning on the jewels they have swallowed, the courtesan Fiammetta and her companion dwarf Bucino escape the sack of Rome. It's 1527. They head for the shimmering, decadent city of Venice. Sarah Dunant's epic novel of sixteenth-century Renaissance Italy is a story about the sins of pleasure and the pleasures of sin, an intoxicating mix of fact and fiction, and a dazzling portait of one of the worlds greatest cities at its most potent moment in history.
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With their stomachs churning on the jewels they have swallowed, the courtesan Fiammetta and her companion dwarf Bucino escape the sack of Rome. It's 1527. They head for the shimmering, decadent city of Venice. Sarah Dunant's epic novel of sixteenth-century Renaissance Italy is a story about the sins of pleasure and the pleasures of sin, an intoxicating mix of fact and fiction, and a dazzling portait of one of the worlds greatest cities at its most potent moment in history.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
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New. 2013. Paperback. The breathtaking historical novel about love, beauty, the politics of sex and the power of loyalty set in Venice, by the bestselling author of Sacred Hearts Num Pages: 416 pages. BIC Classification: FV. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 198 x 132 x 28. Weight in Grams: 290......We ship daily from our Bookshop.
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New. B-format paperback. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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Fine. B-format paperback. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
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.
