Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - The Birth of Venus

The Birth of Venus
The Birth of Venus
Author: Sarah Dunant
Alessandra Cecchi is not quite fifteen when her father, a prosperous cloth merchant, brings a young painter back from northern Europe to decorate the chapel walls in the family's Florentine palazzo. A child of the Renaissance, with a precocious mind and a talent for drawing, Alessandra is intoxicated by the painter's abilities. — But thei...  more »
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9780812968972
ISBN-10: 0812968972
Publication Date: 11/30/2004
Pages: 424
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 761

3.8 stars, based on 761 ratings
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

Leigh avatar reviewed The Birth of Venus on + 378 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 16
Although the ending fell flat with me, by and large I enjoyed this tale of art and politics in Renaissance Italy. Most especially, I appreciated the way Dunant weaved in the treatment of women during this time. No doubt the heroine was a smart, classy woman, but I loved that her slave was the one outwitting everyone. Not a fast read, but full of good, researched, historical information about the time.
mwelday avatar reviewed The Birth of Venus on + 148 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 13
What an awesome book...starting with the death of a nun and the mysteries surrounding her, the story grabbed me from the beginning. The book is a coming of age story of Alessandra Cecchi and her life growing up during the Italian Renaissance. I felt connected to Alessandra and wanted her to succeed and find herself...this is an interesting read with lots of twists in the plot. I highly recommend it.
reviewed The Birth of Venus on + 9 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 11
I heard such rave reviews from many people about this book so I picked it up myself. It was an interesting story but just didn't grab my attention and hold me to my seat like I was expecting.
reviewed The Birth of Venus on + 29 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 9
If you ever read The Agony and The Ecstasy the Michaelangelo biography you would enjoy this book. They would actually be good to read one after the other. Its the Florence of Art and the Church and is very enjoyable. This is a book that you could reread and enjoy
reviewed The Birth of Venus on + 174 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
Read this as a book club pick and thoroughly enjoyed it. It gives rich insight into the feudal life of Italy, including the morals of the time and along the way gives a very entertaining story.
Read All 126 Book Reviews of "The Birth of Venus"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

eshaunessy avatar reviewed The Birth of Venus on + 4 more book reviews
Sweeping epic..
nicoleodeon avatar reviewed The Birth of Venus on + 19 more book reviews
This book has it all: Itallian history, art history, religious history, a great story line, and intrigue. A naive academic girl gets caught up in history and the plans that others have for her. In the end she becomes her own woman. Compelling.
reviewed The Birth of Venus on
This was my second attempt with a Sarah Dunant book. As I started to read the book, I realized once again we were back in a convent. I guess the author is fascinated by the nunnery scene in the 1500's. I am not. I could not get into the book and realize this author is just not for me.
Bootsie avatar reviewed The Birth of Venus on + 34 more book reviews
Interesting historical novel. Set in Renaissance Florence, it is a real page-turner.
csa avatar reviewed The Birth of Venus on + 45 more book reviews
Excellent!
Jan1 avatar reviewed The Birth of Venus on + 52 more book reviews
Dunant writes wonderful historicaly inspired novels and this one is another wonderful example. Set in Renaissance Florence, this book weaves a wonderful tale while giving the reader a ot of historical information. It is an exciting tale woven with seduction and danger.
reviewed The Birth of Venus on + 27 more book reviews
A really good read. I love historical fiction and this book was very informative of the period.
reviewed The Birth of Venus on + 4 more book reviews
Quick read
reviewed The Birth of Venus on
I just could not get into this book. I was hoping it was better than the dreadfully creepy SACRED HEARTS, but it was not. I realize now that I do not like Sarah Dunant's writing. Her Hannah Wolfe series was also very disappointing.
reviewed The Birth of Venus on + 3 more book reviews
Excellent


Genres: