Helpful Score: 2
I recently finished Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant. This is apparently the 3rd in a series of books about Italy during the Renaissance. Its the story of Serafina, a young noblewoman who is packed off to a convent in Ferrara (near Venice) since her family could only afford one dowry and it was spent for her younger sister, who was chosen by the man the parents had found for the older girl. Serafina is frantic, hysterical, and initially violent, though apparently this reaction wasnt unknown to the convent in such cases. Most of the story is actually told from the POV of the convents medical sister, who somehow had a connection with the young woman right from the beginning.
I picked it up at Costco one Sunday afternoon, sat down on the patio to look at it and the other two books Id bought, and the next thing I knew I was at page 51. I finished the book on Monday. I recommend it highly.
I picked it up at Costco one Sunday afternoon, sat down on the patio to look at it and the other two books Id bought, and the next thing I knew I was at page 51. I finished the book on Monday. I recommend it highly.
Helpful Score: 2
If you like storys during the Renaissance, you will enjoy this one. It is fast moving and full of intrigue. Serafina is 16 and in love, she is unwillingly taken from her love and placed in a cell in the convent and rails against her inprisonment. This story holds, passion of the heart and the spirit, the power of friendship and i found it a beautiful engrossing read. The year of 1570 is such a wonder to read about. I have visions of beautiful gowns and secrets galore. Time well spent with this novel.
Helpful Score: 2
I LOVED this book. It was as good if not better than, The Birth of Venus, which I also loved. The amount of research that went into this book was obvious and made the story rich in detail. The author's talent kept those details from becoming tedious. Her characters were well developed and three dimensional. After being dissapointed by, In the Company of the Courtesan, I am now back to being a Sarah Dunant Fan! If you love historical stories about women's lives (this time and place is not usually written about) you will love this book. I highly recommend it!
Helpful Score: 1
As the sisters of an Italian convent in 1570 take on a new and unwilling novice, a story unfolds of love, as well as political intrigue within their walls.
Another winner for Sarah Dunant, who seems to really understand and relate most historical settings vibrantly.
Another winner for Sarah Dunant, who seems to really understand and relate most historical settings vibrantly.
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed learning about the life of nun's in that period, however the ending was cut too short for me. I would've liked a couple more chapters for closure of the plot.
This was the first book I received through the Swap, and I am sorry to say that I was disappointed. It had been recommended by a friend who loved it and pegged it as a "must-read!" For me it focused too much on the emotional drama and not enough on the deeper, inner spirituality of the characters that it could have revealed.I lost interest after realizing it wasn't going to deliver on that score, and leafed through the rest of the book, reading passages here and there until I was able to see how the plot resolved. Walked away unimpressed, with little memory of the particulars. The complexities of the inner life are so rich . . . it's a shame that they were bypassed, and the author went more for entertainment, IMO.
Because Sarah Dunant's books received such glowing reviews, I decided to start with SACRED HEARTS. Unlike other reviewers, I just could not get into it. There were no characters I cared about and found the entire patriarchal opression of women disturbing. The internment of women in nunneries by their fathers/husbands/brothers was not at all uplifting. I just could not finish the book.
Italian history at its best! Dunant reveals to the reader that in the mid 1500s in Italy the price of a dowry was so exorbitant that noble families often sent daughters (many against their will) to convents to live out their days. This novel is rich is historical detail and full of interesting characters, treachery, lies, medicinal herbs, love, and heartfelt decisions. Who knew the life of a nun could be so exciting?!?!
Oh how this book made me want to cry, I was so wrapped up in the stories of Serafina, Zuana, Chiara, even Umiliana. It amazes me when an author can write something like this, an experience they do not personally know, yet make it seem so authentic. I fell in love with this book from the start, and have nothing but a glowing review to give it.
To read the rest of my review, please visit:
http://www.dorolerium.com/?p=589
To read the rest of my review, please visit:
http://www.dorolerium.com/?p=589
I loved this!
