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Book Review of The Miracles of Prato: A Novel

The Miracles of Prato: A Novel
canadianeh avatar reviewed on + 242 more book reviews


This tale of Renaissance Italy was written "as a testament to the incredible love between a cloistered woman and the extraordinary painter-monk who left behind some of the most beautiful artwork of all time." Fra Filippo Lippi falls in love with his model Lucrezia Buto who was sequestered among the nuns of Santa Margherita after the death of her father. This fate was not uncommon in an age when women without funds were at the mercy of unhappy decisions made for them. But to fall in love with a painter and have an illicit affair brought difficulties unimagined. The novel strikes a good balance between reality (the piety of the age; the excitement of the time; and the world of art) and a heartfelt romance. The summary above says it better than I.