Rating: 
Summary: A Bit Too Derivative for Me
Review: I love novels set in Italy. Even more than loving novels set in Italy, I love novels set in Florence, one of my very favorite cities. I also love almost anything set in the 15th, 16th or 17th century, so THE BIRTH OF VENUS seemed tailor made for me. Unfortunately, it seemed a little too much like Alexandra Lapierre's wonderful ARTEMISIA, so much like it, in fact, that I could help but make comparisons on almost every page. Like Artemisia Gentileschi, the teenaged heroine of THE BIRTH OF VENUS, Alessandra is a girl who lives to paint, even eschewing romance and marrying the much older Cristoforo, instead, after he promises her total freedom to indulge her passion for art. Although the marriage between Alessandra and Cristoforo isn't one of emotional and physical passion, it is a meeting of the minds and the intellect and for Alessandra, that seems to be the more important. This is a historical novel and so Florence plays almost as big a role in THE BIRTH OF VENUS as does the character of Alessandra. Lorenzo di Medici is dead and his weak willed son, Piero isn't fit to rule. Enter Girolamo Savonarola and the "bonfire of the vanities" is well underway. Dunant fills her book with much historical detail and it's very interesting historical detail...except that I've read it all before...many times. The artistic details were more interesting to me, but not that interesting. I was looking for an engrossing story, not a treatise on art. Dunant is particularly talented at describing frescoes and linens as well as the way Alessandra paints and how the very act of painting affects her. However, as good and as accurate as these historical and artistic details are, they simply don't make a compelling story. All the time I was reading THE BIRTH OF VENUS, I kept feeling I was reading yet another version (albeit, slightly modified) of the life of Artemisia Gentileschi. (Gentileschi was a 17th century painter, while Dunant has set her story in the 15th century and I couldn't help wondering if this was to counter comparisons with Artemisia Gentileschi.) Most of the plot of THE BIRTH OF VENUS is well paced, however, Dunant does tend to let her subplots stray too far from the main plot line and the ending of the book is rather hurried and forced. Once I reached the final fifty to eighty pages, I felt as though Dunant were shaping the book to suit the ending she wanted, rather than allowing events to take a more "natural" course. THE BIRTH OF VENUS is, for the most part, well written and I would have awarded it four stars had it not reminded me, on almost every page, of Lapierre's ARTEMISIA. In the end, even though this book is not a direct copy, I found it just a bit too derivative for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful and Amazing!
Review: I was very impressed and moved by this novel- who could not be moved? the writing, story line and research were wonderful. The premise is of a young girl coming of age during a Florentine time of religious repression. A young painter comes to her family home to paint their chapel, and has educational opportunities which surprise and shock him. Alessandra is caught up in his life and learning in ways that were unacceptable to most of Florentine society, most shockingly by learning to paint. The young man is not identified until near the very end of the book when we are treated to many more suprises about these people and the changes wrought in their lives by art and repression.
Rating:
Summary: Unique & Engaging Coming Of Age Tale From The 14-Century...
Review: "THE BIRTH OF VENUS:A NOVEL," by multi-talented writer Sarah Dunant quite simply blew me away! Yes, yes, yes, it was that good! This is a beautifully written story combining 14-century history, adventure and romance. A coming of age tale (if you will), of a turbulant time in history and a turbulant time in a young girl's life. This was such a wonderful read! THE BIRTH OF VENUS:A NOVEL is a story you will read many, many times! A Keeper for your home library to be sure! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED NOVEL!
Rating:
Summary: beyond 5 stars...
Review: "The Birth of Venus" is a complex and riveting tale about a young girl's rite of passage from childhood to adulthood during a time of great political upheaval in Renaissance Florence. It is a very well written novel, possessing a compelling and lyrical prose style, an intelligent and sympathetic heroine (Alessandra Cecchi), and is smoothly and swiftly paced -- three vital components that "hooked" me and ensured that I finished the book in one sitting. Alessandra Cecchi is the youngest child of a very prosperous cloth merchant; and she's also the cleverest and the most precocious. Fortunately for Alessandra, she's living in a rather enlightened city (Florence) during the reign of Lorenzo de Medici. As such, learning languages like Latin, devouring texts by Aristotle and Dante and an appreciation of the arts is much encouraged, even amongst girls. Unfortunately for Alessandra convention must still be observed: conventions that mean that rather than actually learning to draw and paint from a master, Alessandra must resign herself to the fact that her fate is tied to that of a respectable marriage and children. But when Alessandra is almost fifteen, her father brings back from his trip up north, a young artist of prodigious talent to decorate the family chapel. Alessandra is immediately drawn to the young man's strangeness and his talent. Just then however, Alessandra's family arranges an advantageous marriage for her to a much older and more sophisticated man. Her new husband promises her more freedom in exchange for the wifely duty of producing an heir. For a young lady who has always chafed at the constraints placed on her, such a promise is everything. But Fate (and God) seems intent on testing Alessandra, for with the death of Lorenzo de Medici, comes the end of the Medici reign over Florence and the beginning of the zealot monk Savonarola's influence over the citizens of the city. Savonorola who has his own beliefs about the corrupt influence of art and books and a woman's place in society... For Alessandra the pursuit of art and happiness will have to take a back-seat as she tries to navigate the treacherous waters of the time in order to keep her family safe... "The Birth of Venus" is a very riveting and absorbing read. The authour's grasp and love of the art, architecture, literature and history of the times was obvious and evident -- Renaissance Florence glitters from the pages for all to see and appreciate. As does the authour's most brilliant creation, the book's heroine, Alessandra Cecchi. Intelligent, vibrant, arrogant, quick-witted, braver and not always likable, Alessandra is like the city of Florence itself, unique and engaging, and is what make's reading this book so compelling and such a joy. You can believe all the rave reviews that this novel has garnered, "The Birth of Venus" deserves them. I truly believe that "The Birth of Venus" will turn out to be one of the best historical novels to be published this year.
Rating: 
Summary: "I fell in love; deeply, profoundly and irrevocably."
Review: Art, history, politics, sex, lust, and love are all combined in this truly engaging story set in the city of Florence in the 1490's. The Catholic Church is fighting for supremacy, as a world of fundamentalist Christian doctrine is bought to life. And Durant does a fine job of recreating this rich and provocative period in European history, as she deftly and powerfully brings to life the desires, fears and hopes of Alessandra Cecchi, the young protagonist of the story. Through a complex, yet common sense first person narrative Durant creates a world steeped in rich historical drama and tragedy, as the lies, hypocrisy, betrayals and family loyalties of the Cecchi family are laid bare. The focus of this masterful first person narrative is the young, headstrong and willful Alessandra who, not quite fifteen becomes intoxicated with a young painter's abilities, when his father commissions him to paint the chapel walls of their Florentine palazzo. For Alessandra her teenage freedom is threatened when her parents arrange to marry her to a wealthy, much older man who is having a clandestine affair with another member of the family. The family struggles are played out against the backdrop of civil unrest between the followers of the fundamentalist monk Savonarola and those of the Medici family, with their love of comfort, sumptuousness, art and sculpture. Part historical treatise and part love story, The Birth of Venus is packed with religious and visual symbolism, as Durant effortlessly describes a truly extraordinary period in history. The strength of the narrative is in the recreation of the sights, sounds and smells of the period: From the bloody details of Alessandra's pregnancy, to the gory descriptions of the plague, and from the explicit sex scenes of Alessandra's virginal wedding night, to the beautiful descriptions of the paintings of the time. The choices one makes in life and the conflicts between faith, and basic human need are at the center of this fine novel. We see this reflected in Alessandra, as she grows and matures and meets many dire challenges. This is a gorgeous novel and is highly recommended. Michael
Rating:
Summary: Fast, Exciting
Review: I flew through The Birth Of Venus. The best parts about the novel are the obscure facts and details of Florence, the Renessaince, Art and Politics. Romance looms above it all. I found myself excited by the pace and adventure, hoping for the underdog, even though, at times, the underdog was wrong or at least difficult to root for. Perhaps even stuborn, in a way. Like the images and age she describes, Sarah Dunant has really created a work of art within itself with The Birth Of Venus. I recently had the pleasure of reading a novel by another author of Italian decent by the name of Michele Geraldi. The novel is called Lucky Monkeys In The Sky, and like Venus, it follows the life of an artistic, stuborn (at times), strong-willed and passionate young woman. Fantasy is alive in these novels.
Rating:
Summary: Art and Love
Review: This is the second book I've read by Sarah Dunant, the first being Mapping the Edge. I enjoyed this one more. It is a love story, one of longing and loss but ultimately at its core, there is love. The political upheaval and its religious implications are also detailed in this story along with the art movement at that time. The central character is Alessandra, a head strong, passionate young girl who lives to paint and has many conflicts with her well to do family in trying to get on with her life. Her world unravels even further when a young painter, hired by her father, arrives to paint the frescoes in the family's chapel. Alessandra is forced to make choices which will forever alter her life, sometimes for the worse, but hoping still for the better. This is a wonderfully written novel and fans of "Girl with a Pearl Earring" will probably enjoy this story as well. I know I did.
Rating:
Summary: Brings Florence to life...
Review: Sarah Dunant has created, quite simply, a beautiful and engaging novel about art and Florence. At its heart, The Birth of Venus is a story of longing and love, but the multilayered poltical, religious and familial storylines bring a richness to the reader that no ordinary romantic story could possibly deliver. Add to that a subtle discourse of gender roles and some history of the Florentine art movement and The Birth of Venus is a sure winner. Alessandra is the youngest daughter of a well-heeled family in Medici Florence of the late fifteenth century. She has a passion for learning (typically not encouraged in women of the time), a blossoming artistic talent and no interest in fulfilling her typical role and getting married. She just wants to be free of society's constraints so she can paint. Then, when a young and reticent painter arrives to paint the frescoes on her family's chapel, her life begins to change irrevocably. Against the backdrop of a Florence where religious fundamentalism and a brutal crackdown on art and luxury are changing the face of the city, Alessandra finds herself caught between her own interests and society's expectations. With an extraordinary sense of character and a writing style that brings and immediacy, vibrancy and life to Florence, Sarah Dunant has penned a truly remarkable novel that should stand for years as the premier novel of Florence and art. The Birth of Venus is a fun, engaging and wonderful novel. Highly recommended for fans of history, art, Italy or human drama.
Rating:
Summary: Anyone else offended by use of contemporary speech?
Review: I enjoyed this book. Descriptions of 15th Century life, art and artists, politics and religion in Florence are beautiful and no doubt accurate. The story is gripping.
I'm no prude, but fewer minutely graphic details appealing to prurient interests would have improved the book for me.
Most of all, however, I deplore the inclusion of contemporary terms in the speech. Each example shocked me back, at least to the 20th Century. How could her editors have let these pass?
How can this be considered "great" writing, in spite of the many positive features of this book?
Rating:
Summary: wonderful!!!
Review: I don't usually expect much from a book on the best seller list and only picked this one up becuase I am a sucker for pre-17th century historical fiction - so I was thoroughly pleased to discover The Birth of Venus an enthralling and fascinating historical read. This story is truly a fresh take on the time period with wonderful characters weaving in and out of the political and social Floretine landscape.
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