The Honest Courtesan: Veronica Franco, Citizen and Writer in Sixteenth-Century Venice (Women in Culture and Society)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, but a little slow
Review: I greatly enjoyed this book, but I found that wading through 16th century Venetian dialect was difficult. If you are looking for an entertaining story biography, look elsewhere, but if you want a dissertation-style biography, you will enjoy this, as I did.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, but a little slow
Review: I greatly enjoyed this book, but I found that wading through 16th century Venetian dialect was difficult. If you are looking for an entertaining story biography, look elsewhere, but if you want a dissertation-style biography, you will enjoy this, as I did.

Rating:
Summary: One smart cookie, that Veronica
Review: In a society where courtesans were considered to be prime specimens of beauty and immorality, Veronica Franco dared to be virtuous. Her highly cultivated intellect made her a woman who was simultaneously desired and feared. Rosenthal brings Franco to life in this incredible consideration of the "honest courtesan's" impact on the world around her.

Rating:
Summary: A compelling portrait of an amazing woman.
Review: In a society where courtesans were considered to be prime specimens of beauty and immorality, Veronica Franco dared to be virtuous. Her highly cultivated intellect made her a woman who was simultaneously desired and feared. Rosenthal brings Franco to life in this incredible consideration of the "honest courtesan's" impact on the world around her.

Rating:
Summary: Rosenthal tells a fantastic story in text book fashion
Review: Rosenthal's "The Honest Courtesan" tells the story of Veronica Franco, a 1500's courtesan (a high society prostitute) and poet. Franco's life is somewhat represented in the current movie "Dangerous Beauty". Franco was one of the first independant women of this time and wrote of women's equility. Unfortunatly, Franco's amazing story is told in a text book fashion. Rosenthal's writing is cold and uninteresting and reads like a doctoral dissertation. The subject matter is wonderful, but I would recommend Rosenthal's "Veronica Franco, Poems and Selected Letters". In this, Rosenthals writing the same, there is just less of it. The introduction briefly tells of Franco's life, and Franco's poetry brings her story to the reader.

Rating:
Summary: 5 star history; 2 star read
Review: This book is a must read if you're interested in 16th century Venice, Veronica Franco, or the world of the famous Venetian courtesans. It's also an EXTREMELY dry read. The book is quite obviously a doctoral dissertation, and could have used an edit to made it more accessible (something more along the lines of Stephen Ozment's books). I'm glad I read it. I tracked it down because I wanted to see just how accurate the movie Dangerous Beauty--which is LOOSELY based on this book--was. The answer is: Not very. Oh well. For those of a scholarly bent, this is a great resource book, for those looking for a light, romantic read (a la the movie) look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent portrait of a lady
Review: Veronica Franco was a magnificent woman, and I was ecstatic to find this book after seeing the film based on her life, 'Dangerous Beauty'. Sometimes this biography is slow and verbose, but exciting nonetheless to learn all about this fascinating woman. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about 16th century Venice, women, courtesans, or someone who just wants to broaden their views.

Rating:
Summary: One smart cookie, that Veronica
Review: Veronica Franco was a scholar, a skillful poet, a prostitute--and one of the most fascinating characters to emerge from Renaissance Venice. Given the current climate--in which a dim-faced bimbo can bring down a president--this book is refreshing in that it tells how Franco used sex to further the political and economic causes of her beloved home, Venice. Though the author wrote this as an academic biography, the character, personality, and wit of Franco comes through. The whole story is set in the lushly atmospheric and decadent days when Venice was on the verge of losing its dominance as an empire. Highly recommended, as is the volume of Franco's poetry just released by the University of Chicago Press.