Sarah Dunant
Summary: 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 Florence palazzo. A child of the Renaissance with a precocious mind and a talent for drawing, Alessandra is intoxicated by the artist's abilities. But Alessandra's parents have made plans for their daughter, and she is soon married off to a wealthy, much older man. Meanwhile, the reign of the Medicis, with their love of luxury, learning, and dazzling art, is being threatened by the hellfire preaching and increasing brutality of the fundamentalist monk Savonarola and his reactionary followers. As the city shudders with violence and change, Alessandra must find her own way--and finally explore the passions she's kept so long at bay.
Summary from the book jacket.
I picked up this novel from a friend who was giving away books before a big move. I am fascinated with Renaissance Italy, especially Florence and the time of the Medicis! I was excited to begin reading this and, in fact, am already halfway through! Already there have been some surprises, and I am loving the quantity of art history included. Very enjoyable thus far, and I am looking forward to discovering how the tale plays out.
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Yay! I'm so glad you like it so far, perhaps this friend who moved away should've held onto the sucker! Haha...no, I'd gotten about halfway through it and decided it wasn't my style but I'm so glad you're enjoying it. I was in the mood for a modern novel at the time so that was probably my problem.
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I usually don't like historical fiction much, which is strange, because I really love history! Maybe I am starting to change my ways.
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