Book Review: The Birth of Venus

[sarahmichelef]

Read The Birth of Venus over the weekend while I was at my parents' house. I was engrossed. The storytelling is good, the flashback structure (the first chapter is in the "present" and then the rest of the book is everything leading up to the events of the first chapter) is well-employed. You care about the main character, Alessandra, if not really about anybody else (except maybe the painter). I loved the interweaving of 15th century Florentine intrigue into the plot - I didn't know squat about the fall of the de Medicis, and now I know at least a little bit. A good, fairly quick read. Not total fluff, but not high literature, either.

Comments

[belledlr.livejournal.com]

I am so glad you also liked that book! I read it not too long ago and felt the same way about it when I read it. I even submitted a book review to our shire's newsletter. Did you know the author has another book out about a Courtesan? I am trying to find it online to purchase. It is hard to find "good" historical fiction!!

[nalyirri.livejournal.com]

I just started In the Company of the Courtesan, by the same author - C's parents gave it to me for my birthday - they hadn't read it yet (and are planning to borrow it, if it's good!) but they liked TBoV. So far Rome is being sacked, which is sort of yucky, and it's told by the courtesan's "dwarf companion", which seems sort of gimmicky, but I've heard a bunch of good things about TBoV, so am holding out hope...

[tashadandelion.livejournal.com]

I liked it, but not very deeply. I don't know why -- maybe the love story was too thin for me... Have you read The Historian yet?