Alessandra is not quite fifteen when her prosperous merchant father brings a young painter back with him from Holland to adorn the walls of the new family chapel. She is fascinated by his talents and envious of his abilities and opportunities to paint to the glory of God. Soon her love of art and her lively independence are luring her into closer involvement with all sorts of taboo areas of life. On excursions into the streets of night-time Florence she observes a terrible evil stalking the city and witnesses the rise of ...
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Alessandra is not quite fifteen when her prosperous merchant father brings a young painter back with him from Holland to adorn the walls of the new family chapel. She is fascinated by his talents and envious of his abilities and opportunities to paint to the glory of God. Soon her love of art and her lively independence are luring her into closer involvement with all sorts of taboo areas of life. On excursions into the streets of night-time Florence she observes a terrible evil stalking the city and witnesses the rise of the fiery young priest, Savanarola, who has set out to rid the city of vice, richness, even art itself. Alessandra must make crucial decisions about the shape of her adult life, as Florence itself must choose between the old ways of the luxury-loving Medicis and the asceticism of Savanorola. And through it all, there is the painter, whose love will change everything.
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Add this copy of The Birth of Venus to cart. $7.99, good condition, Sold by Russell Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Victoria, BC, CANADA, published 2003 by Little, Brown & Company.
Add this copy of The Birth of Venus to cart. $8.00, very good condition, Sold by Carlson Turner Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Portland, ME, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Little, Brown & Company.
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VG/VG+ 0316725498. Light general wear, a nice copy with clean, bright interior pages and solid binding. DJ in very nice condition with protective mylar cover.; 8vo 8"-9" tall; 416 pages; Signed by Author; Lit.
Add this copy of The Birth of Venus to cart. $12.99, good condition, Sold by Russell Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Victoria, BC, CANADA, published 2003 by Little, Brown & Company.
Add this copy of The Birth of Venus to cart. $17.66, like new condition, Sold by The Guru Bookshop rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hereford, WALES, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2003 by Little, Brown.
Add this copy of The Birth of Venus: Love and Death in Florence: a Novel to cart. $18.00, very good condition, Sold by Hourglass Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Vancouver, BC, CANADA, published 2003 by Little, Brown.
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Near Fine in Near Fine, Not Price Clipped jacket. Book. Signed by Author(s) Signed by Sarah Dunant on the title page with no inscription; minor wear; otherwise a solid, clean copy with no marking or underlining; collectible condition.
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Add this copy of The Birth of Venus to cart. $20.60, very good condition, Sold by Bay Used Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Sudbury, ON, CANADA, published 2003 by Random House.
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New. Hardcover New Quality Books Because We Care-Shipped from Canada Usually ships within 1-2 business days If you buy this book from us, we will donate a book to a local school We donate 10, 000+ books to local schools every year If there are any problems, pleases ask us to resolve it amicably before leaving any feedback.
Add this copy of The Birth of Venus to cart. $27.99, very good condition, Sold by A Good Read rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Toronto, ON, CANADA, published 2003 by Little, Brown & Company.
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Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 0316725498. A Good Read ships from Toronto and Niagara Falls, NY-customers outside of North America please allow two to three weeks for delivery. Bit of a slant to spine, light tanning to text, ; 7.95 X 5.20 X 1.50 inches; 420 pages; Signed by Author.
Add this copy of The Birth of Venus (Signed First U.K. Edition) to cart. $100.00, new condition, Sold by Dan Pope Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from WEST Hartford, CT, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Little Brown, London.
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New in New jacket. Signed by Author(s) London: Little Brown [2003]. Signed first edition. First printing. Hardbound. A pristine unread copy, very fine/very fine in all respects, no flaws. Smoke-free. Comes with mylar dust jacket protector. SIGNED BY AUTHOR on title page. Shipped in well padded box. UK-LD.
Haven't finished reading yet, but all as I expected
Suzanne
Jun 30, 2007
What an opening line!
I can?t say I felt bowled over by this book, but I had a hard time putting it down. Like the young heroine, Alessandra Cecchi, I have little patience for the severely restricted world that women were allowed to experience in Florence in the late 1400?s. Born into the glory days of the Renaissance, as well as monk Savonarola?s holier-than-thou, violent reign of terror, Alessandra?s experiences are defined more than anything by her belief in god. She aspires to be a painter, but never is allowed to train with anyone since she?s a woman. This is all the more reason why she?s drawn to the artist her father brings to their palazzo from the north to paint their family chapel. Alessandra agrees to marry an older man in the hope of finding more freedom for herself, but alas, like so many women, she finds married life is not what she thought it would be! She?s a good example of how people do what they have to do, given the place and time they live in, and her clever slave Erila shows that some freedom and power can be found in unexpected places. Her husband Cristoforo, her mean-spirited brother Tomaso, and the artist her father hired all harbor big surprises for her. Worth reading.
snk5454
Apr 3, 2007
Art, love, politics
Fascinating story set in 16th century Florence that paints a vivid picture of life in that time and place as seen through the eyes of a privileged young woman. I highly recommend it.
