
The Birth of Venus
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Kathe Mazur
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By:
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Sarah Dunant
About this listen
But their burgeoning relationship is interrupted when Alessandra's parents arrange her marriage to a wealthy, much older man. Meanwhile, Florence is changing, increasingly subject to the growing suppression imposed by the fundamentalist monk Savonarola, who is seizing religious and political control. Alessandra and her native city are caught between the Medici state, with its love of luxury, learning, and dazzling art, and the hellfire preaching and increasing violence of Savonarola's reactionary followers. Played out against this turbulent backdrop, Alessandra's married life is a misery, except for the surprising freedom it allows her to pursue her powerful attraction to the young painter and his art.
The Birth of Venus is a tour de force, the first historical novel from one of Britain's most innovative writers of literary suspense. It brings alive the history of Florence at its most dramatic period, telling a compulsively absorbing story of love, art, religion, and power through the passionate voice of Alessandra, a heroine with the same vibrancy of spirit as her beloved city.
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Critic reviews
"Arresting tale of art, love and betrayal....Dunant's vivid, gripping novel gives fresh life to a captivating age of glorious art and political turmoil." (Publishers Weekly)
"Lush and intellectually gripping novel....This is a beautifully written and captivating work." (Booklist)
"The imaginative energy of the enterprise is clearly warmblooded, playful, even reckless....Dunant puts me in mind of a well-fed cat, quick-witted house cat, crouched before the mouse hole of history. She's not that hungry, but she will pounce upon whatever emerges, just for the fun of chasing is all over the house." (The New York Times Book Review)
"Sterlin invokes excitement in hushed tones and invites one to reflect on poignant moments. Both Dunant and Sterlin catch the excitement of this important period in history." (AudioFile)
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Story
In this glittering biography, Elizabeth Lev reexamines Caterina Sforza's extraordinary life and accomplishments. Raised in the court of Milan and wed at age ten to the pope’s corrupt nephew, Caterina was ensnared in Italy’s political intrigues early in life. After turbulent years in Rome’s papal court, she moved to the Romagnol province of Forlì. Following her husband’s assassination, she ruled Italy’s crossroads with iron will, martial strength, political savvy—and an icon’s fashion sense. In finally losing her lands to the Borgia family, she put up a resistance that inspired all of Europe.
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Excellent history of a fearless woman
- By Linda M on 11-18-24
By: Elizabeth Lev
Romantic story about art and Florence
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about my day in this world!
Like you're in the story
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Stay with it.
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The book tells the story of an Italian girl coming of age during the end of the 15th century in Florence, Italy. She is a regular girl many of us can relate to from our own lives. It made me think of what my life would have been like, had I been born during those times.
Great Listen
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Remarkable subject matter -- successful execution
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Artfully Imagined History - Poetically Crafted
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If you could sum up The Birth of Venus in three words, what would they be?
Good story well told.Which character – as performed by Kathe Mazur – was your favorite?
AlessandraAny additional comments?
SPOILER ALERT!I was pretty sure even before I started listening, the painter would be Michelangelo. It was fun to be right.
Great Read!
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Added enjoyment to my vacation in Florence.
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I was not ready for it to be over!
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Well crafted and informative
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