Items related to The Birth Of Venus
Synopsis
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.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
The Birth of Venus is all the more fascinating a historical novel for the author's inability to make up her mind what it is about. Is it a novel about the limited choices available to a woman with talent in Renaissance Florence--marriage or the convent? Or is it a novel about the choices you make to survive in a totalitarian society? As Savonarola takes Florence closer and closer to being an ascetic theocracy, Alessandra, her gay brother and his lover whom she has married for mutual protection find themselves in more and more peril. It could also be a detective story--Allesandra is in love with a painter whose religious mania and fascination with the body makes him a plausible suspect for a series of killings and dismemberments. Some historical novels wear their research too heavily--Dunant's is light, fluent and pacy, but her fascination with the possibilities revealed by research leaves her failing to make choices.
The Birth of Venus is a highly intelligent novel kept from incoherence mostly by the intensely imagined Alessandra, through whose eyes we see the tragic end of a key moment in human culture and whose lively sensibility constantly sparks ideas about art and her time. --Roz Kaveney
Review
#NAME? ('Dunant throws out ideas about sex, art and the divine with Renaissance-style sprezzatura')
The INDEPENDENT ('Dunant is in her historical element in Renaissance Florence. ... No one should visit Tuscany this summer without this book. It is richly textured and driven by a thrillerish fever.')
Rachel Holmes, The TIMES ('It's to Dunant's credit that the vast quantities of historical information in this book are deployed so naturally and lightly. ... On the simplest level, this is an erotic and gripping thriller, but its intellectual excitement also comes from the way Dun)
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherLittle, Brown
- Publication date2003
- ISBN 10 0316725498
- ISBN 13 9780316725491
- BindingHardcover
- LanguageEnglish
- Edition number1
- Number of pages416
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Search results for The Birth Of Venus
Stock Image
The Birth Of Venus
Seller: WeBuyBooks, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read but remains in clean condition. All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear. The book may have minor markings which are not specifically mentioned. Seller Inventory # wbs9543185256
Quantity: 1 available
Seller Image
The Birth Of Venus
Seller: WeBuyBooks, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # wbs1709940590
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Birth of Venus
Published by
Little Brown & Company, 2003
ISBN 10: 0316725498
ISBN 13: 9780316725491
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books: West, Reno, NV, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. 1st Edition. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 4754255-75
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
The Birth of Venus
Published by
Little Brown & Company, 2003
ISBN 10: 0316725498
ISBN 13: 9780316725491
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. 1st Edition. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # GRP16700023
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Birth of Venus
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00041937028
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Birth of Venus
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.05. Seller Inventory # G0316725498I4N10
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Birth Of Venus
Published by
Little, Brown & Company, United States, New York, 2003
ISBN 10: 0316725498
ISBN 13: 9780316725491
Used
Paperback
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. 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. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR001332564
Quantity: 9 available
Stock Image
The Birth of Venus
Published by
Little, Brown & Company, 2003
ISBN 10: 0316725498
ISBN 13: 9780316725491
Used
Hardcover
Signed
Seller: Carlson Turner Books, Portland, ME, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: VG. Dust Jacket Condition: VG+. 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. Seller Inventory # 43250
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Birth Of Venus
Published by
Little, Brown & Company, 2003
ISBN 10: 0316725498
ISBN 13: 9780316725491
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Ammareal, Morangis, France
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Comme neuf. Ammareal reverse jusqu'à 15% du prix net de cet article à des organisations caritatives. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION Book Condition: Used, As new. Ammareal gives back up to 15% of this item's net price to charity organizations. Seller Inventory # D-556-069
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Birth of Venus
Seller: Russell Books, Victoria, BC, Canada
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Good. First Editon. Bargain book! Seller Inventory # ZB40773
Quantity: 1 available