The Ornatrix - Softcover

Kate Howard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0715650971 ISBN 13: 9780715650974

Publisher: Duckworth, 2016

Synopsis

AN AMAZON RISING STAR

'Dazzling... a first novel of originality and, yes, beauty.' The Times

'A richly drawn cast of twisted characters... beguiling.' Vogue Best Summer Reads

Flavia was born with a birthmark across her face in the shape of a bird in flight. Ashamed of the mark, her mother has concealed Flavia's face behind a veil all her young life. A dyer's daughter, she grows up in a little house in the woods, far away from prying eyes. But on the night before her sister's wedding, Flavia does something borne of spite with repercussions that will draw her into a much wider and stranger world than she could have imagined: the convent of Santa Giuliana, just outside the city walls of Perugia. There she meets Ghostanza, a courtesan turned widow, whose white-lead painted face entrances Flavia, and whose beauty and cruelty are unmatched. Flavia becomes her hairdresser and personal maid - her ornatrix.

But just as white-lead paint rots supple flesh, so too is Perugia rotting beneath the shimmer of wealth and privilege - a place where Flavia is caught between desire and jealousy with devastating consequences.

'Exquisite, earthy, witty - this is a book of rare beauty, about beauty.' Wendy Wallace, author of The Painted Bridge

About this title

Product Description

Flavia was born with a birthmark marring her face in the shape of a bird in flight. A dyer's daughter, she grows up in a secluded little house in the woods, away from prying eyes. Ashamed of the mark, her mother forces Flavia to conceal her face behind a veil., But on the night before her younger sister's wedding, Flavia does something drastic, something that will draw her into a much wider and stranger world than she could have imagined: the convent of Santa Giuliana, just outside the city walls. There she meets Ghostanza, a courtesan turned widow, whose white-lead painted face entrances Flavia, and whose beauty and cruelty are unmatched. Flavia becomes her ornatrix: her hairdresser and personal maid., But as white-lead paint rots the flesh below it, the bustling city, and Santa Giuliana, is rotting below the shimmer of wealth and privilege. And Flavia is drawn into a world of desire and jealousy that has devastating consequences. Set in sixteenth century and painted against a vivid historical Italian landscape, rich in description and character and with themes and characters relevant to today, it tackles issues of belonging, female identity and the perception of beauty., It cannot fail to move.

Review

'Dazzling... a first novel of originality and, yes, beauty' The Times

'A richly drawn cast of twisted characters... lyrical... beguiling' Vogue

'Kate Howard's marvellous debut novel creates a seething, sensual idiom entirely its own. Exquisite, earthy, witty - this is a book of rare beauty, about beauty. In this intensely-imagined, elegant and erudite novel, the story of a 16th century Italian woman's quest for beauty springs vividly to life' Wendy Wallace, author of The Painted Bridge

'A historical novel in the old fashioned style... deliciously complex and intelligent' Essie Fox, author of The Goddess and the Thief

'Richly drawn historical novel' Sheerluxe, Summer Reads 2016

'Brilliant... kept me guessing until the end' Lisa Cox, Nudge

About this edition

• Publisher: Duckworth
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0715650971
• ISBN 13: 9780715650974
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272