The Birth of Venus : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Curl up and enjoy
Review: Don't listen to the reviews critical of the sincere main character, Alessandra, or who find "too many modern sensibilities" in the worldview of the protagonists. Having visited Florence and this region, this book plunged me into the 16th century and brought past and present Tuscany alive. Plus the timeless plot touched on romantic love, maternal love, human servitude, and the nature of the relationships between God and man, Deity and priest, and art and artist. (But don't worry, the story is set among these meaningful interplays, but it doesn't preach--it is first and foremost a STORY.) A rich reading experience that while meaningful, and provocative, is also ultimately enjoyable as well and leaves the reader celebrating their own definition of the life well lived. What more can you want? I hope Dunant writes dozens with the same perceptive sense of place and purpose.