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Summary: Magnificently spun Renaissance read!
Review: This novel is historical fiction at its best. You must beg, borrow or buy this book!
Rating: 
Summary: One hot product
Review: I bought this book for a quick speed read on a flight to Los Angelos and let me tell you it was hot stuff !!! I read it three times on thefirst flight and another two on the returning flight. Hot stuff is this book !!!
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Summary: Written like one of the Florentine frescoes!
Review: What a wonderful and intelligent book. The language fits the story fits the characters fits the pace - simply a well composed and great piece of writing. There are so many memorable scenes, but I have to confess, Alessandra giving birth deeply touched me. And I say this as a guy!
Rating: 
Summary: A terrific read
Review: I picked this book up only because it was part of a two for one deal and I needed another book for the one I wanted to buy. I am ever so glad that some force lead me to choose this one. It was just terrific. A rare insight into life during the late 15th century in Florence. The power and strength of Alessandra was refreshing, as was her indiscretion at times and human failings, and this provided us with a main character who was a well rounded person, not a closeted child under the thumb of her family as one might think all women were at that time because that was what was expected. The beauty with which she weaved the story of her life with Cristofolo, the painter and her art pulled you in and was so vibrant and visual that I could the churches and houses and colors right before my eyes. I would definitely recommend this book - to those who have an interest in life in Florence during that time, to those who are interested in the love and agony involved in the desire to create, to those who are romantics, to those who want to read about a woman who is not crushed by circumstances beyond her control but who deals with them and triumphs. Alessandra may have been thrust into difficult times and situations but she is no victim. She is an inspiration.
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Summary: Intriguing tale...intriguing characters...
Review: With "Birth of Venus," Sarah Dunant does a nice job of creating characters that drive the story, rather than vice-versa. If you're tired of plot-driven novels with thin, and often cliché, characters, then you're likely to dig this one. If you're into writers like Dunant, Tracy Chevalier, Robert Harris, etc., then there's a new writer you should check out: Greg Ippolito. His new novel, "Zero Station," is absolutely terrific, and an excerpt is available online for FREE. He's still a relative unknown (a friend turned me onto his work)...but this is a must-read. You can check him out and read the excerpt at: www.ZERO-STATION.net. Don't miss it!
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Summary: Beautiful Book
Review: Dunant has created a masterpiece. The narrative brings Renaissance Florence to life. The main character Alessandra is wonderfully drawn; the masterful writing evokes empathy for most of the main characters, particularly Christoforo and the Painter. Deeply moving glimpse of a key period in world history.
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Summary: Slow Start, Great Finish
Review: I almost put this one down. The Birth of Venus, for me at least, got off to a kind of slow start. The story of Alessandra, a young woman in turbulent Florence dragged at first, but then, somewhere about 100 pages in, I couldn't put it down--the story got juicy, a little twisted, interesting. What kept me going, really, were the opening paragraphs, which tell the story of a recently deceased nun, who, upon her death, reveals something no one knew of her in life--that her torso was covered with a huge, serpent shaped tatoo. The suspense of what exactly what that was, and how it came about kept me reading Alessandra's story and I am glad I persevered. The Birth of Venus is an enjoyable story--a quick read that once you get into, you won't be able to put down.
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Summary: Compelling and arresting
Review: Hesitant at first to take this book on, I found myself reading it in the book store, intent on just scanning it. An hour later the salesperson asked if I would like to buy it. I did, and am happy to say I have not been sorry. The writing is eloquent and savvy, and what Dunant does with character development is amazing. Young, headstrong, and determined, Alessandra who, not quite fifteen, becomes intoxicated with a certain young painter's abilities and the wheels begin to turn. His father commissions the painter to paint the chapel walls of their Florentine palazzo and from there on the story unfolds, layer upon layer, until we're shown a wonderful and colorful tale that will stick in the mind long after you've closed the covers of the book. Highly recommended, along with McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD and THE VIRGIN BLUE
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Summary: Strange and wonderful
Review: It would be easier to list what this book doesn't have than what it does. And that's strictly meant in a positive light, for the sheer amount of turns this book makes is amazing. Brilliantly conceived and written--something akin to McCrae's "Bark of the Dogwood," though that subject is completely different, and well-plotted and coupled with historical settings (think "Pompeii") this is truly an enjoyable read. Yes, there's sex, mayhem, violence, and everything else, but it's not gratuitous--it's there as part of the plot, and expertly woven in. The characters are well-drawn and it's pleasing without being overly simplistic in a commercial way. I would highly recommend this book! Also recommended: McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD
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Summary: The Birth of Venus : A Novel
Review: I wish I could have given this one a 4.5. It was better than a 4 but not quite worthy of a 5. 5s are saved for the classics.
Anyway, this is one of the best books I've ever read. It had more twists and turns than a maze!! Just when you thought her (Alessandra Cecchi) life couldn't get any weirder, it does.
It's set in Florence in 1492. Alessandra is nearly 15 when her father brings home a painter. Since she herself is an artist, she wants to meet him. But unfortunately, their relationship is severed when the French invade Florence. You see, she told her mother that if the French did invade, she'd marry to avoid being put in a convent. She decides to marry 50 something Cristoforo Langella and soon discovers that neither Cristoforo nor the painter are who they appear to be...
It has sex, murder, suspense, adultery, sodomy. What more could a person ask for??
It's highly recommended if you're a fan of fiction novels.
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