Sarah Dunant: Birth of Venus

[Prairie_Girl]

I just finished this last night. As with the last novel by Dunant I read In The Company of the Courtesan I was very taken by the characters throughout the story until the last 40 pages or so when I just got annoyed and felt let down. Not even that the ending wasn't what I wanted, because with this book you kind of have an idea at the end by the end of the prologue. IT was that it wasn't well written. Also

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Allessandra entering a convent just seemed completely unrealistic for her character. Even a "liberal" convent like this one.

Also, I felt like she speant her entire life after Kristoforo pining for the painter. Also, what was with

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The Painter and her daughter just dissapearing.

it's like "but then the letters stopped coming and I have not heard from them for some years now" (pg. 401) it just seemed like a convenient way for her to wrap it up.
overall, I did enjoy reading it, but not really a book that I would revisit. Anyone else?

 

[HermioneWeasley]

i read the book and iagree, really, her entering the convent was unnecessary. when she said she would enter a convent that she dreamed of at the end of part 1 i think, i thought it was some kind of metaphor. i've also read Courtesan, and enjoyed that too for all the research she did and how captivating it was. But i agree there are some parts of birth of venus that seem uncharacteristic.

btw, I actually met sarah dudnant. she came to ann arbor