Dunant captures the personal conflict felt by Alessandra - she feels torn between Savonarola's fiery message and her own ideas. Alessandra's observations of the political turbulence in Florence are key to the storyline. Meanwhile, her attraction to the painter grows, as does her affection for her husband Cristoforo. Eventually, after Alessandra has met the painter, but before her feelings for him and his talent have made themselves known to her, her hateful brother Tomaso suggests strong but quiet Cristoforo Langella as a potential husband for her.

Her mother tries her hardest to shape Alessandra into a woman who will be desired by a successful and powerful man. Her passion for painting and learning serve her well, but her family does not approve. The book follows Alessandra's daily life, and is written in the first person, as a memoir written by Alessandra late in her life. The painter is brought to her home by her father, a rich textile merchant whose business would be negatively affected by the rise of Girolamo Savonarola in Florence over the next few years.

It was first published by Little, Brown in 2003 with the title The Birth of Venus: love and death in Florence.Ī young Florentine girl, Alessandra Cecchi, is drawn to a young painter commissioned to paint the family's chapel walls. The story is set in the late 15th century in Florence, Italy. The Birth of Venus: A Novel is a 2003 novel by Sarah Dunant, a bestselling British author.

The birth of venus by sarah dunant