<![CDATA[In the Company of the Courtesan: A Novel]]>

false <![CDATA[In the Company of the Courtesan: A Novel]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170600323m/62212.jpg 62212 24 "My lady, Fiammetta Bianchini, was plucking her eyebrows and biting color into her lips when the unthinkable happened and the Holy Roman Emperor’s army blew a hole in the wall of God’s eternal city, letting in a flood of half-starved, half-crazed troops bent on pillage and punishment." Thus begins In the Company of the Courtesan, Sarah Dunant’s epic novel of life in Renaissance Italy. Escaping the sack of Rome in 1527, with their stomachs churning on the jewels they have swallowed, the courtesan Fiammetta and her dwarf companion, Bucino, head for Venice, the shimmering city born out of water to become a miracle of east-west trade: rich and rancid, pious and profitable, beautiful and squalid. With a mix of courage and cunning they infiltrate Venetian society. Together they make the perfect partnership: the sharp-tongued, sharp-witted dwarf, and his vibrant mistress, trained from birth to charm, entertain, and satisfy men who have the money to support her. Yet as their fortunes rise, this perfect partnership comes under threat, from the searing passion of a lover who wants more than his allotted nights to the attentions of an admiring Turk in search of human novelties for his sultan’s court. But Fiammetta and Bucino’s greatest challenge comes from a young crippled woman, a blind healer who insinuates herself into their lives and hearts with devastating consequences for them all. A story of desire and deception, sin and religion, loyalty and friendship, In the Company of the Courtesan paints a portrait of one of the world’s greatest cities at its most potent moment in history: It is a picture that remains vivid long after the final page. From the Hardcover edition. 2050708 book 2006 In the Company of the Courtesan: A Novel total:3000|5:469|4:1143|3:1056|2:270|1:62| 3000 10687 4195 465 3 6 false false Fri Jan 25 07:21:19 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 14 11:29:43 -0800 2008
On the positive side, it was very well written. I did love the character Fiammetta. I wish the book had focused on her throughout. And I liked the descriptio...more...]]> 3 3 false false Wed Sep 10 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jun 08 23:21:12 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 10 18:14:01 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 2 false false Tue Apr 22 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Mar 31 17:45:03 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 22 19:14:41 -0700 2008 the characters interesting and there was lots
of action. At first I figured that I wouldn't
be able to relate well to the story of a courtesan
and dwarf, but the themes of love and friendship,
hardship and politics, drew you in...more...]]> 5 2 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed May 28 15:24:09 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 03 13:37:53 -0700 2008 Having had the pleasure of being in an on-line book discussion of IN THE COMPANY OF THE COURTESAN
last year with Ms. Dunant, I came away with a much finer appreciation of the historical honesty of this novel!

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to finally meet Sarah Dunan...more...]]> 5 2 false false Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sat Jan 26 10:05:47 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 26 10:06:35 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 2 false false Mon Oct 22 15:11:27 -0700 2007 Fri Dec 14 08:21:39 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Mar 20 05:20:24 -0700 2007 Wed Jul 18 11:19:52 -0700 2007 The Birth of Venus moreso than this work, I think she has a great knack for writing extremely interesting characters. Bucino is a great hero for her novel and she also does a wonderful job of characterizing 16th century Venice as well.

The novel sta...more...]]> 2 2 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Jul 11 05:30:19 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 31 05:51:39 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Wed Mar 11 14:20:28 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 11 14:20:28 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Nov 11 18:09:33 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 11 18:12:59 -0800 2009 Life of a Courtesan

In the Company of the Courtesan, a novel written by Sarah Dunant, illustrates a Roman courtesan, Fiammetta Bianchini, and her loyal dwarf servant, Bucino, who is the narrator of the story. The novel begins as the war is happening in Rome, the invasion of t...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jul 20 12:05:40 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 20 12:06:27 -0700 2009
The author magically transports us to Venice in the 16th century by her wonderful characterizations and the authentic descript...more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Feb 05 09:44:57 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 09:44:57 -0800 2009 Her debut novel, The Birth of Venus,explored 15th-century Florence; Sarah Dunant's latest offering__what USA Today calls "both a business thriller and a historical love story"__delves into 16th-century Venice. Dunant paints a remarkable portrait of Venice, from its corruption to its class ...

more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 20 14:41:53 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 25 20:27:21 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Dec 04 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 04 12:31:16 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 04 12:38:00 -0800 2008 1 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Feb 16 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 13 05:42:59 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 04:16:27 -0800 2009 This book is not what you would think. Never once did it go into deta...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jan 27 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 04 10:09:36 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 30 09:15:35 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Nov 04 01:46:40 -0800 2008 Tue Nov 04 01:47:03 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Wed Nov 04 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Oct 20 19:25:33 -0700 2009 Wed Nov 04 09:04:59 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 10:31:12 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 10:34:59 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Apr 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 24 08:12:03 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 29 21:19:10 -0700 2009 I enjoyed Birth of Venus, also by Dunant, but this book was better by far. In the Company of the Courtesan has all of the lush period detail of Birth of Venus, but the story line and characters are better developed and more interesting. I loved the quirky main characters: a young girl raised...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=62212