The Birth of Venus

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Cheresa At the end of chapter 22, Alessandra and Cristoforo are having a conversation about his connection to Lorenzo the magnificent. He mentions Lorenzo hav…moreAt the end of chapter 22, Alessandra and Cristoforo are having a conversation about his connection to Lorenzo the magnificent. He mentions Lorenzo having a painting by Botticelli ( titled The Birth of Venus) and describes how the character Venus is portrayed in the painting. I'm thinking the characteristics of Venus are similar to Alessandra and may mirror her life which could be why the story is titled The birth of Venus. (less)
Heather Youinou I also had this reaction, but we have to remember that we are seeing this through the eyes and experiences of 21st century women, not those of that er…moreI also had this reaction, but we have to remember that we are seeing this through the eyes and experiences of 21st century women, not those of that era. Entering a convent during that time period was not viewed with surprise (or even shock and dismay) as it might be by many modern women, even religious ones.

What's more, the book does explain that that particular convent (at least initially) was especially tolerant, thereby allowing women to have a mutually helpful and open community without too much bother from men who were still pretty medieval in their treatment of women, despite living during the Renaissance.

Lastly, as already mentioned by Calliope100, apparently widows were vulnerable to exploitation and possibly even harm. The household, moreover, did not seem especially warm or loyal to her, so she might have been thrown under the bus at the first opportunity.

All that said, I still didn't like her ending up there.(less)
Elisa It is definitely not clean, there are quite a few scenes with in-depth descriptions. Hope this helped!
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Matt McCormick Some Renaissance artists used the local morgue to better understand the musculature and bone structure of the human body. The would literally dissect …moreSome Renaissance artists used the local morgue to better understand the musculature and bone structure of the human body. The would literally dissect cadaver's. "The Painter" was joining other artists doing just this and drew what he saw in the morgue. I believe the leader of his little group was supposed to be Michelangelo.(less)
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Suz Davidson
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