In The Company Of The Courtesan

I always struggle with books written in the first person and I usually avoid them because I think they limit the character develop of others.While it is very well researched, there are pages and pages of descriptions, philosphical musings, artistic explanations, there is just not much dialogue and not much of a story.I loved her books on the Borgias's. Now there was character development and dialogue that made the telling riveting even though I knew what happened. This book misses all that and it's really hard to care what happens to the characters.

Absorbing tale of the life of a Courtesan in Venice in the 1500''s. The vocabulary is as rich as the descriptions of the Courtesan's dresses. Narrated by her Dwarf, this tells of the flight, at the height of her fame, from Rome to Venice, and the struggle to rebuild her 'position' in the ranks of Courtesans. But this book is about more than that, it has many layers, Venice, rich and beautiful with a decayed and decaying foundation, both in its structure and its people. The face Venice shows the world, all piety and goodness, and the true face of Venice, corrupt, dirty and sinful. The life of the Courtesan is a mirror image of Venice.

This is the first book by Sarah Dunant that I have read. Set in the 16th century it follows the life of Fiammetta, a Roman courtesan and her dwarf servant, Bucino. When Rome is sacked in 1527 they escape and make their way to Venice having lost everything except a few jewels they manage to hide. The novel tells the story of their first decade in Venice, and the various dilemmas that beset them. The novel is populated with historical characters that existed as well as fictional ones. This all adds up to provide an insight into a slice of Venice's rich past.The narratorial voice is that of the dwarf, Bucino. It gave the author the opportunity to share more details of Venetian life and it's multifarious characters. A courtesan's life is necessarily restricted because of her trade and position in society and she would not have had the freedom Bucino had to explore and bring together the various strands of the narrative.I really enjoyed the Venice of 16th century - recognisable because it doesn't seem to have changed, in essence, that much to the one that exists today. I am not an historian, but the research into the period and the characters who populated Venice at this time was convincingly well done.I shall read more of her books, very well written with a storyline that engaged me; a holiday read perhaps, though Dunant does provide far more than many that fit into this category.

Sarah Dunant has cracked the conundrum of taking a reader back to a time and place utterly remote from our own experiences and yet making it familair by dint of very human characters and a good story line. Her discription of Rennaissance Italy and the Courtesan's trade are gripping and she captures a society where everyone has an eye not so much to their own advantage as their own survival. With the possible exception of the Muslim Turkish ambassador. There is a twist in the plot that you can spot- at least the first one - if not the second, which brings the book to a conclusion. Take this on holiday with you or a long plane journey you will not be disappointed.

A sophisticated courtesan and her constant companion, a deformed dwarf, in 16th century Italy, moving from the sack of Rome in 1527 to the glory of Renaissance Venice. This is a tale of lust and greed, love and loyalty, in the louchest of circles, and a thoroughly appealing novel, given the talent of Sarah Dunant for wonderful storytelling.Loved every page and I thank Sarah Dunant for giving us such rich and strange novels that a cut above the average.

Sarah Dunant is an excellent researcher and a good writer, no doubt. I felt that the emphasis was on the research rather on depth of character in this book,. I learned lots about Venice and the era but did not connect with the characters. I will read her other books if the subject matter is of real interest, and I do admire the amount of research she brings to life, but as a novelist I feel the depth of atmosphere and that sense of caring about the protagonists is missing,.

Bought as a Christmas present and was well received

I absolutely loved Sarah Dunant's 'Sacred Hearts', set in a medieval convent. This is just as well written, but the subject matter didn't grip quite as much as the description of the 'scientist' in Sacred Hearts, who has difficulties with the rigidity of convent life.Oddly, the racier content here seemed less enthralling. Still - a very good book, by an excellent writer.

This story of a remarkable young courtesan starts with the sack of Rome in 1527 and then moves to Venice where she seeks to re-establish herself with a wealthy clientele.It is told from the point of view of her business manager, a dwarf. For those who have watched Game of Thrones, his diction is exactly that of Tyrion Lannister. It is impossible not to imagine Peter Dinklage in the role, although the physical description is quite different.Coming to this from Dunant's story of convent life in Sacred Hearts, this yarn is salty and a action packed. The tie ins with Venetian contemporaries like Titian and Arieto are fun.

She's a great writer, and her descriptions are lovely, but there wasn't much of a plot line in this book. I kept waiting for the story to happen.Also, a book about a courtesan with NO sex scenes? Really?

Like the others in this trilogy, the reader feels transported to another era. The sights, smells and sounds of Rome and Venice are palpable. Was also frighteningly evocative of what it must feel like to live in a city besieged by chaos and terror of war. Learned much and enjoyed Dunant's rich language.

This is a beautifully written book. Its characters have depth and complexity. It tells a story of Venice in the 1500s, and allows us to peak into lives then.

In the tradition of Dunant's research, this book fulfilled all expectations.

. . . and of our narrator, Bucino Teodoldi, it has also been said, “You are a man who should forget what is wrong with him and celebrate what is right. For there is much to enjoy.” Our setting is 16th Century Rome and Venice. “Venice: the greatest, the loveliest, the oldest, the most just, the most peaceful. Venice – La Serenissima,” city of serenity, but “wherever there is public virtue, there is always private vice.” Fiammetta Bianchini was a highly successful courtesan in Rome, but escapes to Venice with her dwarf pimp Bucino following the invasion of German protestant reformers. Bucino and Fiammetta must try to re-establish their position in a different city, one where “An inflammatory crime in an inflammatory moment calls for a stern response” by the governors of Venice. Dunant is master of the time and place she creates for us, but her greatest achievements are the real and exotic characters who stand around us talking, posing, conspiring, competing, manipulating, even loving, thieving, betraying – yes, behaving like each of us, gloriously entertaining!

Having been to Venice, it was fun to imagine the descriptions in the book with the real place. The boat ride from Venice to Murano Island, for example, was very real for me. The life of a courtesan was rich with descriptions and quite interesting. I appreciated that the author didn't succumb to graphic descriptions--it wasn't necessary. The political and religious influences created the right backdrop for the story and gave it authenticity. But the star of the show was the dwarf. Ms. Dunant's exploration of his life, challenges and gifts made me completely invested in his character. Well done!

I try to read a book a week. For nigh on twenty years, I write each title down and the author's name. Maybe five books out of the year also get an exclamation mark.This is one of the five. This is the most beautiful evocative sensual breath- stopping (historical fiction) novel I have read since "The Secret Book of Grazia di Rossi" many years ago.Told in the jaded, but still gentle voice of the dwarf Bucino, High Renaissance Venice comes alive in her decadence, beauty, hypocrisy and foulness. I will miss Bucino now, as I still miss Prior Phillip from "The Pillars of the Earth."His lady, the courtesan Fiammetta was a fully developed complicated person.I have always seen Venice through a tourist's eyes. Now her whole history is alive to me. The windows, the bridges, the canals, the alleys, the cobblestones, ships, the mansions, the hovels, the canals, the Ghetto... everything is described, so you feel you know what is was to be a Venetian citizen in the 16th century.I cross-referenced as I read, and was thrilled to learn more about Venician historical figures, such as the artist Tiziano and the writer Aretino.La Draga, the healer, broke my heart.My feeling at the conclusion was reminiscent of getting to the conclusion of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."I am going to northern Italy in a few weeks to study Renaissance art. All summer I have been devouring books about this region and time. Most, even such as the highly recommended "Vivaldi's Virgens" leave me impressed and just kind of "meh."Although ocassionally sinfully and vulgar, with titillating commentaries on mens', um, sexual organs and sounds of lust, this was a most beautifully written book, and I cannot commend it high enough.

The courtasan, Fiametta, and her dwarf, Bucino, have survived the sack of Rome and have escaped to Venice, taking with them as many gemstones as they can swallow - to be used as money to start over. In Venice, she begins the process of beginning all over again. Through good strategies and prudent spending, she manages to, once again, regain her wealth and position ... in no small thanks to Bucino. The story is as much about Bucino as Fiametta. Set in the time of the artist Titian, the book is a lovely portrayal of the life and times in the Venice of long ago. The author is very skilled using words to"paint" her discriptions,making the story very easy to visualize.

I must admit that when Sarah Dunant writes a novel based on the Renaissance and Italy I am "all over it". She researches the period to an nth degree and her characters are always so well developed. And as an added delight for me, I always learn something. So, am I a prejudiced fan? YES! Highly recommended.

Dunant has given a fascinating portrait of Venice in the tumultuous sixteenth century. The story is entertaining and the characters are realistic and sensitively drawn. The plot takes a turn at the end that seems forced.

Having lived in the city of Venice for 5 months in college, I found the descriptions of the places in this story very evocative of the unique atmosphere there. Of course, when I was there, things weren't nearly so sinister as they were in the 1500's, but the way in which the narrator's mind is changed over time about his surroundings is characteristic of what many experience when they visit Venice for shorter versus longer periods of time. The changes that the city undergoes with an influx of tourists are also very realistically described.The plot itself was secondary in my mind, and I often skimmed over some of the more erotic passages in favor of the more interesting relationship between the two main characters who clearly love and depend on one another as family in what otherwise would have been a sad and mean world for both of them, one due to his deformity and the other due to her gender and station into which she was born.

In comparison to The Birth of Venus and Sacred Hearts, I was a little disappointed in this one. Don't get me wrong, I would still encourage anyone who enjoyed Sarah Dunant's other writing to read this one but I was left a little less satisfied with this one as compared to the others. I felt like there were too many loosely tied together ends, that the ending was abrupt and that there were too many unanswered questions with regard to (and without spoiling it for anyone I won't name names) the secondary female character, the reasons behind her behavior and actions, the relationship with Bucino (who, by the way, I adored) and especially concerning the child. I feel like this book may have been rushed somehow and I know that this author could have done better with it. That being said, it is still a worthwhile read. I love Sarah Dunant and hope that she focuses more on writing historical fiction in the future.

More than your usual chick lit Historical romance; tracks through interesting period of history. Story is told from the courtesans companion, a dwarf that I can't not help but visualize as GOT's Tyrian. From authors note and bibliography well researched. I found the story started really well but became harder to track as the book went on

This story is so full of history entwined with the realities of life in Venice as a courtesan. These women were raised,groomed and taught how to give and bring pleasure. They were the mistresses of the nobles and rich. Very acceptable in that time.Very interesting.