The Birth of Venus

I really liked this book. I thought it was a good picture of what life was like for women in Florence during the fifteenth century. Dunant is very skilled at painting great word pictures and making things come alive off the page.

I thought the relationship between Alessandra and Cristoforo was very unusual. It seemed to me that they were perfectly matched, but I knew there was something wrong with the whole scenario. However, Alessandra's ability to hold her head up was something that impressed me a lot. I think if I had been given the news she was on my wedding night, I would have curled up in a ball and not left my room for a few weeks. Alessandra was a great strong character. She really was passionate about things that interested her. I cheered her on through the whole book.

The relationship between Alessandra and the painter was wonderful. I knew as soon as she saw him that they were going to fall in love. I loved how they were portrayed as so different, but yet so right for each other. The only thing that bothered me was that we never learned the painter's name. However, when the painter finds Alessandra at the convent and tells her that she has no idea how long he has been looking for her, I cried. It was such a beautiful moment that attested to their true love.

Overall, this was a great book with really developed characters. I enjoyed reading it a great deal and will probably read it again.