| View Larger Image | In the Company of the Courtesan: A Novel | Paperbackby Sarah Dunant (Author)
| List Price: | $13.95 | | Price: | $10.04 | | You Save: | $3.91 (28%) | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Paperback | | Publisher: | Random House Trade Paperbacks | | Page Count: | 385 Pages | | Publication Date: | February 06, 2007 | | Sales Rank: | 25,272th |
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FEATURES | - ISBN13: 9780812974041
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
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. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 111 reviews)
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Read for yourself - you'll be glad you did by She Knows (Ohio USA)  4 Stars
November 14, 2009
This is the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. Both her writing style and the way she develops the characters make it one of those books that you keep saying "just one more chapter" until you've found that you've been up all night and read the entire thing.
There's brutality, poverty, cruelty, compromising of morality and greed, but there's also a very intelligent woman who feels and thinks more than anyone but her faithful companion knows. Together they stay through thick and thin. An unlikely couple (a beautiful Italian courtesan and an ugly dwarf), there relationship has nothing personally to do with sex and sin and everything to do with true friendship love and loyalty.
Sometimes it's easy to get bogged down in the details of historical fiction books, especially if you don't know much about the culture or the era, but the author did a great job of including the true aspects of life as a courtesan in Rome and Venice in the 1500's without making it dull or difficult to relate. The way it ended makes me hope that we will see Fiammetta and Bucino again.
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A literary gem by C. Claytor (Thibodaux, LA USA)  5 Stars
November 13, 2009
The fictional product of Sarah Dunant's investigation into the life of a 16th century Venetian courtesan is impressive. In the Company of the Courtesan showcases her talent. Her ability to transport readers to Renaissance Italy is second only to her ability to transform her characters into people. As a history major and I love how Dunant is true to the violent nature of the time period. While so many authors either deny or ignore the atrocities that occurred during the time, Dunant places you into the action. You will feel the shame and horror Fiammetta faces after she is scalped by the Lutherans. You will pray for the salvation of her beauty and her soul. You will learn from her business techniques. You will hope for her to have true love. You will implore God to save our dwarf friend Bucino. You will rage when Fiammetta is betrayed and you will weep with the miscarriages of justice.
With her business originally established in Rome, Fiammetta Bianchini and her pimp/companion Bucino Teodoldi were forced to relocate to Venice after the fall of Rome in the 16th century. The reader watches as an attractive woman is battered and scarred by the enemy and later, after utilizing all of the resources available to her, re-emerge as a highly sought after member of the courtesan elite. The dedication required by both she and Bucino to turn a disheveled home into a thriving business is remarkable.
Dunant's impeccable thirst for accuracy when reporting the beauty and ugliness of Italy is instrumental in transporting her readers into her not so fictional world. While known for its unparallel beauty and culture, Venice, as described by Bucino, becomes a symbol of the hypocrisy, cruelty and corruption that exists within the city. The darkness of the alleys and the canals of sewage become representative of the darkness and impurities that run rampant in Venice.
The novel is as seductive as its title character and as rich as the gems she smuggled in her belly. You will be intrigued by the fictional elements and informed by the historical accuracy of Dunant's In the Company of the Courtesan. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves women, history and the history of women!
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A courtesan in Venice... by Lucy's Reviews- Enchanted By Josephine (Montreal, Canada) 4 Stars
October 22, 2009
Anyone who is fascinated by Venice (and who isn't?) will absolutely love In The Company of The Courtesan. Obviously, that's not all that the book's about (I'll get to that in a moment...), yet; this important aspect cannot be mentioned lightly. The vivid details of the setting naturally propel you right into the moment. Depictions of the world as it was then, with Venice at its center; the glory, the fame, the beauty and all that was decadent as well- set the stage for an incredibly absorbing read...just the right setting for the story of a wondrous courtesan...
The story begins with Fiammetta Bianchini, a courtesan of the highest rank, servicing in the papal courts of Rome, having to flee when the city becomes invaded, and later destroyed, by Spaniard barbarians and German Lutherans. Barely surviving the barbaric scalpel and in order to avoid a torturous death, Faimmetta feigns a religious conversion in order to appease and distract the zealous fanatics. Together with her companion and business partner, a dwarf named Bucino, Fiammetta manages to escape and make way to her native Venice to start up her career fresh from scratch- Not an easy task...
A disheveled Fiammetta arrives in Venice looking scraggly, beaten, unfed, and besides being poor, famished and sick; she is an `unknown.' How can she ever reclaim her notoriety as the most beautiful, learned, sensual and classiest courtesan in town? Both Fiammetta and her side-kick/manager/entertainer and man-à tout faire, Bucino, have a lot of work to do.
The story, told by Bucino, magically unravels as it takes you from one strange character to another; one more flamboyant than the next. A mysterious woman, with a strange deformity and extraordinary healing powers, named La Draga, enraptures both Fiammetta and Bucino into a web of intricacies that lead to fascinating consequences. There is definitely an element of mystery mixed with a clear sense of curiosity that keeps you edging on for more.
I absolutely loved reading about these colourful characters and their different lifestyles- and couldn't help but totally adore Fiammetta. Bucino too, this engaging, sharp little man who stopped at nothing to ensure the best for `his Lady' while taking care of business as a priority, was endearing to no end. Everything seemed so real. For all I know, this story could have actually happened. After all, Sarah Dunant includes real historical figures such as the famous painter Titian; Arletino the `reporter' of the time- and, La Draga was an actual person as well.
As for Fiammetta, in this novel she was also Titian's preferred goddess to paint, perfectly insinuating his authentic painting of The Venus of Urbino...where the model was said to be indeed a courtesan. Although she is but a fictional character, In The Company of The Courtesan will leave you wishing that Fiammetta really did exist... knack for business, flamboyance, joviality, free spirit, and all.
A truly delightful read. Loved it!
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The Life and Times of a Dwarf in Renaissance Venice by M.M. Oliver (B'ham, AL)  3 Stars
September 19, 2009
Chose this book for the setting. I love to read historical fiction set in Italy, especially in La Serenissima. I gave this book 3 stars rather than 2 because it did actually inspire me to get out an old Italy guide book to look at a Venice map a time or two, otherwise it was a well written though boring tale of a dwarf in Renaissance times. Wasted some valuable reading time on this. Maybe I'd not have been so disappointed if I'd not just finished Mark Helprin's Soldier of the Great War a couple of weeks earlier. You love Venice? Why don't you read Erica Jong's Serenissima? I'd love to see somebody's list of great books set in Venice. Maybe I'll be able to make one someday.
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more of the same by e.seymour (scottsdale, az United States)  2 Stars
September 04, 2009
I must admit that I didn't finish this book. It was just more of the Birth of Venus formula..corrupt men, corrupt church and enough erotica to titillate.For all her research , these novels are pure fantasy.
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