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nderiley's review against another edition
3.0
At first the view point of this book really threw me off. I picked it up thinking, "I'm going to read a sexy courtesan book. yeah!!!!". I mean come on, a sexy courtsean book!!!! Oh wait, it's told from the perspective of a dwarf. whaa????
Yes a little shocking if you are not forewarned. So I started off being a little turned off from the odd narrator and his occasional unnecessarily vuglar commentary (would i be forgiving if she were the narrator, who knows?!). But as the book continued I grew to accept and even like this commentator.
Overall, I found the book enjoyable but not ground breaking. If you really want a fun whimsical picture of this time period, I suggest (and own!) the movie Dangerous Beauty.
Yes a little shocking if you are not forewarned. So I started off being a little turned off from the odd narrator and his occasional unnecessarily vuglar commentary (would i be forgiving if she were the narrator, who knows?!). But as the book continued I grew to accept and even like this commentator.
Overall, I found the book enjoyable but not ground breaking. If you really want a fun whimsical picture of this time period, I suggest (and own!) the movie Dangerous Beauty.
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
3.0
Bucino is a dwarf employed by one of the most favored courtesans of Rome, Fiammetta Bianchini. When Rome is sacked by Spaniards and Lutherans in 1527, Bucino and Fiammetta barely escape with their lives and a few jewels they managed to swallow. They are forced to start over again in Fiammetta's native city of Venice. The going is slow at first, but they are both determined to rise to the top again, with the help of some unlikely accomplices.
This was really about 3.5 stars. I enjoyed reading it, I liked Bucino, and I truly enjoyed reading about Venice. But towards the end I started asking myself what the point of the whole thing was. It didn't really seem to be going anywhere. When it did finally get to something like a conclusion, it was all over pretty quickly. I would have liked a little less build-up and a lot more exploration of the final conflict, for lack of a better word. As it was, I felt like the ending sort of came out of nowhere. And I don't mean that in a good way.
Also, looking back at the beginning of the book to remember how to spell Fiammetta's full name, I realized that her character really wasn't very consistent. Her moods and really her overall character seemed to shift to suit whatever needed to happen next in the book. Sometimes that makes a character seem more real, but in this case, it felt like the author didn't know how to get the story where she wanted it to go without changing Fiammetta.
I would recommend this book if you're going to Venice soon (I am! Lucky me!). I'm so excited to go see the places that Sarah Dunant described so well! But for a great Renaissance-era book set in Italy, I think I would recommend Susan Vreeland's Passion of Artemisia instead. It's been a while, but I remember that book pretty well, and I think In the Company of the Courtesan will fade pretty quickly from my mind.
This was really about 3.5 stars. I enjoyed reading it, I liked Bucino, and I truly enjoyed reading about Venice. But towards the end I started asking myself what the point of the whole thing was. It didn't really seem to be going anywhere. When it did finally get to something like a conclusion, it was all over pretty quickly. I would have liked a little less build-up and a lot more exploration of the final conflict, for lack of a better word. As it was, I felt like the ending sort of came out of nowhere. And I don't mean that in a good way.
Also, looking back at the beginning of the book to remember how to spell Fiammetta's full name, I realized that her character really wasn't very consistent. Her moods and really her overall character seemed to shift to suit whatever needed to happen next in the book. Sometimes that makes a character seem more real, but in this case, it felt like the author didn't know how to get the story where she wanted it to go without changing Fiammetta.
I would recommend this book if you're going to Venice soon (I am! Lucky me!). I'm so excited to go see the places that Sarah Dunant described so well! But for a great Renaissance-era book set in Italy, I think I would recommend Susan Vreeland's Passion of Artemisia instead. It's been a while, but I remember that book pretty well, and I think In the Company of the Courtesan will fade pretty quickly from my mind.
mauricem00ny's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kraley's review against another edition
3.0
Well, this book is about a Courtesan after all, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by the crassness of it at times. I loved Sacred Hearts and the Birth of Venus. I love how she really makes the history of the time come alive. I felt I could smell the stench of the Venetian canals. I didn't finish this book, not because the writing was bad, but because I didn't think I needed to be reading about courtesans. If that doesn't bother you, the book is excellent.
carlacbarroso's review against another edition
3.0
Having loved the previous book I've read from this author, I picked this one up with some expectations. Is not that I feel this book let me down, but is somewhat below what I expected.
In this book we follow Bucino, a dwarf and assistant, lets say so, of Fiammeta, a notorious courtesan, in their journey from Rome to Venice and their adaptation to this place, so different from others due to his liaison with the sea and the contacts this brings.
As in The Birth of Venus, the author, through the story of these two characters, tries to show the thought at this time about various themes. In this book she concentrates more in religion, namely the catholic one, though it has some mentions also to Judaism and the relationship between those who follow this faith and the Catholics, she also talks about the importance of physical appearance and the prejudices linked to it, and the author also talks about sex, how it was perceived by numerous points of view: religion, business, art, love... If this was well done in the mentioned book, in this one it was a bit less achieved, as it bores in certain occasions.
The story is still interesting, as well as the characters which are nicely constructed, but is somewhat predictable. The portrait of Venice is also a bit weak, as the descriptions didn't cause such an impact as the ones of Florence in The Birth of Venus.
It does its job as entertainment and letting us know how was the life of a courtesan in Venice, but for that I would recommend the movie Dangerous Beauty instead.
In this book we follow Bucino, a dwarf and assistant, lets say so, of Fiammeta, a notorious courtesan, in their journey from Rome to Venice and their adaptation to this place, so different from others due to his liaison with the sea and the contacts this brings.
As in The Birth of Venus, the author, through the story of these two characters, tries to show the thought at this time about various themes. In this book she concentrates more in religion, namely the catholic one, though it has some mentions also to Judaism and the relationship between those who follow this faith and the Catholics, she also talks about the importance of physical appearance and the prejudices linked to it, and the author also talks about sex, how it was perceived by numerous points of view: religion, business, art, love... If this was well done in the mentioned book, in this one it was a bit less achieved, as it bores in certain occasions.
The story is still interesting, as well as the characters which are nicely constructed, but is somewhat predictable. The portrait of Venice is also a bit weak, as the descriptions didn't cause such an impact as the ones of Florence in The Birth of Venus.
It does its job as entertainment and letting us know how was the life of a courtesan in Venice, but for that I would recommend the movie Dangerous Beauty instead.
fictionalmermaid's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the characters and setting of this book. Bucino was fascinating, and it was interesting to see how his size played such a huge role in his advantages and disadvantages in life. I wish that the reader knew more about Fiammetta, because she was such an intriguing character. At the beginning, it seemed that Bucino thought she was perfect, so I was glad that Dunant had included some of her flaws later in the novel.
I've had The Birth of Venus on my bookshelf for ages, but never got around to reading it. Now that I realize how much I like Dunant's writing style, however, I will be getting to that one soon.
I've had The Birth of Venus on my bookshelf for ages, but never got around to reading it. Now that I realize how much I like Dunant's writing style, however, I will be getting to that one soon.
dbartelt's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
krish_'s review against another edition
2.0
Pales so much in comparison to The Birth of Venus. So disappointed.
bookishblond's review against another edition
4.0
What an adventure! I loved this story. It could have been a truly great book, but Dunant got lazy...
blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
It was good, but for me bordering on ok at times. The times were interesting, the people, not so much.
It was told through the eyes of the dwarf Buchino, a most loyal servant and pimp to the courtesan Fiammetta. And I think this killed some of the goodness. See I did not really see the life of a courtesan. I saw the life of a servant. Who only saw her getting ready for things. He went out shopping and worried about money. I never knew Fiammetta, I did not like or dislike her. But it would have been more interesting to be in her mind. She was the interesting ones, now, we got nothing.
The sacking of Rome, yikes, damn protestants. Why are religions so evil!? Men only rape and kill. So yes they lived through that and escaped and set up business in Venice.
Then there was this guy called the Turk who was build up and then never became anything. Sigh, so many things that could have been better.
So...good, barely. I am in a good mood today so good it is.
It was told through the eyes of the dwarf Buchino, a most loyal servant and pimp to the courtesan Fiammetta. And I think this killed some of the goodness. See I did not really see the life of a courtesan. I saw the life of a servant. Who only saw her getting ready for things. He went out shopping and worried about money. I never knew Fiammetta, I did not like or dislike her. But it would have been more interesting to be in her mind. She was the interesting ones, now, we got nothing.
The sacking of Rome, yikes, damn protestants. Why are religions so evil!? Men only rape and kill. So yes they lived through that and escaped and set up business in Venice.
Then there was this guy called the Turk who was build up and then never became anything. Sigh, so many things that could have been better.
So...good, barely. I am in a good mood today so good it is.