Must Read: In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant

In a Nutshell:

This is historical fiction based on a prostitute in Venice during the renaissance told by her dwarf business partner. It is a story of her rise & fall and rise again as a rich, successful and beautiful prostitute. The story begins as the escape Rome after being raped, beaten and hair cut off with just the clothes on their backs and a few swallowed jewels in their stomachs. As they arrive in Venice the courtesan, Fiammetta, engages a "witchy" young woman to help her regrow her hair and regain her beauty. So after many herbal oils and concoctions over a few months, she finally gets herself together. And so begins her new, thriving business in Venice as one of the best courtesans in the city. As you can imagine, there is much historic texture, sex, intrigue and politics to keep the reader quite engaged. And with the story told by Fiammetta's sharp eyed, sharp-tongued, dedicated business partner, it allows for an engaging read.

My Take:

This was a wonderful read. I have been in Venice a few times, and her description of the canals and the buildings was rich and accurate. Her story just brought you there back in time. The development of the characters, the dwarf in particular, was very poignantly written. As the story unfolds, there are moments where they reminisce about their childhood and misspent youth which inevitably caused them to be where they were in their life. Needless to say, all of the character's backgrounds were sad and tragic, even though their current lives were rich and exciting. You could see that they were all trying to fill a hole in their lives- a longing to be loved, needed and taken care of. And this is something we all want, at the end of the day. The ending was unexpected and gives the characters a chance at redemption. I really liked the book a lot.