Book description
'Wonderful... This novel took over my life for the time I was buried in it. Powerful and deeply affecting' Paterson Joseph
Rome, 1636: In the scorched city of Rome, the cobbled streets hum with gossip and sin...
Costanza Piccolomini is a respectable young wife - until she meets Gianlorenzo Bernini,…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Costanza as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I knew little about Bernini and certainly nothing about Costanza. I like the twist that let's her discover the reason for her being barren; I like her lust for life and it's shockingly instructive how the male world begrudges her that quest for that little bit of life. The ending is uplifting - sisterhood is her ultimate saving grace. The author evokes Baroque Rome beautifully!
At first glance, this may seem like a strange choice for this list of books featuring fierce female lead characters, given the storyline of a woman having an affair with a sculptor who makes her his muse. However, I fell in love with the writing, which is so evocative that I could almost smell the baked air of 17th-century Rome and feel the uneven cobbles beneath my feet.
But as the story developed, I loved the character of Costanza more…and as the plot played out, I almost howled in anger at what she endured. This is another story based on…
From Barbara's list on historical fiction with a kick ass female lead.
If you love Costanza...
These Blue Mountains
A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.
German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…
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