ladies, ladies. there's plenty to go around.

maybe it's the font of the title, maybe you thought you recognized the author, maybe the cover art sparks some distant memory, just out of reach in your memory.. whatever the reason, you pick up a book you would never ever ever choose of your own volition. you roll your eyes, read the back flap, get slightly less uninterested, and decide you're intrigued enough to read the first paragraph, right there in front of the shelf at barnes and noble (you haven't invested enough in it to actually sit in one of the comfy chairs and get intimate with this book yet; it's still feeling-it-out time). 


usually, this ends with a harrumph and a not-so-gentle placement back on the shelf. but occasionally, you are ensnared. sarah dunant hooked me bright and early with The Birth of Venus, even though i regret to type, i had fallen into the habit of treating books that look like this and have subject matter like this as pulpy pseudo-intellectual romance novels. 


in fact, i loved it. i loved it so much i bought another book by sarah dunant to read next. that's right, NEXT, with no break to read something else in between. woah.

The Birth of Venus is a story about the life of a woman from childhood to oldladyhood, in Florence (and other places) in the 1500s. It is historical fiction, from which i usually shy away - mostly because i like totally made up stories better than ones that are trying to be realistic; i read to escape reality, after all. but this setting is mesmerizing. war, gore, politics, art, art, art, to name some of the awesomesauce of the historical accuracy of this book. all so perfectly woven into the main plot that you don't get that 'historical fiction' vibe of being lectured about boring goings on of days of yore. at all. 


but above all else, this novel is about what it means to be a woman. to grow into your role as a person, a character in your life, in your family, and in your history. this is not sexist, or feminist-y. it is easy to relate to and it is beautiful. i was shocked how much this book touched me. there are weddings that occur for a million reasons, none of which are love; there are births that are.. not as planned; there are passionate connections that are socially unacceptable; there are deaths and the multitude of perspectives, emotions, and rippled reactions through friends, government, enemies, society, and most of all, family. 


our main character grows into herself and learns to deal with all life throws at her in this very difficult time and place. she has to make choices that break her heart, and nearly her soul. she has to decide what it means to be a daughter, sister, lover, wife, mother, and adult, among much else. also, SO beautifully written. 


now, if you want something slightly more light-hearted, the book i read next (though written before) resulted in actual LOLs. In the Company of the Courtesan (also dunant), is about the same time period, and takes place in Rome and Venice. the main character goes through an epic (historical) tragedy, and ends up having to start from scratch with no help but her dwarf-buddy-servant-helper-friend. he, by the way, is the narrator. 

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.

i dunno bout you, but i think that's a pretty good way to start a book. fiametta, if you haven't figured it out by now, is a courtesan (you know. like. a female companion. for a fee. but don't worry, it's not dirty). she goes through some significant horrors and findings about herself, her home, her friendships, her family, and most of all, her power. 

these are woman who are out of sync with their time, who are brilliant and cunning, and who refuse to be placed below men in their society. without giving anything away about either book, i must say that these are insanely empowering novels of enchanting clarity. well done, dunant. you've impressed me.