In sixteenth-century Ferrara, a girl named Serafina, from a noble family, is locked in the convent of Santa Caterina against her will because her father can't afford her dowry. She still dreams of a love affair, which she carries on in secret. Suora Zuana, the convent's dispensary nun and a skilled herbalist, becomes her ally, and the novel looks at how women of the time used the convent as a place of both confinement and learning. Sarah Dunant writes with a deep sense of the period.
Readers of historical fiction, especially Italian Renaissance stories about women, will find a rich atmosphere. It suits those who enjoy slow-building novels about faith and rebellion.
Balanced in tone; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2008
- Language
- EN
