Monday, January 15, 2007

Just put down Sarah Dunant's 'In the Company of the Courtesan' (down three in the 50 book challenge!) Very well written story about a successful prostitute in Venice in the 1520's-30's. What intrigued me so was that the narrator of the story was her exotic companion (aka her pimp), a dwarf named Bucino.
More on this later. I have to make Sweetness some toast ...

6 comments:

Amy Ruttan said...

Is it the same courtesan from Dangerous Beauty? Because I know the movie Dangerous Beauty was based on the real life of a famous Venetian Courtesan.

Oooh, your up by three. I have to catch up, must catch up.

Megan Frampton said...

I wanted to read this, too. But first I wanted to read her first one, The Birth of Venus (I think). I like those historical fiction-y books a lot, just no time to read lately except for short, brisk romances I can put down to do stuff like make the small fry dinner (can you believe he insists on eating it EVERY NIGHT?!?)

Scribbit said...

Quite an unusual narrative I would guess.

Kind of like Camille-meets-Forever Amber?

Wylie Kinson said...

Amy - nope, different. This character, Fiametta Bianchini, is fictional, though other characters in her book are real -- like the painter Titian, whose Venus of Urbino graces the cover.

Wylie Kinson said...

Hi Megan -- thanks for stopping by!
Birth of Venus is one of my favorites. Sarah Dunant does an amazing job of her descriptions in both books -- I swear, you can smell Venice.
Personally, I liked B of V better, just because as an ex-art-history student, I was more familiar with the setting and historic events. But I highly recommend both!!

Wylie Kinson said...

Scribbit - yes! An unusual narrative it is!! I questioned it when I first began reading, but it was done so well, so 'unjudgemental' (if that's even a word) considering he was talking about a prostitute. It could only have BEEN done from his pov.

Thanks for stopping by my blog!