Primavera by Mary Jane Beaufrand
Obtained: Brooklyn Public Library
Finished: 17-September 2008
Story Synopsis:
The Italian Renaissance was a cultural explosion of art, architecture and learning, but it had a darker side. Two powerful families, the tyrannical Medici and their biggest rivals, the Pazzi, are tangled in a bloody struggle for ultimate power. Caught in the whirlwind is Flora,the last daughter of the Pazzi. As her beautiful older sister is being painted by the famed artist Botticelli, Flora is dreading her fate.Destined for life in a convent, Flora is determined to take matters into her own hands, even as her world crumbles around her. When Flora decides runs away, she has no idea that the decision will save her life. As her family falls to their murderous enemy, Flora must find anew life and a new identity.
Inspired by actual events, Primavera is a dazzling coming of age story set during a time of beauty and wealth, ambition, rivalry and brutality. Historical art references to Boticelli and his famous painting, Primavera, give this book an appeal similar to Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Commentary:
I was totally blown away by how good this book was. I wasn't expecting much; at the very least, it would have been a refreshing little romp through Renaissance Florence. However, you can tell from the crafting of the story that the author did her history homework. Florence under the Medicis wasn't all music and art and poetry. There's a lot of politics and machinations and brutality in there as well. And the author was able to capture the essence of that time without being too preachy or without softening her story to not offend.
Having read Girl with a Pearl Earring, I think that it's almost an injustice that this book be compared to that. Primavera is an honest-to-goodness refreshing book that does start with references to famous figures/items from history, but in this novel, there is less focus on the painting but more on the actual life of the protagonist, Flora.
I highly recommend this book. I don't feel that it's almost unfortunate that it was marketed as a young adult book, because adults who wouldn't ordinarily read YA have missed out on it.
Finished: 17-September 2008
Story Synopsis:
The Italian Renaissance was a cultural explosion of art, architecture and learning, but it had a darker side. Two powerful families, the tyrannical Medici and their biggest rivals, the Pazzi, are tangled in a bloody struggle for ultimate power. Caught in the whirlwind is Flora,the last daughter of the Pazzi. As her beautiful older sister is being painted by the famed artist Botticelli, Flora is dreading her fate.Destined for life in a convent, Flora is determined to take matters into her own hands, even as her world crumbles around her. When Flora decides runs away, she has no idea that the decision will save her life. As her family falls to their murderous enemy, Flora must find anew life and a new identity.
Inspired by actual events, Primavera is a dazzling coming of age story set during a time of beauty and wealth, ambition, rivalry and brutality. Historical art references to Boticelli and his famous painting, Primavera, give this book an appeal similar to Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Commentary:
I was totally blown away by how good this book was. I wasn't expecting much; at the very least, it would have been a refreshing little romp through Renaissance Florence. However, you can tell from the crafting of the story that the author did her history homework. Florence under the Medicis wasn't all music and art and poetry. There's a lot of politics and machinations and brutality in there as well. And the author was able to capture the essence of that time without being too preachy or without softening her story to not offend.
Having read Girl with a Pearl Earring, I think that it's almost an injustice that this book be compared to that. Primavera is an honest-to-goodness refreshing book that does start with references to famous figures/items from history, but in this novel, there is less focus on the painting but more on the actual life of the protagonist, Flora.
I highly recommend this book. I don't feel that it's almost unfortunate that it was marketed as a young adult book, because adults who wouldn't ordinarily read YA have missed out on it.
