Renaissance Novels

mediax · 03-11-2011, 04:54 PM

Being the sort of person who studies history through novels, I'd be very interested in any recommendations people may have for novels set during the renaissance, ideally in Florence or Rome.

kilohertz53 · 03-11-2011, 07:59 PM

Sarah Dunant has written very readable Renaissance novels set in both Rome and in Florence, with In the Company of the Courtesan (Rome) and The Birth of Venus (Florence).

Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex is set in Milan, and is a fictional account of the d'Este sisters. Another really good novel about Beatrice d'Este is The Duchess of Milan by Michael Ennis, but I don't know if it's available as an e-book.

Xanthe · 03-11-2011, 10:17 PM

A nice entry in the historical romance genre is Michele Jaffe's "The Stargazer" set in Renaissance Venice. There's another book in the series set in Renaissance England, "The Water Nymph". As with all recommendations, YMMV. I liked the books; others reviewing it on Amazon didn't.

lila55 · 03-12-2011, 12:21 AM

The Borgias by Alexandre Dumas, available here at MR.
The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, also at MR as part of a collection.

Catlady · 03-12-2011, 12:28 AM

What about Jean Plaidy's two books on Lucrezia Borgia, Madonna of the Seven Hills and Light on Lucrezia?

mediax · 03-12-2011, 05:31 PM

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone - that's more additions to my "to read" pile!

elemenoP · 03-13-2011, 09:57 AM

The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone, a bio-novel about Michelangelo. I read it before a trip to Italy and it really helped give me a better understanding as I went to museums and historical sties there. Not available for Kindle (so I'm assuming not available in ebook format), sadly.

03-11-2011, 04:54 PM	#1
mediax Readaholic Posts: 220 Karma: 705486 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Swindon, UK Device: Sony Reader PRS-505 and PRS-650	Renaissance Novels Being the sort of person who studies history through novels, I'd be very interested in any recommendations people may have for novels set during the renaissance, ideally in Florence or Rome.

03-11-2011, 10:17 PM	#3
Xanthe Wizard Posts: 1,139 Karma: 3478813 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Surebleak Device: Aluratek Libre, Sony T1, Sony PRS-350, Pandigital, eBM 911, Nook HD	A nice entry in the historical romance genre is Michele Jaffe's "The Stargazer" set in Renaissance Venice. There's another book in the series set in Renaissance England, "The Water Nymph". As with all recommendations, YMMV. I liked the books; others reviewing it on Amazon didn't. __________________ Plan B Is Now In Force

03-12-2011, 12:21 AM	#4
lila55 Evangelist Posts: 431 Karma: 259924 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Stuttgart, Germany Device: PocketBook 360° , iPhone 3GS, PRS-350, PRS-650, Pocketbook Touch 622	The Borgias by Alexandre Dumas, available here at MR. The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, also at MR as part of a collection. __________________ 100 Books in 2013 - My Goodreads

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03-11-2011, 07:59 PM	#2
kilohertz53 Zealot Posts: 141 Karma: 671 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Harwichport, MA Device: Sony PRS-500, Sony PRS-350, Augen "The Book"	Sarah Dunant has written very readable Renaissance novels set in both Rome and in Florence, with *In the Company of the Courtesan* (Rome) and *The Birth of Venus* (Florence). *Leonardo's Swans* by Karen Essex is set in Milan, and is a fictional account of the d'Este sisters. Another really good novel about Beatrice d'Este is *The Duchess of Milan* by Michael Ennis, but I don't know if it's available as an e-book.

03-12-2011, 12:28 AM	#5
Catlady Wizard Posts: 1,963 Karma: 4986732 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: jetBook Lite, Libre Color	What about Jean Plaidy's two books on Lucrezia Borgia, Madonna of the Seven Hills and Light on Lucrezia?

03-12-2011, 05:31 PM	#6
mediax Readaholic Posts: 220 Karma: 705486 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Swindon, UK Device: Sony Reader PRS-505 and PRS-650	Thanks for the suggestions, everyone - that's more additions to my "to read" pile!

03-13-2011, 09:57 AM	#7
elemenoP Wizard Posts: 1,445 Karma: 2827758 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: NYC Device: Sony 650	The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone, a bio-novel about Michelangelo. I read it before a trip to Italy and it really helped give me a better understanding as I went to museums and historical sties there. Not available for Kindle (so I'm assuming not available in ebook format), sadly.


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