In The Company of The Courtesan by Sarah Dunant
Book Rating: 4.5 / 5 (18+ BOOK: MATURE THEMES & ADULT LANGUAGE)
If I could give this book a 5, I would. I deeply adore history, historical fiction, the power of beauty, and any media that handles any of them. It was funny to have found this book at the thrift store no less to have then gone on and liked it as much as I did. This book reminds me of the vulgar and equally as captivating show Borgia from 2011 which I watched (probably too young) or other acclaimed historical media. The story is from the perspective of Bucino, a man who abandons Rome with his business partner, the courtesan Fiammetta, to rebuild their wealth in Venice. Together, they have to navigate climbing their way to the top, surviving off of what’s left from their flee from Rome, and later an insane twist of plot and urgency that sparks in the final pages of the novel. Additionally, a detail which I found to be rather interestingly conveyed was Bucino living as a man with dwarfism. Which does not stand as a pivotal piece of the story, but instead is just something that Bucino lives with and has grown to navigate in 1500s Italy. Which comes with it’s own challenges yet does not ever stand to be something Bucino is ashamed of, or something readers are meant to pity him for. Yes, there are cruelties aimed at Bucino by outsiders in the novel, but it is framed to show the actual cruelty of such treatments. And to my relief these moments are few and far between. I believe the thing preventing me from giving this story a perfect 5/5 is the knowledge of some of the more uncomfortable details I wasn’t fond of within the story. Such as Fiammetta falling in love with a boy who is freshly seventeen while she is almost twenty-nine during a section of the novel, which luckily dissolves later. Or a detail I won’t even want to write here that involves itself in the last section of the novel. However, I am aware I must be mindful of the period this novel is set. Which can easily brew some less than savory topics, that even my easy-going nature has to raise an eyebrow too. In the acknowledgments it even states how much research was dedicated to this novel. Which at least allows me to understand how certain words, ideas, and actions found themselves within this book I had enjoyed. It is what prevents me from giving this novel a 5. As I sunk my teeth into this perfectly paced, well written story, where only minor hiccups caused me to take away .5 points. If you have a stomach for more vulgar and brutal stories that keep you eagerly flipping the page, then I would certainly recommend this novel. However, be mindful that this book is entirely an adult read, for those with understanding that some portions may contain uncomfortable topics. I mean, the book is literally about a courtesan, so have some foresight on how messy and rough that could become. I find that Sarah Dunant is an exceptional author, and a book such as this has left me wanting to rewatch all the scandalous T.V. iterations of historical Italian families like the Borgias and Medici’s.
