The Renaissance of Romance Novels

For me, the best way to spend a lazy summer day is to curl up on the patio with a glass of lemonade and a trashy romance novel. Work on my tan. Maybe sneak in a nap. I found the perfect book to go along with my perfect day, and if it seems like your sort of read, I highly recommend “The Birth of Venus” by Sarah Dunant.\nAs an art history major, I have a special place in my heart for books that are based on actual historical events. “The Birth of Venus” follows the tumultuous life of Alessandra Cecchi, who to my knowledge is a fictional character, growing up during the Florentine Renaissance. At the particular time in which the novel is set, Catholic priest Girolamo Savonarola rules Florence and openly defies the pope with his sermons about the opulence of the papacy and the people.\nIt has a plot that is typical of a story about this time period: The girl is very intelligent and wants to pursue her studies and become a painter, but her father, a wealthy cloth merchant, has other ideas about her future. He panders her off to a rich husband to improve the family name. \nHowever, the twists and turns that the story provided kept me flipping the pages as fast as I could. Obviously, I will not reveal any of the surprises by going into more plot detail. After all, that is half the fun of reading romance novels.\nI was most impressed with Dunant’s mastery of the cultural guidelines that would have been in place during this time. She delves deeply into the religion of the day, as well as various viewpoints that would have existed on sodomy, adultery and greed. She also relied heavily on references to works that would have been popular at the time, including Dante’s “Divine Comedy” and Botticelli’s masterpiece for which the novel is named.\nMy only complaint is that sometimes the allusions seemed a bit too forced, as if Dunant were making an effort to include as many recognizable names from the Renaissance as possible. Other than this small error, I would say that the story is very well-written and easy to read. I managed to finish it in less than three days because I found it hard to put down.\nThe next book I will read is a collection of works by Kurt Vonnegut. As you may already know, he died just last month at the age of 84. He was a Hoosier, having been born and raised in Indianapolis. I read one of his works while I was in high school, and his black humor captured my interest. I have since had a desire to read more, so my goal is to read at least three or four of his most popular works and give you my comments.