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Primavera
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 a new 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.
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.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
4 people are currently reading
388 people want to read
About the author
Mary Jane Beaufrand
5 books24 followersMary Jane Beaufrand lives in Seattle, WA with her husband, two children and a stubborn basset hound. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Bennington College.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
November 5, 2012
Reviewed by Cana Rensberger for TeensReadToo.com
The Italian Renaissance brings to mind beautiful images, paintings and sculptures, glorious and expensive brocades, string quartets in the garden; a rich texture of life indeed. But it was also a time of great strife and cruelty the likes of which we could never imagine in this day and age. Sprinkled throughout with Italian words and phrases, PRIMAVERA dips the reader into the Renaissance period.
Flora, the youngest daughter of the Pazzi, strives to find beauty and normalcy in a life that is anything but. Scorned by her own mother, she lives as little more than a servant while her older sister, Domenicia, is primped, plucked, painted by the famed Botticelli, and otherwise prepared for the wedding that will join the Pazzi to the Medici.
As Flora contemplates her mother's plan for her future, life in a convent, a member of her father's guard arrives with a missive from the Pope himself. The guard, Emilio, hangs around and becomes the friend and companion that Flora has never had. When Emilio and Nonna, the grandmother who's raised and protected her, convince her to train with the guard, Flora finds strength that carries her through the difficult months to come.
PRIMAVERA is a captivating read. I found myself rooting for Flora and Emilio. Ms. Beaufrand painted her characters so realistically that I felt their pain, their fear, their guilt, and yes, even their joy. True to great historical fiction, the author did not flinch when she described some of the tragedies that befell her characters. Be warned that some of the scenes are quite graphic and not for the faint of heart. Yet I hesitate to limit this book to those only in 9th-grade and up.
If you know nothing about this time period, yet enjoy historical fiction, you will love this well-written novel. If you are a fan of the Renaissance you will revel in all of the historical details Ms. Beaufrand has so expertly shown.
The Italian Renaissance brings to mind beautiful images, paintings and sculptures, glorious and expensive brocades, string quartets in the garden; a rich texture of life indeed. But it was also a time of great strife and cruelty the likes of which we could never imagine in this day and age. Sprinkled throughout with Italian words and phrases, PRIMAVERA dips the reader into the Renaissance period.
Flora, the youngest daughter of the Pazzi, strives to find beauty and normalcy in a life that is anything but. Scorned by her own mother, she lives as little more than a servant while her older sister, Domenicia, is primped, plucked, painted by the famed Botticelli, and otherwise prepared for the wedding that will join the Pazzi to the Medici.
As Flora contemplates her mother's plan for her future, life in a convent, a member of her father's guard arrives with a missive from the Pope himself. The guard, Emilio, hangs around and becomes the friend and companion that Flora has never had. When Emilio and Nonna, the grandmother who's raised and protected her, convince her to train with the guard, Flora finds strength that carries her through the difficult months to come.
PRIMAVERA is a captivating read. I found myself rooting for Flora and Emilio. Ms. Beaufrand painted her characters so realistically that I felt their pain, their fear, their guilt, and yes, even their joy. True to great historical fiction, the author did not flinch when she described some of the tragedies that befell her characters. Be warned that some of the scenes are quite graphic and not for the faint of heart. Yet I hesitate to limit this book to those only in 9th-grade and up.
If you know nothing about this time period, yet enjoy historical fiction, you will love this well-written novel. If you are a fan of the Renaissance you will revel in all of the historical details Ms. Beaufrand has so expertly shown.
Want to read
January 25, 2025Primavera was the book that first introduced me to the Italian Renaissance and the works of Sandro Botticelli. I remember that I was spellbound by the beautiful cover for the book and I read the book really fast. It is a very easy read, with the language being so simple, and you can honestly quite easily turn your brain off and just enjoy what you are reading.
Trigger Warnings: Murder, torture, parental neglect, hanging, and decapitation.
The story centers on Lorenza Pazzi, called Flora, who is treated like a servant in the Pazzi household, because her mother thought her ugly and thus no benefit in the marriage market of Florence. The youngest daughter, there are only a few of her sisters and brothers remaining in the palazzo, while the others were already married before she was fourteen. With her Nonna, who is called a witch for her healing powers, she works in the kitchens and gardens of the Pazzi palazzo. She really has this “not like other girls” energy and considers herself ugly compared to her sister Domenica, whom her mother wants to wed to the Medici son Giuliano. She does battle practice, finds camaraderie in those of the lower classes, but I am glad that the narrative (and she) points out that she has lived a privileged life and with that comes a kind of a cocoon which she has grown up in. She is also completely made up, and there is no one like her to be found in history books. She is an engaging character, aware of her own faults, though the self depreciation when it comes to her looks feels a little tiring, because those kinds of protagonists are seen so often in YA fiction in the 2000s which was when this was published (2008).
Her story is made to parallel that of Chloris, the daughter of Niobe, whose siblings Artemis (Diana here) and Apollo killed because of her mother’s pride. Chloris was spared and in the story that Flora’s Nonna tells her, she kept on walking all over, with the God of the West Wind, Zephyrus making sure she never got a time for rest. Then, she was taken pity on and became Goddess Flora. It is certainly not the story Ovid tells in his Fasti, and it very much a YA or child-friendly version of the original tale where Zephyrus r*ped Chloris, thus making her his bride/wife this way. I still remember being young and I guess checking Wikipedia or something to see if the story was like that, and was surprised how gory the original myth was.
Domenica, Flora’s elder sister, is seen as more prized because of her beauty, and she suffers from it by having her hair and eyebrows plucked as was the fashion of the time. She also has a lover in her young age, all very much in the courtly love realm, but she is seen as nothing but a pawn in the game of marriage in Florence. She causes distress to Flora with her antics, and gets the love that Flora does not get from their father and mother. When the Pazzi Conspiracy comes to fruition, her world upended, and she has to learn to live without her luxuries and unmarried. She sees the reality of the situation of an unmarried woman in Renaissance Italy and through her we see what their fate was. She is spoiled, but you can understand where she comes from when she thwarts Flora’s plans, as she knows that in the patriarchal world she has more worth as someone beautiful worth marrying, rather than being the slightly tomboyish girl that Flora is. She also remarks that she is seen as not worth marrying because of rumors which have been made by men about her, and how if things had gone to plan she would have been married much younger. Marriages were political games then, and marriages to husbands happened young in their early teenage years at least for those of noble birth. Flora however never seems to realize the burden her elder sister carries by being the one set for the marriage market, with little say in the matter, and how her fate was decided for her because of her beauty. I wish this book was made into a film, which would then give more insight into her character, because she seems interesting, even though not a lot of context or information is given as to why she and Captain Umberto became lovers and how large the age difference is between them. Maybe it would veer too much into reality, but it would help us give a little interesting view to see if she has been groomed to be a lover for him, as well as being groomed since childhood to become a wife. One can also see her relationship with Captain Umberto as her grasping for some freedom, the same with Flora and her Venice dreams, before she is married. She might be drawn as a bad sister in the narrative, but she is as much a victim of the patriarchy as Flora is, even though the sisters act in opposite ways to it. One is made to embrace it, while the other is made to abhor it.
I wish more attention had been given to Flora’s other siblings who lived in the palazzo, but they barely get a mention, and she doesn’t spend time with them. The only one who registers is Domenica, since they are both girls, but the brothers just do not get as much attention in the narrative, and which makes Flora’s coldness and lack of emotion for their deaths seem odd, since they were still her siblings. The world also does not feel as fully fleshed out as it could be, and the whole story is pure fantasy, which makes looking at Wikipedia a little interesting, since the story barely scratches the surface of what happened. Flora acts the way a young person would act, but it feels like she does not grow as much as she could in the time the story takes place in, and in the end it is her features which she is more concentrated on than her growth as a person inside.
The world in which Flora lives is gruesome, and the narrative does not shy away from what was done to traitors and thieves of that time period. It seems odd to see so many gruesome things shown in a YA story, but they just show the reality of the culture of the time period of the book, even though it is meant for younger people to read. Re-reading this book as an older person now, in my late 20s, I found the story simple, and I remembered a lot from when I last read it, which was many years ago. The story still has its charms, even though it is pure historical fantasy, and the prose is easy to read, but nothing too special. It got me into art history and into the history of Renaissance Italy, which I am thankful for. It also introduced me to the story of Chloris and Zephyrus, though in a much more child-friendly manner. In the vein of books like Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring this book is there to get people interested in art with a gripping story, and is as much a fantasy as the latter book, and meant for younger audiences. It got me interested in art, and I am thankful for it.
Trigger Warnings: Murder, torture, parental neglect, hanging, and decapitation.
The story centers on Lorenza Pazzi, called Flora, who is treated like a servant in the Pazzi household, because her mother thought her ugly and thus no benefit in the marriage market of Florence. The youngest daughter, there are only a few of her sisters and brothers remaining in the palazzo, while the others were already married before she was fourteen. With her Nonna, who is called a witch for her healing powers, she works in the kitchens and gardens of the Pazzi palazzo. She really has this “not like other girls” energy and considers herself ugly compared to her sister Domenica, whom her mother wants to wed to the Medici son Giuliano. She does battle practice, finds camaraderie in those of the lower classes, but I am glad that the narrative (and she) points out that she has lived a privileged life and with that comes a kind of a cocoon which she has grown up in. She is also completely made up, and there is no one like her to be found in history books. She is an engaging character, aware of her own faults, though the self depreciation when it comes to her looks feels a little tiring, because those kinds of protagonists are seen so often in YA fiction in the 2000s which was when this was published (2008).
Her story is made to parallel that of Chloris, the daughter of Niobe, whose siblings Artemis (Diana here) and Apollo killed because of her mother’s pride. Chloris was spared and in the story that Flora’s Nonna tells her, she kept on walking all over, with the God of the West Wind, Zephyrus making sure she never got a time for rest. Then, she was taken pity on and became Goddess Flora. It is certainly not the story Ovid tells in his Fasti, and it very much a YA or child-friendly version of the original tale where Zephyrus r*ped Chloris, thus making her his bride/wife this way. I still remember being young and I guess checking Wikipedia or something to see if the story was like that, and was surprised how gory the original myth was.
Domenica, Flora’s elder sister, is seen as more prized because of her beauty, and she suffers from it by having her hair and eyebrows plucked as was the fashion of the time. She also has a lover in her young age, all very much in the courtly love realm, but she is seen as nothing but a pawn in the game of marriage in Florence. She causes distress to Flora with her antics, and gets the love that Flora does not get from their father and mother. When the Pazzi Conspiracy comes to fruition, her world upended, and she has to learn to live without her luxuries and unmarried. She sees the reality of the situation of an unmarried woman in Renaissance Italy and through her we see what their fate was. She is spoiled, but you can understand where she comes from when she thwarts Flora’s plans, as she knows that in the patriarchal world she has more worth as someone beautiful worth marrying, rather than being the slightly tomboyish girl that Flora is. She also remarks that she is seen as not worth marrying because of rumors which have been made by men about her, and how if things had gone to plan she would have been married much younger. Marriages were political games then, and marriages to husbands happened young in their early teenage years at least for those of noble birth. Flora however never seems to realize the burden her elder sister carries by being the one set for the marriage market, with little say in the matter, and how her fate was decided for her because of her beauty. I wish this book was made into a film, which would then give more insight into her character, because she seems interesting, even though not a lot of context or information is given as to why she and Captain Umberto became lovers and how large the age difference is between them. Maybe it would veer too much into reality, but it would help us give a little interesting view to see if she has been groomed to be a lover for him, as well as being groomed since childhood to become a wife. One can also see her relationship with Captain Umberto as her grasping for some freedom, the same with Flora and her Venice dreams, before she is married. She might be drawn as a bad sister in the narrative, but she is as much a victim of the patriarchy as Flora is, even though the sisters act in opposite ways to it. One is made to embrace it, while the other is made to abhor it.
I wish more attention had been given to Flora’s other siblings who lived in the palazzo, but they barely get a mention, and she doesn’t spend time with them. The only one who registers is Domenica, since they are both girls, but the brothers just do not get as much attention in the narrative, and which makes Flora’s coldness and lack of emotion for their deaths seem odd, since they were still her siblings. The world also does not feel as fully fleshed out as it could be, and the whole story is pure fantasy, which makes looking at Wikipedia a little interesting, since the story barely scratches the surface of what happened. Flora acts the way a young person would act, but it feels like she does not grow as much as she could in the time the story takes place in, and in the end it is her features which she is more concentrated on than her growth as a person inside.
The world in which Flora lives is gruesome, and the narrative does not shy away from what was done to traitors and thieves of that time period. It seems odd to see so many gruesome things shown in a YA story, but they just show the reality of the culture of the time period of the book, even though it is meant for younger people to read. Re-reading this book as an older person now, in my late 20s, I found the story simple, and I remembered a lot from when I last read it, which was many years ago. The story still has its charms, even though it is pure historical fantasy, and the prose is easy to read, but nothing too special. It got me into art history and into the history of Renaissance Italy, which I am thankful for. It also introduced me to the story of Chloris and Zephyrus, though in a much more child-friendly manner. In the vein of books like Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring this book is there to get people interested in art with a gripping story, and is as much a fantasy as the latter book, and meant for younger audiences. It got me interested in art, and I am thankful for it.
March 27, 2009
The author takes far too many liberties with history -- to the point where the story becomes a sham. Even though it is fiction, "Primavera" masquerades as something else -- a shame since the concept has so much potential. In addition to the blatant historical inaccuracies, Beaufrand's grisly descriptions of events that never happened turned my stomach -- making me wonder who she thought she was writing this book for and more than that, why? The amount of gore was self-indulgent, to say the least, and I can't imagine recommending this book to my junior high students.
In addition, I never felt the characters truly engaged me. Though there were moments that seemed promising, I felt Beaufrand consistently cut them short – often heading in a different and confusing direction. The ending offered no redemption, dumping the characters off at a random stopping point but never quite telling them how they got there.
I was disappointed that Beaufrand did not take the opportunity to more accurately portray the events of the Pazzi Conspiracy, and assumed that her audience wouldn’t notice.
In addition, I never felt the characters truly engaged me. Though there were moments that seemed promising, I felt Beaufrand consistently cut them short – often heading in a different and confusing direction. The ending offered no redemption, dumping the characters off at a random stopping point but never quite telling them how they got there.
I was disappointed that Beaufrand did not take the opportunity to more accurately portray the events of the Pazzi Conspiracy, and assumed that her audience wouldn’t notice.
November 4, 2012
I read this to teach it with a Renaissance study in Grade 8 Humanities. It fits into that time period very well with many connections to art, politics, and life in Florence. The reading level worked well for grade 8, and both male and female students seemed to get into it. The protagonist is female but is a tomboy fighter, and the book contains quite a bit of action, intrigue, and tragedy.
July 10, 2008
This is a great adventure/historical fiction set in Medici Italy. A strong femal lead, some gruesome parts, and good histroical details as well as a strong story make this a guick and engaging read. Lots of art history but not in a textbook type way as well.
June 21, 2022
I thought I remembered reading this in high school and enjoying it. Upon revisiting it, I couldn't remember why. Historical fiction, I've found, is brutal, violent, and hard to stomach. The same can be said for Primavera.
That being said, it did have a happy ending, a strong female protagonist, and an interesting mysterious subplot. I liked the inclusion of Boticelli the painter as a side character. He contributed nothing to the plot, but he's a bright spot in an otherwise cruel and unforgiving world. Plus, his presence helps ground this story in the reality of the Italian Renaissance for me.
That being said, it did have a happy ending, a strong female protagonist, and an interesting mysterious subplot. I liked the inclusion of Boticelli the painter as a side character. He contributed nothing to the plot, but he's a bright spot in an otherwise cruel and unforgiving world. Plus, his presence helps ground this story in the reality of the Italian Renaissance for me.
February 11, 2025
I cannot express how much I love this book! I first read it in middle school, and have reread it every year since. The story is compelling, with really interesting and flawed characters. It was really trippy reading it at 14 and realizing "Holy Crap! I'm the same age as Flora (the main character)".
I would highly recommend giving this book a try.
I would highly recommend giving this book a try.
September 22, 2023
This was an interesting young adult novel. I wish there had been more complexity regarding the historical detail and structure of the prose but overall, this was a quick and easy to read novel.
October 12, 2023
I literally can’t think of one thing I didn’t like about this book. Easy read, amazing story, just a solid 20/10 book that I will think about for the rest of my life.
June 30, 2010
The Italian Renaissance brings to mind beautiful images, paintings and sculptures, glorious and expensive brocades, string quartets in the garden, a rich texture of life indeed. But it was also a time of great strife and cruelty the likes of which we could never imagine in this day and age. Sprinkled throughout with Italian words and phrases, PRIMAVERA dips the reader into the renaissance period.
Flora, the youngest daughter of the Pazzi, strives to find beauty and normalcy in a life that is anything but. Scorned by her own mother, she lives as little more than a servant while her older sister, Domenicia, is primped, plucked, painted by the famed Botticelli, and otherwise prepared for the wedding that will join the Pazzi to the Medici.
As Flora contemplates her mother’s plan for her future, life in a convent, a member of her father’s guard arrives with a missive from the Pope himself. The guard, Emilio, hangs around and becomes the friend and companion that Flora has never had. When Emilio and Nonna, the grandmother who’s raised and protected her, convince her to train with the guard, Flora finds strength that carries her through the difficult months to come.
PRIMAVERA is a captivating read. I found myself rooting for Flora and Emilio. Ms. Beaufrand painted her characters so realistically that I felt their pain, their fear, their guilt, and yes, even their joy. True to great historical fiction, the author did not flinch when she described some of the tragedies that befell her characters. Be warned that some of the scenes are quite graphic and not for the faint of heart. Yet I hesitate to limit this book to those only 9th grade and up. If you know nothing about this time period, yet enjoy historical fiction; you will love this well-written novel. If you are a fan of the renaissance you will revel in all of the historical details Ms. Beaufrand has so expertly shown.
Flora, the youngest daughter of the Pazzi, strives to find beauty and normalcy in a life that is anything but. Scorned by her own mother, she lives as little more than a servant while her older sister, Domenicia, is primped, plucked, painted by the famed Botticelli, and otherwise prepared for the wedding that will join the Pazzi to the Medici.
As Flora contemplates her mother’s plan for her future, life in a convent, a member of her father’s guard arrives with a missive from the Pope himself. The guard, Emilio, hangs around and becomes the friend and companion that Flora has never had. When Emilio and Nonna, the grandmother who’s raised and protected her, convince her to train with the guard, Flora finds strength that carries her through the difficult months to come.
PRIMAVERA is a captivating read. I found myself rooting for Flora and Emilio. Ms. Beaufrand painted her characters so realistically that I felt their pain, their fear, their guilt, and yes, even their joy. True to great historical fiction, the author did not flinch when she described some of the tragedies that befell her characters. Be warned that some of the scenes are quite graphic and not for the faint of heart. Yet I hesitate to limit this book to those only 9th grade and up. If you know nothing about this time period, yet enjoy historical fiction; you will love this well-written novel. If you are a fan of the renaissance you will revel in all of the historical details Ms. Beaufrand has so expertly shown.
September 5, 2008
Material fortunes and political power waxed and waned during Renaissance; the de Medici family, however, wielded power in Florence for generations. Primavera recounts one serious threat to their influence in the 1470s. The youngest daughter of Jacopo Pazzi, Lorenza known as Flora, plots her escape from her family’s home before she is transported to a convent. Too plain to make a political marriage, Flora is overlooked and benignly neglected by all in her family except her paternal grandmother, Nonna, and her brother Andrea. Flora’s parents hope to consolidate their power by marrying their beautiful daughter Domenica to Giuliano de Medici. As part of their scheme they hire Botticelli to paint Domenica and give the painting to the de Medicis. If this plan does not work Jacopo Pazzi has aligned himself with Pope Sixtus IV and expects the pope to send troops to his aid. Unfortunately the Pazzis plans fail and the family cruelly destroyed. Flora barely escapes and spends four years disguised as a male apprentice to the silversmith in Florence.
In this first novel Beaufrand captures the intrigue, brutality and beauty of Florence. In Flora she creates an energetic, smart teen heroine who faces the consequences of her choices and survives in spite of great personal cost. Flora chooses to care about her life and family even when all is lost. She demonstrates unfailing courage amidst self-doubt and fear. This is a wonder of a book that combines detailed historical information with an exciting, page-turning adventure story.
In this first novel Beaufrand captures the intrigue, brutality and beauty of Florence. In Flora she creates an energetic, smart teen heroine who faces the consequences of her choices and survives in spite of great personal cost. Flora chooses to care about her life and family even when all is lost. She demonstrates unfailing courage amidst self-doubt and fear. This is a wonder of a book that combines detailed historical information with an exciting, page-turning adventure story.
November 19, 2012
"The Italian Renaissance ... two powerful families, the Medici and 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 famed artist Botticelli, Flora is dreading her fate. Destined for life in a convent, Flora decides to run away, having no idea that that step will save her life. As her family falls, Flora must find a new life and a new identity.
Inspired by actual events, Primavera is a dazzling coming of age story. Historical art references to Boticelli and his famous painting, Primavera, are made."
Lazy of me to quote the press release here at Goodreads, but take note that I liked this book. And liked it even more because of my admiration for my sometimes co-worker, at University Book Store, Mary Jane Beaufrand. MJ you rock!
Inspired by actual events, Primavera is a dazzling coming of age story. Historical art references to Boticelli and his famous painting, Primavera, are made."
Lazy of me to quote the press release here at Goodreads, but take note that I liked this book. And liked it even more because of my admiration for my sometimes co-worker, at University Book Store, Mary Jane Beaufrand. MJ you rock!
September 11, 2013
In Renaissance Italy at the height of Medici power, Flora is the youngest and least valued daughter of the Pazzi household. She watches as her family struggles to gain equal status with one of history’s most powerful merchant families. Ignored by her family, Flora manages to cultivate friendships with the famous artist Botticelli and Guiliano de Medici. As Flora’s family falls from power, Flora finds her own strength and place in the world.
Primavera introduces strong and interesting characters while revealing an interesting time in world history. Flora’s story is historical fiction, but tells of real people and events along with the fiction. The story is entertaining while teaching about the culture and history of the Italian Renaissance, the Medici family, and the art of Botticelli.
Primavera introduces strong and interesting characters while revealing an interesting time in world history. Flora’s story is historical fiction, but tells of real people and events along with the fiction. The story is entertaining while teaching about the culture and history of the Italian Renaissance, the Medici family, and the art of Botticelli.
July 3, 2010
I wasn't quite expecting the story, or the heroine, to turn out like it did.
The heroine, Flora, is a plain, sort of sullen girl. She has few manners and little use for delicacies despite the fact she's a noble girl. She is, however, an unwanted last child of the noble family. At time she alternates between not caring about her parents hating her and caring too much.
The narrative is plain, with no fancy turn-of-phrases or prose, which is sort of refreshing. It works well with the story, as Flora is the one narrating it. It's interesting to see how she copes with what happens to her family, which is not quite what I was expecting. The story's not a masterpiece, but it is a refreshing change from prose-like narration and delicate heroines.
The heroine, Flora, is a plain, sort of sullen girl. She has few manners and little use for delicacies despite the fact she's a noble girl. She is, however, an unwanted last child of the noble family. At time she alternates between not caring about her parents hating her and caring too much.
The narrative is plain, with no fancy turn-of-phrases or prose, which is sort of refreshing. It works well with the story, as Flora is the one narrating it. It's interesting to see how she copes with what happens to her family, which is not quite what I was expecting. The story's not a masterpiece, but it is a refreshing change from prose-like narration and delicate heroines.
October 19, 2008
This book is a historical fiction novel based in Renaissance Italy. I really enjoyed the story especially once I realized that it was indeed historically based (Botticelli, Pazzi vs. Medici clash). I'm not sure if I just wasn't paying enough attention, but I was confused at first and had to keep flipping back to make sense of what was going on. That didn't bother me so much and I really enjoyed this book. In my opinion, I would have liked it to be a bit longer for more development and detail, but it was a good read.
Oohhh. I almost forgot. There is a measure of strong violence and gore in this book.
Oohhh. I almost forgot. There is a measure of strong violence and gore in this book.
December 3, 2008
Flora is the youngest daughter of the Pazzi family and she'll be sent to the convent one day. She's not beautiful like her older sister and she prefers digging in her garden to attending noble dinner parties. When the war between the Pazzi family and the Medici family gets out of control, Flora will have to save her family... and herself... if she can.
I loved the spunky main character of this book. Flora is brave and honest and kind of sarcastic. Beaufrand paints a gorgeously detailed picture of Renaissance Italy and she includes all the gory bits. I had a bit of trouble keeping all the characters straight and figuring out who was on what side of the conflict.
I loved the spunky main character of this book. Flora is brave and honest and kind of sarcastic. Beaufrand paints a gorgeously detailed picture of Renaissance Italy and she includes all the gory bits. I had a bit of trouble keeping all the characters straight and figuring out who was on what side of the conflict.
September 9, 2010
This was a good book about the Pazzi and the Medici families during the Italian renaissance. I enjoyed how the author weaves so much Italian into the book, I thought it was a fun way to be introduced to the language. This book was also very gruesome however, and had some very grisly deaths, but I guess thats what they did back then. It was a bit much at parts, though. I thought it ended very well, and while not all of the problems you wanted to be resolved were in the end, I thought it almost better that way. I also enjoyed how Flora's character changed, and grew from the experiences she dealt with. I liked this book, and would probably give it 3.5 stars.
June 3, 2011
This was one of those books that is based on a painting. Flora is an unwanted daughter of a noble family in Renaissance Florence. Her family is locked in a struggle with the Medici family for control of the city. It is a struggle that they lose. She alone manages to maintain her freedom in the aftermath, but has to assume a new identity to survive. This book is very exciting. It is fairly innocent, yet unsparing with the gory details. Flora is an appealling main character, yet certainly has her flaws. During her adventures, Flora ends up crossisng paths with Botticelli several times, and he paints a painting with her in it.
July 7, 2008
This book was about the youngest girl in a family of noble/merchant status in alignment with the pope and competing with another family - the Medici's for trade. Flora is a girl forgotten by her family and when she stops the assassination of the head of the Medici family, her family is torn apart and she is forced into a new life, one that may not be so bad after all. Overall, the book held a sweet romance, the adventures of a young girl, and some gorey violence that churned my stomach. The balance of it all made for a great YA novel.
July 12, 2009
Historical fiction surrounding the actual attempted assassination of Lorenzo Medici in Renaissance Italy by the other powerful family of the time, the Pazzi family. Flora, as the youngest, ugly ducking daughter of the Pazzi, is both witness and actor in this gritty, sometimes gruesome, picture of life behind the supposedly refined, beautiful life of the Renaissance. Fast-moving, with a strong female character and some art history background, this should be a good choice for historical or period piece requirements.
April 20, 2008
While the main charater in this book (the young privileged but illregarded daughter of a major family in Florence) is not someone who holds on to your attention or your heart, her observations about the Medicis, the Pope, Bottecelli are what fuel this story. Readers get the sense of intrigue, pomp and pettiness at the time and I think it's strong sense of place and time are what make this an appealing read.
February 7, 2009
This is a historical set in an exciting time, with a strong female lead, and I felt that I should have liked it better, but I didn't. I was never 'caught up' in the story, and I never cared very much about the characters. If it hadn't been so short, I wouldn't have finished it. It's surprisingly grisly, as well. That didn't bother me, but if you have a weak stomach, be warned. People die in this book by some very cruel and quite vividly described methods.
April 11, 2009
I don't know what I was expecting with this book, probably just a nice pleasant YA read. Boy, was I surprised! This was one of the most gruesome books I have ever read, but I was absolutely drawn into the story and ended up loving it. It's about a girl whose family takes on the powerful Medici family and the tragic events that follow. There is a payoff in the end. Plus, I love all the Italian she managed to slip in. That was kind of fun. :)
June 10, 2009
This was an interesting time period that the author chose, where the protagonist mingles with the elite of Florence Italy during the reign of the Medici. There are likable characters and the violence that enters the protagonists life is nothing less than what they actually did back then. I have to say I liked it, but it was obvious to see the greek and roman myth of the goddess Flora portrayed throughout the story once it was mentioned.
All in all - enjoyable.
All in all - enjoyable.
July 26, 2009
I wish there was a whole separate rating system for books like this one. Among books I have loved are those I treasure for their beauty. The heroine is flawed like all humans, but inherently beautiful and possessing stronger and purer love than most I follow in their stories. Her spirit is kind and forgiving as I would hope to be. It is based on historical account and woven around one of histories most precious art treasures. Truly a wonderful way to spend the past few hours.
March 30, 2008
I thought this was going to be a lighter read, but it was grisly in several places. The tale of Flora, the youngest in a powerful family, takes place during the Italian Renaissance. Though unloved by all but her Nonna, Flora is center stage as her family makes a dangerous bid to overthrow the Medici family.
January 3, 2009
Lovely novel about a girl whose family crosses the Medici's in Renaissance Italy. She is unolved and unwanted, but this is a story of love, courage, and sacrifice. This is beautifully told with absolutely absorbing setting and characters. The title is based on a Boticelli painting, and the painter himself plays a role in the novel.
June 1, 2010
I actually liked this piece of historical fiction, centered around the Pazzi Conspiracy of 1478 in Florence, quite a bit. The action sequences are exciting and the history well integrated, but I found the time transitions shaky and there was a lot of telling rather than showing to justify the plot. Still, an enjoyable read of an event not done to death in YA literature.
August 9, 2010
From this book, I learned that it really depends on which side you're on. The Pazzi murdered Guiliano Medici, and I was very sympathetic towards the Pazzi family. When I played Assassin's Creed II, however, I hated the Pazzi for what they'd done. You have to know both sides of a story in order to pick which one you're on. And that goes for all things.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2010
This book is like middle school training for the Phillipa Gregory books. A little more violence than them/a little less sex!
I thought this was o.k. but some what boring in parts. Interesting takes on historical events of the Medici and Pazzi families. Since I am not very familiar with Italian history, that was interesting.
I thought this was o.k. but some what boring in parts. Interesting takes on historical events of the Medici and Pazzi families. Since I am not very familiar with Italian history, that was interesting.
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