Genevieve's Journey

by Valerie Foote

During the Renaissance, Genevieve, at age twelve, is forced into an abusive marriage to a man who is obsessed with her. After a couple of years, desperate to escape, she flees to a monastery disguising herself as a boy, where she is befriended by a young Italian novice. She soon finds herself in love with him and adventures ensue in Florence, that involve the painter Botticelli. Sadly her happiness is interrupted because she must come to terms with her husband before she can be with the man she loves.

Genres: Romance, Historical Fiction

216 pages, Paperback

Published October 4, 2021

Reviews

[John Burbridge]

Just writing to say that I just finished Genevieve's Journey which I thoroughly enjoyed! And I say that as someone who is not generally a fan of romance novels. The author has a very natural way of telling Genevieve's story and moving her through adventures and it doesn't take long to root for her. The story has a real shape, I could see it as a movie, and I could really feel the experiences that Genevieve had in learning about love and how that shaped her to being a mature woman by the story's end. She grew up through the story. The story also has a good logic to it, and the fact that her appearance in the Botticelli painting leads to the final action in the story was engaging. I honestly didn't know how it would end and thought the ending was satisfying. I liked the point of view on how difficult life is for Genevieve and the other women in this story. It gives a quick but believable glimpse into life during the early Renaissance in southern France and northern Italy. There's a lot of wisdom in there, packaged in a very readable story. And the sincerity of the writing comes through.

[c f · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although romance isn't really up my alley, I read it with interest. It pulled me along right through it, which I suppose is the sine qua non of a successful novel. The principal characters were sympathetic, the situations though dramatic were plausible, and enough historical color to give that extra dimension. Hadn't known the derivation of 'Botticelli'.

[Rabid Raccoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this copy in a Goodreads giveaway and I’m happy I did, though Genevieve went thru hard times it was nice to see her in the monastery and the love and companionship there

[SA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodreads and the author for a copy of this book.

This was a well written historical romance, one that I would recommend. I enjoyed Genevieve’s story, and couldn’t put the book down!

While her story was a difficult at times, her strength and caring of others helped her to overcome her obstacles; and in the end love prevailed.