Side note: I was diagnosed with the Swine flu on July 15th and was sick as a dog, so to speak, for two weeks. Because I was so weak that I could barely get out of the bed, I read probably ten books. I am now in the process of getting the reviews done for all of these books. Having not taken vacation days or sick days in years, it was nice to read. However, I wish you all well as the flu season approaches. I would not wish those two weeks on my worst enemy!Thank you to Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant. I found myself completely caught up in the life of the 16th century Italian convent. In the beginning of the novel, the reader feels much like young Serafina, a noblewoman who was to become a novice against her will – confined with wildly individualistic women who were all the same, nuns with vows of obedience defining their every movement – at least on the outside. As the reader comes to know these women, each has her own personality and difficulties. Serafina longs for her lover and fights against the ebb and flow of the convent. Suora Zuana, the convent’s medicine creator and dispenser, is charged with calming and nurturing the young girl who is none too happy. The nun in charge of the nuns-in-training feels a sense of jealousy over Zuana and Serafina’s relationship, not to mention the closeness of Zuana to the Headmistress, who must ultimately answer to God and men for all of the convent’s triumphs and failures. I enjoyed this book immensely. The twists and turns of convent life were amazingly drawn by Dunant. She gave voice to women who did not always have a voice in their own time.
TITLE: Sacred Hearts
AUTHOR: Sarah Dunant
COPYRIGHT: July 14, 2009
PAGES: 400
TYPE: historical fiction
RECOMMEND: Fascinating and engrossing
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