Sacred Hearts [Hardcover]

'Vivid and entertaining' --Rosie Blau, Financial Times

'Once again, Dunant delivers: SACRED HEARTS is a compelling historical fantasy that manages to simultaneously entertain and illuminate the reader'

'Dunant endows her characters with a humanity that captures the concern, not just the interest of the reader. They want and suffer, laugh and cry, just as we do'

'The power of Dunant's imagination, the vigour of her scholarship and the lucidity of her style make this a novel that . . . is as intelligent as it is enjoyable'

'Beautifully balanced, textured and thought-provoking, this is a revelatory read'

1570 in the Italian city of Ferrara, and the convent of Santa Caterina is filled with noble women who are married to Christ because many cannot find husbands outside. Enter sixteen-year-old Serafina, ripped by her family from an illicit love affair, howling with rage and hormones and determined to escape. While on the other side of the great walls, counter-reformation forces in the Church are pushing for change, inside, Serafina's spirit and defiance ignite a fire that threatens to engulf the whole convent. SACRED HEARTS is a novel about power, creativity and passion - both of the body and of the soul. Hidden history brought alive by a wonderful storyteller, renowned for her Italian Renaissance novels.

1570 in the Italian city of Ferrara. Sixteen-year-old Serafina is ripped by her family from an illicit love affair and forced into the convent of Santa Caterina, renowned for its superb music. Serafina's one weapon is her glorious voice, but she refuses to sing. Madonna Chiara, an abbess as fluent in politics as she in in prayer, finds her new charge has unleashed a power play - rebellion, ecstacies and hysterias - within the convent. However, watching over Serafina is Zuana, the sister in charge of the infirmary, who understands and might even challenge her incarceration. 'The reader is never allowed to forget the importance of this one girl's destiny, nor is the sense of suspense ever allowed to slacken. Will she escape back into a world where pleasure is not viewed as a sin? . . . Sacred Hearts masterfully creates a world' Donna Leon, Guardian 'It's a battle of wits, feminine duplicity and politics . . . a resonant narrative tension is set up between youth and age, science and superstition, love and chastity . . . A novel that is as intelligent as it is enjoyable' Amanda Craig, Daily Telegraph --This text refers to the Perfect Paperback edition.

Sarah Dunant is a cultural commentator, award-winning thriller writer and author of a trilogy of novels set in renaissance Italy exploring women's lives through art, sex and religion.