Gloriously fresh and vivid, with a deliciously irreverant heroine, The Botticelli Secret is Marina Fiorato's most ambitious achievement to date. When Luciana Vetra is asked to pose for a painter friend, she doesn't mind serving as the model for the central figure of Flora in Sandro Botticelli's masterpiece Primavera. But when the artist dismisses her without payment, she steals an unfinished version of the painting-only to find that someone is ready to kill her to get it back.
The Botticelli Secret
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Praise for Marina Fiorato:
'A great read'
'Captures the scents, passion and vigour of Italy'
(Books Quarterly )'Fiorato creates her own masterpiece'
(Booklist )'Mesmerising'
(Waterstones Books Quarterly )'Recommended'
(Good Book Guide )'A sizzling . . . read, and a must to pack in the suitcase'
(Italian Magazine )'The enchanting tale . . . is rich with passion, mystery and intrigue'
(Booktime ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.About the Author
Marina Fiorato is the author of The Glassblower of Murano and the Madonna of the Almonds.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By Read Me
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Sounds like the start of a bad joke, however this is instead a clever and indepth book. Luciana is the beautiful young whore of Milan who is asked to pose for Botticelli as Flora, offending the artist without truly realising why she steals an unfinished cartone of the Primavera. When she finds her housemate murdered and realises that she was the target she takes action by going to Santa Croce in the hopes of finding sanctuary. Instead she finds Brother Guido a young novice monk who she has unwittingly implicated in the theft, suddenly they are both on the run, an incongruous pairing who merely want to find safety again. This is until they take a closer look at Botticelli's planned masterpiece and try to reveal the secrets that are hidden within. Their quest takes them across Italy and involves them in the political machinations of the Medici family.
Fiorato tries to do for Botticelli what Dan Brown did for Da Vinci and it kind of works. For me the book is at its best when it is focused on the characters of Luciana and Guido, both flawed and judgemental but bound by a belief that they need to do the right thing and prevent political conspiracies taking over their country. While Guido is the noble, well educated and pious monk Luciana is the gutteral and foul mouthed young trollop. It is a pairing which works well as during their quest they obviously begin to appreciate each other more and both reveal that they have their own useful types of knowledge.
This is an interesting novel and the only reasons why I don't give it 5 stars is because there are some coincidences which are just too implausible and the level of detail that Fiorato goes into with the painting can leave you slightly dazed. Names of flowers, legends of Italy, mythological characters, politics - it all finds its way in there. You end up looking at the painting on the back cover a little too often to check if what you're reading is possible. However all that aside it is an excellent read and towards the second half I was desperately trying to read it in one go to see how things would end. Despite all the details, plotting and espionage for me it was the characters that drove this novel forward and made me desperate to reach the conclusion. This is a nice addition to Fiorato's collection of Italian based novels, each one presenting something different but equally as much of a page-turner.
Fiorato tries to do for Botticelli what Dan Brown did for Da Vinci and it kind of works. For me the book is at its best when it is focused on the characters of Luciana and Guido, both flawed and judgemental but bound by a belief that they need to do the right thing and prevent political conspiracies taking over their country. While Guido is the noble, well educated and pious monk Luciana is the gutteral and foul mouthed young trollop. It is a pairing which works well as during their quest they obviously begin to appreciate each other more and both reveal that they have their own useful types of knowledge.
This is an interesting novel and the only reasons why I don't give it 5 stars is because there are some coincidences which are just too implausible and the level of detail that Fiorato goes into with the painting can leave you slightly dazed. Names of flowers, legends of Italy, mythological characters, politics - it all finds its way in there. You end up looking at the painting on the back cover a little too often to check if what you're reading is possible. However all that aside it is an excellent read and towards the second half I was desperately trying to read it in one go to see how things would end. Despite all the details, plotting and espionage for me it was the characters that drove this novel forward and made me desperate to reach the conclusion. This is a nice addition to Fiorato's collection of Italian based novels, each one presenting something different but equally as much of a page-turner.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By Natalie
Format:Paperback
This book is absolutely entertaining from start to finish.
The heroine, Luciana, is a truly captivating character whom you instantly love. Her salty attitude makes her immediately authentic. A fantastic blend of irreverent humor and endless curiosity, Luciana is a perfect guide to this dangerous and fascinating world of fifteenth-century Italy.
The heroine, Luciana, is a truly captivating character whom you instantly love. Her salty attitude makes her immediately authentic. A fantastic blend of irreverent humor and endless curiosity, Luciana is a perfect guide to this dangerous and fascinating world of fifteenth-century Italy.
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By A. Non
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed The Botticelli Secret by Marina Fiorato - I was engrossed by the storyline and couldn't put it down - you know it's good when you wish your morning rush hour tube journey was longer just to keep reading!! It was an easy read and I really liked the two central characters, Brother Guido and Luciana. I love the combination of history and fiction so this is exactly the book for me! And Marina's previous two books are excellent too. This book is highly recommended reading.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
the botticelli secret
this is the 3rd of marina's books ive read and like the other 2 fantastic please keep writing wife & i real fans
Published 2 months ago by michael bull
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Botticelli Secret
Thought it very entertaining, a real romp! Some of the language may not be suitable for those of a nervous disposition! Read more
Published 3 months ago by C Theckston
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good read
This is the book between The Glassblower of Murano, The Lady of the Almonds and Daughter of Sienna, The Venetian Contract. It's a murder mystery set in the middle ages. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Woodley resident
1.0 out of 5 stars
Marina Ford
This was a present, my friend adored the book. Arrived quickly. Well packaged. Good story. It was a good buy.
Published 3 months ago by B. Kergon
4.0 out of 5 stars
Historical mystery
I have read two other books by the same author and was not disappointed by any of them. Marina Fiorato paints a lively picture of the past with a mystery to keep you intrigued... Read more
Published 4 months ago by G. Kay Maguire
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as good as The Glassblower
I didn't like this as much as the Glassblower partly because i found the language coarse at the beginning and at times through the story. I thought the plot was quite good though
Published 5 months ago by Y A Hayes
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fast moving
I really enjoyed this book. Not only is it an action packed story but it also gives an indication of the alliances and wars between city states in Italy during the middle ages. Read more
Published 5 months ago by kelvin253
3.0 out of 5 stars
an ok book
I felt this was an ok fantasy book but it didn't leave me wanting to rush back to read the next page. A nice easy holiday read.
Published 6 months ago by ria
4.0 out of 5 stars
the botticelli secret
The book was well written but in places a bit less believable enjoyed the book and would read similar material sold by Amazon
Published 6 months ago by john
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Boticelli Secret
By Marina Fiorato. Fantastic read. Loved every minute of it. Other people were rather scathing, but although not like her first novel, I found it very entertaining.
Published 6 months ago by Ann Old'n
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