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Rome, where our story begins

• (wondering if I will be "talking to myself" in this discussion, oh well).... I didn't come to this book (perhaps I should say "these" books given Dunant has at least a trilogy of unrelated books set in Renaissance Italy) with any knowledge of the Italian Renaissance whatsoever, except some of the artwork, so I don't know for certain. I would guess that much of it is accurate, at least the big events, social codes, etc. But there would be much that would be undocumented in history and therefore give the author room to imagine. The view of the world from Bucino's perspective is rather unique, certainly such a perspective would not be recorded in the history books (given his dwarfism and profession), and that may be one reason she chose to present the story in his voice. (NT) -- PeggyB, 11:05:51 05/06/12 Sun

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• I remember reading elsewhere about the sacking of Rome and the Pope having to run for it and hide out, so I think that's accurate. Obviously the way Fiammetta handled the invading army was fiction and quite clever, but I just wonder if it would have worked in real life. Worth the risk, I think. It always amazes me how armies, and others, will commit the most heinous acts in the name of religion. Even something as basic as the Golden Rule never seems to sink in. It was a bit hard for me to identify with the dwarf and I think I would have gotten into the story quicker if told from F's viewpoint, but after a while I did like him and want to know what happens to him. (NT) -- FranS, 13:49:08 05/06/12 Sun
  • I think the Bucino perspective is one of the truly uniqe aspects of this book. Just as the Courtesan must never let her clientele see inside her mind, the reader is kept out as well. Although the book is technically told in first person, it is a third-person perspective on Fiametta. I also think telling the story from her perspective would have been the "expectation" but Dunant gives us something different and unexpected! (NT) -- PeggyB, 14:46:49 05/06/12 Sun
    • I really like that the book is told from Bucino's perspective. It is unique and gives some insight into the life of a little person, as well as the courtesan's right hand man. (NT) -- Denise, 12:37:50 05/07/12 Mon
      • I was just thinking about how the story develops; if it were told from Fiametta's perspective, the view of Elena (La Draga) would have been very, very different. Also, since Fiametta doesn't get out and about much, we get to see much more of the world by using Bucino's perspective. (NT) -- PeggyB, 14:53:12 05/07/12 Mon

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• I expect that the book is fairly well researched. I don't have my book with me, but I think she lives in Florence and has a set of references at the back of the book. She seems to know her buildings, associated artwork, and I get a real feel for the settings in the book. As Peggy said, Fiametta's solution to survival during the sacking of Rome is storytelling, but what happened in general is, no doubt, historically accurate. (NT) -- Denise, 12:42:12 05/07/12 Mon
  • Credit where due, that was Fran. I keep wondering, was it impossible to just flee in front of the advancing horde? (NT) -- PeggyB, 14:47:53 05/07/12 Mon
    • Sorry Fran, I was typing quickly while an impatient husband waited for me! Yes, I wondered about getting away before the conquerors showed up. maybe it would have been difficult to escape, and the story wouldn't have been as interesting :) (NT) -- Denise, 16:18:39 05/07/12 Mon
      • No problem. As I was reading this I kept picturing the dwarf in Game of Kings as Bucino. I thought the note at the end of the book was interesting and how she took those historical facts and imagined the story from them. That's the magical thing about writers that my mind is incapable of doing and why I love to read so much. (NT) -- FranS, 08:32:01 05/08/12 Tue