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Aug 10, 2010Lorna rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Sacred Hearts is set in the convent of Santa Caterina in the city of Ferrara, Italy, in 1570. The convent is a contemplative Benedictine enclosed community, but “enclosed” in a moderate sense. Santa Caterina is famous for its music and its public musical performances. But the community, like the Church of the time, is split between sisters who would prefer a stricter form of enclosure, and those who believe a moderate approach is best. In sixteenth century Italy, an educated woman or a woman who wanted education had few options. Marriage was a political, contractual agreement. An unmarried daughter was only valuable as long as she could be used to negotiate advantageous marriage—meaning advantageous to her family, not necessarily to her. Convents were the home of those women who couldn't be married, or wouldn't be married and not all the sisters had a true vocation to the religious life. Some of them found a vocation once inside the walls; some of them made the best of it. Some of them rebelled outright. The catalyst of the novel is one who rebelled. Serafina is forced into the novitiate when her father discovers she is in love with a music teacher. Her schemes to escape and reunite with her lover inspire Suor Zuana, who is the apothecary and Abbess Chiara to re-examine their vocations as they both become involved in Serafina's struggles. If you loved the Brother Cadfael novels, or Sarah Dunant's other novels, The Birth of Venus and In the Company of the Courtesan, you probably will love this novel too simply for its setting, the fullness of historical detail provided and the mystery aspect as to whether Serafina will escape and live happily ever after with her lover. But Serafina's rebellion is only one theme in this novel and not the most complex one. It's the exploration of feminine leadership and the life of a feminine community that makes this novel. It is both gritty and philosophical, comedic and heartbreaking. This is my first encounter with Dunant's work, but I've already purchased The Birth of Venus and will go on to read her other novels. In Sacred Hearts, Sarah Dunant weaves romance, mystery, history, theology, politics and psychology into a fascinating story that will keep you turning the pages but also keep you turning the questions.