The Botticelli Secret by Marina Fiorato
Title: The Botticelli Secret
Author/website(s): Marina Fiorato
514 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s
Publication date: March ’10
Genre: Historical fiction
Review book or pleasure reading: Pleasure reading
New-to-me author: Yes
Would I recommend this book: I would with a language rating
Would I read more from this author: Yes
Journal notes: Unlike most reviewers at Amazon I wasn’t disappointed with The Botticelli Secret. I very much enjoyed the story and would read more from this author. As fair warning to other readers this book should probably come with an R rating for language. What you won’t find in the book description from Amazon but is mentioned in the book blurb on the back cover is that “Luciana Vetra is foul-mouthed.” Her occupation is street whore and in this story her language at times is most appropriate for the gutter. I was a bit surprised by Luciana’s language as it isn’t what I expected from this type of historical fiction but it was in keeping with her character. I’ve been known to blister some ears myself. If you read far enough into this story you come to find out that Luciana is much more than a street whore and her background might surprise you.
In this exhilarating cross between The Da Vinci Code and The Birth of Venus, an irrepressible young woman in 15th-century Italy must flee for her life after stumbling upon a deadly secret when she serves as a model for Botticelli…
When part-time model and full-time prostitute Luciana Vetra is asked by one of her most exalted clients 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, Luciana impulsively steals an unfinished version of the painting–only to find that somone is ready to kill her to get it back.
What could possibly be so valuable about the picture? As friends and clients are slaughtered around her, Luciana turns to the one man who has never desired her beauty, novice librarian Brother Guido. Fleeing Venice together, Luciana and Guido race through the nine cities of Renaissance Italy, pursued by ruthless foes who are determined to keep them from decoding the painting’s secrets.
The Botticelli Secret was provided to me by OregonKimm at My Eclectic Reads. This book is being passed along to another book blogger 
Primavera by Sandro Botticelli
Posted in Reading Journal
6 Responses to “The Botticelli Secret by Marina Fiorato”
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You guessed right that you would like it since no one else did! LOL
I knew I would. Just like all those buzzed about books don’t do thing for me. Give me one that most readers would give a thumbs down to and I’m sure to think its pretty good book. Oh well there’s one in very crowd and its usually me.
I was waiting to see what you thought of it. Glad to see your mention on the language. I thought I was being prudish for bringing it up! lol
You weren’t being prudish. While it didn’t bother me because Luciana and I share that trait I do believe the author could have gotten her point across while toning down the language. But then again I’m sure she viewed Luciana a certain way and wrote the character true to her viewpoint. While the language will stop some readers from enjoying or even picking up the book to begin with I’m very glad I read it. I found the story as whole very enjoyable.
I forgot to ask if the “history lessons” were annoying at all? That’s what really got to me out of the whole story.
Actually I liked the ‘history lessons’ but then that’s my kind of thing. Once I realized how she was going to write the story you could see them coming and ‘prepare’ yourself for ‘em.