BookList - Margaret Flanagan
Lennox has artfully fashioned a lush narrative steeped in authentic historical detail and brimming with bittersweet romance. Abandoned by her loving but unstable father after the death of her mother, young Joanna Zulian comes of age amid the political and military turmoil of sixteenth-century Venice. Though her indifferent uncle exploits her undeniable artistic talent within the confines of his successful studio, he refuses to acknowledge and nurture her ambition to become an accomplished artist in her own right. With poignant youthful regret, Joanna casts aside her impractical dream and resolves to carve out an appealing life for herself in a more socially acceptable manner. As a wife, a mistress, and a mother, she attempts to define her own destiny in an increasingly hostile public and personal environment. A mesmerizing portrait of an extraordinary Renaissance woman.