This is this Authors debut novel in the realm of historical fiction and, as much as I enjoy good historical fiction, I just couldn’t get into this one at all. I think it was a case of the classic line ‘it’s me, honestly, not you’.

To say the cast of characters in this book is immense would be an under-statement, and I felt at times it would have helped me along in my reading if there had been a character list printed in the front of the book; I have a sneaky feeling that many other readers who pick up this book may feel the same way too. Although none of the characters stand out in the book, they are interesting to say the least, and the main protagonist is very interesting; he is cranky, complicated, lonely and extremely loyal; all traits which seemed at odds to the world in which he was living, a world where loyalty seemed to be as fleeting as the wind.

Despite the indication in the synopsis that this may have edged into the realms of a genre I never read, I found there to be little to no romance in this book; there is no love in the traditional sense of the word and no homoerotic longings as can often take place in a novel of this kind. What there is however is political intrigue by the boatload, and this made the book a compelling read and was, for me, the saving grace that earned the rating of 3 thumbs as opposed to it being lower.

It is obvious that the Author has done a lot of research into this era in Florence’s history, and I found this interesting and educating as I did not know about some of the historical details touched upon in the novel. I felt this was helped by the fact that the main protagonist was actually a real-life figure in these times, and this added more realism to the descriptions used and the events encountered in the book.

I would recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction but particularly those who like a good solid mystery that is full of political intrigue.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/04/22/review-the-sign-of-the-weeping-virgin-five...




This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
( )

This is this Authors debut novel in the realm of historical fiction and, as much as I enjoy good historical fiction, I just couldn’t get into this one at all. I think it was a case of the classic line ‘it’s me, honestly, not you’.

To say the cast of characters in this book is immense would be an under-statement, and I felt at times it would have helped me along in my reading if there had been a character list printed in the front of the book; I have a sneaky feeling that many other readers who pick up this book may feel the same way too. Although none of the characters stand out in the book, they are interesting to say the least, and the main protagonist is very interesting; he is cranky, complicated, lonely and extremely loyal; all traits which seemed at odds to the world in which he was living, a world where loyalty seemed to be as fleeting as the wind.

Despite the indication in the synopsis that this may have edged into the realms of a genre I never read, I found there to be little to no romance in this book; there is no love in the traditional sense of the word and no homoerotic longings as can often take place in a novel of this kind. What there is however is political intrigue by the boatload, and this made the book a compelling read and was, for me, the saving grace that earned the rating of 3 thumbs as opposed to it being lower.

It is obvious that the Author has done a lot of research into this era in Florence’s history, and I found this interesting and educating as I did not know about some of the historical details touched upon in the novel. I felt this was helped by the fact that the main protagonist was actually a real-life figure in these times, and this added more realism to the descriptions used and the events encountered in the book.

I would recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction but particularly those who like a good solid mystery that is full of political intrigue.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/04/22/review-the-sign-of-the-weeping-virgin-five...




This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
( )

http://www.alanawhite.com/the_sign_of_the_weeping_virgin_112597.htm

An interesting but ultimately unsatisfying mystery of the historical figures Guid'Antonio Vespucci, a lawyer in 15th century Florence and his nephew, the [future] explorer, Amerigo and how they solve the mysteries of a disappeared girl and why a portrait of the Virgin Mary weeps. Guid'Antonio does not feel, like many townspeople, she weeps because of Lorenzo di Medici's trying to grab for actual power: he IS already the unofficial ruler. There is much intrigue involving the then-pope, Sextus IV, and excommunication of all of Florence. The novel moved slowly until near the end where things were revealed little by little. Doggerel written by Botticelli almost invisibly on his "St. Augustine" portrait contributed to a major breakthrough. A famous painting exists of Guid'Antonio, a middle-aged man in profile, dressed in his red lawyer's robes among a group of townsmen. ( )

In classic 'it's-me-not-you', I just didn't quite get into this book. It's chock full of historical intrigue, some solid personalities, great sense of place, and a twisty plot that takes in politics, art, loyalty, and the Ottoman Turks -- but it and I didn't click for some reason.

Set in 1480, the story follows Guid'Antonio Vespucci and his nephew, Amerigo Vespucci (yeah, that one), as they return to Florence from a two year ambassadorship to France. Things in Florence are, to put it bluntly, not good: the Pope is gunning for Lorenzo de' Medici, who is the sort of unofficial head of Florence; a local beauty was allegedly kidnapped by roving Turks; a painting of the Virgin Mary has started crying; and Guid'Antonio's personal life is kind of a mess. Guid'Antonio is deeply loyal to Lorenzo de' Medici, even if most of the townspeople and even his own family are turning against the man. The city is in the grip of a famine, and the common people are getting angry. Lorenzo is being blamed for everything from the famine to the weeping painting, and Guid'Antonio is determined to clear Lorenzo's name.

For those who think historical fiction is just romance with corsets, White's novel will correct your misunderstanding. There's no romance to speak of, unless you count our hero's love for Florence and his patron/friend, Lorenzo de' Medici. (And by love, I'm being cutesy, there is no homoerotic longing happening.) In this novel, there's a metric ton of political machinations so those who enjoy political thrillers might like this unique take on corrupt politicians and dark, decadent, decaying urban locales.

I yearned for a cast list for this book, confusing my Antonio with my Amerigo, my Giuliano with my Giovanni. Cousins, brothers, kinsmen a-plenty. It took me a good ninety pages or so to really get into the story -- White crams a lot into the opening chapters to establish the setting of her story -- and other than Guid'Antonio, the rest of the characters aren't immediately notable. Guid'Antonio, however, was immensely interesting. He's complicated, to say the least: a bit cranky, obstinately loyal (to Lorenzo de' Medici, at least), dogged, lonely, confused. 

I can't put my finger on my why I wasn't sucked into this book, but it wasn't for lack of trying on White's part. I plan to revisit this one in the future, perhaps when I'm less mushy-brained from winter. For those who like armchair escape, solid mysteries, and political intrigue -- this is your book! ( )