Madonna Of The Almonds

I have now read four of Marina Fiorato's books on interesting and strong women placed in Italy in specific time periods. Even though she has a formula of widowed or single women coming up against powerful historical figures in various locations in Italy I have enjoyed how she weaves historical events together. The Madonna of the Almonds heroine devised a clever solution to being a widow in Seventeenth Century Saranno, Italy by using her dead husband's almond trees, with the help of an outsider, to make a delightful and popular to this day beverage, and survive hardships. There are subplots that enrich the story and intrigue the reader leading us to find out how she will survive? Historical and powerful families like the Sforzas, the Medicis and others are introduced with historical accuracy and not just speculation. Those of us who are knowledgeable of Italian and European history will also appreciate the research that is done for each of her novels.

A true depiction of life in the renaissance ...cruel and unjust hardships for many.. Fiorato has the capacity to bring to life a scene and moreover feeling through her use of words. At times I felt if I walked out the door, I would be in the midst of Italy at the time of Leonardo Da Vinci or his prodigy Luini, in this case. The story moved along but in some cases a bit too predictable. Her books, nonetheless are page turners and as I turn the last page, I feel as I have lived in Renaissance Italy, if only for a short time.

Even though most of the story was fictional, I did love the factual parts of the artists and paintings. There were a lot of characters to keep track of but, the stories all came around to a beautiful ending. I do like books that go back and forth between stories as it keeps me reading to find out what is happening in the other setting. This was very true here as I had real feelings for these characters.

I really enjoyed this story....fans of historical fiction will enjoy its telling of pre-renissance Italy. The characters are very well developed and their two story lines keep you wondering what's going to happen next. A great book for a relaxing weekend or one that you can pick up when you have time to immerse yourself in another era when beautiful paintings on the walls of churches and cathedrals were painted by brilliant artists....with their own stories. Highly recommended!

I love historical fiction, especially when it takes place in my ancestral homeland, Italy. This one was so different though as it was not the usual Florence, Rome, Venice, Naples,but Saronno and a love story of developing amaretto liquor, spiritual beliefs,and real friends. The characters are strong and interesting and intertwined with art and frescoes and saint stories. The persecution and wanton burning attacks on the Jews back then in Italy weaves a strong story line in the book. It made me want to go and see the frescoes on my next visit to Italy.

This is another of Fiorato's wonderful stories of Renaissance Italy. This time she writes of two love stories and the effect of war on the people involved. This is also the story of the "invention" of Di Sarrono liquor. A good book with a bit of learning mixed in and a Di Sarrono neat to help it go down. What more can you ask for.

Another great one by Marina Fiorato! Remember to be patient....this one takes awhile for the separate stories to flow together but when they do you wil not be able to put the book down. Many interesting issues: treatment of Jews in Italy, effects of war, start of a business, friendship among unlikely parties and the lives of great artists. It's the main characters and the story of their lives that make this such a good book!

I have loved reading Marina Fiorato's stories since I first discovered het book the Glass Blower of Murano. Her mixture of Italian history and art is fascinating. I really enjoyed this book and think it is one of her best.I

This is quite a complex story involving a young lord, his wife, an arrogant young artist and a young peasant girl. The young lord is killed in battle, leaving his wife with far less money than was thought; the young artist studied with da Vinci but is indiscreet with a wealthy client and effectively banished; the young peasant girl learns to behave as a young woman and helps her granny save a life. Into this mixture is thrown a wealthy Jew who helps the destitute lady, and who in turn finds out that the artist helps his son. The details of 16th century Italy are cleverly woven into the story so it avoids the pitfall of being just a history lesson. The influence of the Church, the anti-semitism and the social structures of the day are clearly portrayed so that the reader fully understands the restraints society places on each character, and the ramifications when these are breached. The lady grows from a very sweet but very spoiled young woman, to a business woman who earns respect for herself rather than her rank. The denoument of the story centres around the wounded soldier found by the peasant girl, and how the characters chose their futures.

Marina Fiorato's books are really good holiday fare. A gripping adventure and a romance. The Madonna of the Almonds is a bit like an Italian fairy story - including fairytale castles and the old woman living in the forest. But for those that love that kind of fantasy and love Italy, it's an easy pleasurable read with lots of exciting moments and sufficient complexity to keep the reader gripped, but not so complicated that you lose track. One of Fiorato's strengths is weaving in bits of Italian history to her novels and this gives the book a richness that this sort of tale would otherwise lack. Find yourself a nice relaxing chair, a sun drenched Italian terrace, a glass of chilled white wine and drink this book down. I did.

An intriguing tale that would not be out of place in Boccaccio's Decameron. It meanders around from one person to the next and then back to the first person. The characters are well drawn and certainly in the first half of the book invoke the spirit of the Italian High Renaissance believably. The 2nd half loses it's way a little when some new folk are brought in but it remains a very good read indeed. If you want to read something just that little bit different set in Italy during the Renaissance then you could do a lot worse.

A good book to read on the train. The characters are unlikely and behave strangely. I've read better by the same author. Enjoyed the one about Beatrice and Benedict, though the plot was improbable. An author's imagination has no bounds when it comes to playing around with historical periods.

Interesting historical fiction. Had some true historical fact. Interesting period of history which I knew little about. Well done Maria Fiorato, well researched and another "unputdownable"! Found myself reading it well into the night! Always a good sign! My second book I have read from this author. The other was about the glass makers in Murano, Venice, another fascinating book for me. Will be reading others by this author.