A review by charlottereadshistory
The Maiden of Florence by Katherine Mezzacappa

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Maiden of Florence tells the story of Giulia, plucked from an orphanage in Florence to be used as an experiment to prove or disprove the virility of a prince marrying into the Medici family, and her subsequent life. 

I was worried this would be a book that was very upsetting to read given the subject matter, and I would definitely urge anyone who needs to heed any trigger warnings regarding sexual assault to give this book a miss. 

However if that's something you can deal with, there is also so much more to this story. I found myself rooting for Giulia and enjoyed hating the despicable  minister Vinta, and the tension that his consistent presence in her life brought had me turning the pages long after I had other things to do. 

Mezzacappa quite clearly sets out the myriad ways women were subjugated by the patriarchy at the time, and how so many women's lives were completely beholden to more powerful men, and one just had to hope they were moral and upstanding. In that vein, without giving anything away, Giulio was a standout character for me, I loved him. 

It was easy to get lost in Florence, Mantua and Venice and I really enjoyed the scene setting and felt how important Giulia's faith was to processing and finding solace in her life, as did the other female characters, in what seems to be a very difficult time to be a woman. 

Thanks to the publisher for this advanced readers copy of this book for review - all opinions are my own.  
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