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A review by karinlib
The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio
4.0
This took me almost a month to finish. The translator Wayne Rebhorn was absolutely amazing (5 stars for him). The book is easy to read, due to the translation, but there are 100 short stories. The best part of this book is the introduction and the myriad of footnotes explaining the Italian nuances.
The Decameron takes place in 1348 Florence Italy, when the Black Plague was raging. A group of seven young women meet in church to decide how to face the horrific situation. Pampinea suggests they take a trip to the country to escape the chaos and risk of death that the Plague caused. They are afraid to take the trip without male protection, so they ask three young men they know to accompany them (which the men readily agree). Once they are settled into a country estate, they decide that each day for their entertainment they will elect a "Queen" or "King" for the day to arrange everything for their comfort. The only rule is that each must tell a story, 10 stories for 10 days (there are 4 religious days during which no stories are told).
The Decameron takes place in 1348 Florence Italy, when the Black Plague was raging. A group of seven young women meet in church to decide how to face the horrific situation. Pampinea suggests they take a trip to the country to escape the chaos and risk of death that the Plague caused. They are afraid to take the trip without male protection, so they ask three young men they know to accompany them (which the men readily agree). Once they are settled into a country estate, they decide that each day for their entertainment they will elect a "Queen" or "King" for the day to arrange everything for their comfort. The only rule is that each must tell a story, 10 stories for 10 days (there are 4 religious days during which no stories are told).