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The Botticelli Secret: A Novel of Renaissance Italy (Reading Group Gold) Paperback – March 30, 2010

by Marina Fiorato (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 683 ratings
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In this exhilarating cross between The Da Vinci Code and The Birth of Venus, an irrepressible young woman in 15th-century Italy must flee for her life after stumbling upon a deadly secret when she serves as a model for Botticelli...
When part-time model and full-time prostitute Luciana Vetra is asked by one of her most exalted clients to pose for a painter friend, she doesn't mind serving as the model for the central figure of Flora in Sandro Botticelli's masterpiece "Primavera." But when the artist dismisses her without payment, Luciana impulsively steals an unfinished version of the painting--only to find that somone is ready to kill her to get it back.
What could possibly be so valuable about the picture? As friends and clients are slaughtered around her, Luciana turns to the one man who has never desired her beauty, novice librarian Brother Guido. Fleeing Venice together, Luciana and Guido race through the nine cities of Renaissance Italy, pursued by ruthless foes who are determined to keep them from decoding the painting's secrets.
Gloriously fresh and vivid, with a deliciously irreverent heroine, The Botticelli Secret is an irresistible blend of history, wit, and suspense.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    544 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    St. Martin's Griffin
  4. Publication date
    March 30, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.21 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0312606362
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0312606367
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The city-states of Renaissance Italy serve as the vibrant backdrop for this less than successful homage to The Da Vinci Code from Fiorato (TheGlassblower of Murano). In 1482 Florence, while prostitute Luciana Vetra is posing for Botticelli's Primavera, she makes a casual comment that terrifies the artist. Sent away unpaid, Luciana steals a miniature of the painting in revenge. When she discovers that an assassin is on her trail, she flees Florence with the most trustworthy companion she can find, handsome and cultured monk Brother Guido della Torre. As the two decode the secrets hidden in the painting (and fall in love), its meanings send them on a quest through Italy to save their own lives and avert a conspiracy involving the greatest powers of the day. Luciana's energetic narrative voice keeps the pages turning, but lengthy passages deconstructing La Primavera yield secrets, unlike those in Dan Brown's bestseller, with little resonance for modern readers. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Luciana Vetra, revered prostitute of Florence, earns the chance to pose for Botticelli as Flora in Primavera, but the session goes awry when her innocent words anger the artist. Not one to endure an insult, she retaliates by stealing a smaller version of the painting. Her roommate and patron are killed when the artist sends agents to reclaim the painting, leaving Luciana with only one ally to turn to, the comely novice Brother Guido who has tried to convert her. They flee Florence for their lives and to solve the deadly secret hidden within the artwork. Following her debut, The Glassblower of Murano (2009), Fiorato creates her own masterpiece set at the height of Medici power. Renaissance Italy comes alive in brilliant sights and sounds from marbled halls to filthy sewers. Luciana is irrepressible, unabashed, and an absolute hoot while Guido foils her nicely as the learned, noble Holmes to her Watson. Political intrigue is deftly woven throughout, allowing readers to try their best sleuthing. Fiorato even layers in a charming love story for good measure. --Nina C. Davis

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (March 30, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 544 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312606362
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312606367
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.5 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.21 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 683 ratings

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  1. Marina Fiorato

    Marina Fiorato

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
683 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kathleen S. Anke
5.0 out of 5 stars A Spicy Italian Tour
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2016
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This book was a delight to read! Character development was at times pretty raw, but certainly brought an understanding of who they were and what they were about. Traveling around Italy was also a great treat. Each political area and its role in the unfolding story gave the reader a sense of being there. The plot moved quickly and drew the reader into the sense of urgency, political intrigue and the simmering romantic interest. It brought to mind the twists and turns I enjoy in Dan Brown's books. The conclusion to The Botticelli Secret was a bit too polished for my liking, however, I have actually read the book two times in the past two years. I read it while traveling in Italy and then recommended it to a book club I attend. Members enjoyed also.
7 people found this helpful
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Sam K.
4.0 out of 5 stars A bawdy romp
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2014
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This bawdy romp through late 15th century Italy was replete with very likeable and less likeable characters and tantalizing vignettes of historical personages. The descriptive writing was amazingly evocative and the action was pretty much non-stop. If somebody doesn't make a movie of this, we're all missing the boat.

The historical references invite a deeper look into Botticelli, doges, and Italian city states.

Language warning!
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Wynn Richards
5.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable and well-written adventure!
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2013
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This was a really fun book to read! I loved its length, as I usually tear through historical fiction quickly. The characters are compelling and there is a lot of tension, stressful moments, Italian history, and chapters I just could not bear to end a sitting with. The author has a need to make every one of her main characters incredibly beautiful, which gets a little old, but at least Luciana, the main character here, has a sense of humor and many interesting faults. I really appreciate the way this author can turn a phrase in a way that makes me read it over again just for the joy of reading a well-written sentence or a perfectly-created mood. I enjoyed this novel the most of all her others.
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Lover of the Renaissance
5.0 out of 5 stars A Renaissance Lover Page Turner!
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2020
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Having been enthralled with the Renaissance since high school as well as with it's artist and art, this superb story brings it all to life in vivid detail. Just like the author, I also fell in love with "La Primavera" when I first laid eyes on it at the Uffizi in Florence. Having visited most of the locations described in the book, I was transported back to the period of the Renaissance I found most intriguing. Luciana and Brother Guido, as a team, though so different in character, make this story truly outstanding! Could not put it down....
4 people found this helpful
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Sheila A. Dechantal
3.0 out of 5 stars A taste of Florence with a bit of Dan Brown suspense
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2010
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I do like a good mystery, and in that way,the Botticelli Secret did not disappoint. I found it to have a very Dan Brown feel to it, much the same as I found in his books The Davinchi Code and also in Angels and Demons. However the main characters Luciana and Guido (a prostitute and a monk) are not Sophie and Robert Langdon. I mean - Luciana has quite a reputation for herself and Guido is a man of the cloth....

however - in that sense the book works, and is mainly why I kept reading.

Where I struggled is that the first 250 or so pages, when Luciana is still quite rough around the edges, the language is foul, some of the acts that the reader is allowed to "witness" is stomach turning, and there is a point where I had to skim in hopes of the books tone changing as Luciana spends more time with Guido.
It does.

The second half of the book shows that Luciana's heart is softening and I was able to relax more into the details of the read and beauty of the details as they travel around trying to solve the clues that are given within this amazing (and real) painting. I enjoyed the clues and the solving of them and liked the second half of the read a lot more than the first half.

Overall, if you can hang in there, the book is filled with colorful details of the cities they travel fifteenth century Renaissance Italy.
10 people found this helpful
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Maria V
4.0 out of 5 stars Bravo for Botticelli Secret.
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2012
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At first, I wondered where it was taking me, but then a whirlwind took hold and so many things started to happen, you have to hold on to your seat and try to digest everything. Truly mesmerizing. Even Botticelli would have enjoyed the story. It placed me there, right in the middle of all the top figures of the time. Magnificent!
Since I owe a copy of the Primavera, I know can look at it with a wink.
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Palm tree
5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery traveling through Italy
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2022
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What a great read! The mystery kept you interested the entire way through the book. Also who doesn't enjoy traveling through Italy vicariously through the protagonists?? I thoroughly enjoyed it!!!
One person found this helpful
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Linda Boccia
5.0 out of 5 stars Marina Fiorato "The Botticelli Secret"
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2016
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AS an artist and bilingual Italian speaker I am always interested in most things Italian. This took the painting of Sandro Botticelli's "Primavera" and wove a story together by dissecting the figures in the painting, as well as painting techniques and themes. I checked out the painting for historical accuracy and it is indeed one of the most controversial painting done during the Renaissance. Ms. Fiorato uses a formerly wealthy person whose family money has been lost and she needs money. As she is being painted there develop intrigues around the artist, powerful patrons of the arts and the model who was not paid for her services. I had to keep referring to the actual painting on wikipedia to fact check and the facts were accurate. There are twists and turns and the reader is constantly being challenged with additional and unexpected information. If you enjoy history, strong women who even though very beautiful did not have as many options for survival as today you will enjoy this book.
9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Carlota Portocarrero
4.0 out of 5 stars Largo pero divertido
Reviewed in Spain on January 10, 2020
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Los parrafos eran interminables, a veces se hace un poco pesado. Pero, en general, un libro súper entretenido con una historia y una caracterización de personajes vibrante
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Hana
5.0 out of 5 stars Marina Fiorato: The Botticelli Secret.
Reviewed in Canada on September 2, 2013
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Marina Fiorato: The Botticelli Secret.
This is a many faceted and very interesting book.
First there is the picture -La Primavera. What is the meaning or symbolism of all those people on it?
Further- this is a historical book and, at the same time, a fairy tale.
The authoress follows the theory of Enrico Guidoni that the picture represents Italian cities, which were, and remained, so very different in their history, counryside, and psychology, as well as attempts, ancient and modern, at their unification into one state.
The book is written in the first person. Luciana is an earthy character on the path to hell, but young enough to be redeemed by love for the saintly Brother Quido. The characters are so well-written and dialogues so lively, that the reader, not knowing whether he is reading a historical book or a play with many characters, wants to know more and more, and goes with pleasure through those more than 500 pages.
Aside from the main characters there is a very interesting description of Luciana's mother.Even though her acts are evil, she doesn't plan and revel in them. She is just a selfish person, who would do at any time whatever is handy and convenient to her. Therefore, one does even believe her when at the end she claims that she is satisfied, because her daughter, whom the mother disposed of in her babyhood, is happily married and has a child of her own.
The time of Lorenzo Magnifico and the question of HIS character -was he wise, or deceitful, or both- the meeting of the remnant of the Middle Ages with the Renaissance, is very clearly felt throughout the pages of the book.
The end is fairy-tale-like, as it transpires that both the young lovers are from ruling families.
Marina Fiorato has deep knowledge and love for Italy, she is an excellent writer, and I will look for her other books. I won't be surprised if she eventually tried her hand at a play.
2 people found this helpful
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lorelei
5.0 out of 5 stars Spannende Geschichte
Reviewed in Germany on December 28, 2012
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Ich habe schon The Glassblower of Murano gelesen von Marina Fiorato und es war wunderschön! Deshalb habe ich auch dieses Buch gekauft und wurde nicht enttäuscht. Sehr gut recherchiert und spannend geschrieben, ausgeschmückt mit vielen geschichtlichen Details und der Analyse von Botticellis Primavera Gemälde, man spürt förmlich Gerüche und fühlt sich in die Medici Zeit direkt hineinversetzt.Marina Fiorato versteht es auch, dass Gegensätzliches sich anzieht und hat eine Liebesgeschichte zwischen einer Prostituierten und einem Mönch in die Geschichte verwoben, mit sehr realistischen und liebenswerten Charakteren.
Kann ich nur sehr empfehlen.
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A. M. Fifield
5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful historic thriller but more than that
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2011
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I won't go into the storyline as enough is said in the reviews already. I was gripped immediately by the strong characterisation of Luciana and then Brother Guido, the main characters of the book. The story also spoke to me because it was set in late 15th century Italy, and brought back lovely memories of family holidays in Tuscany with a big cultural/artistic focus, sometimes a bit much for our young minds,I admit. The beauty and cleverness of the book also lies in Marina Fiorato's decision to look at Botticelli's Primavera in a different way, i.e. containing a secret which had historical and political implications. We meet so many princes, doges, dukes etc. who did exist at that time, and to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised that the plot actually existed. Fiorato was not trying to compete with Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, as some suggest, but based it on research published by an Italian art historian. Whether you want to believe this or not, doesn't matter. It makes for a strong story-line. With the Kindle version I didn't get a picture of the painting, but I found myself going into search engines checking up on the painting as the "code" became clearer, also for her descriptions of the churches, basilica and palaces. I find the book was extremely well researched in all aspects.
As for the characters, Luciana and Guido are paramount, and very believable. The other characters are supporting the plot, and I feel they are on the whole well portrayed and to the point. One reviewer says they were "dropped" when they were no longer needed - well, they weren't needed any longer, had played their part, and so is life.
One bit of advice: do not read "diagonally" as you may not see clues, and you would have to go back to check again.
A beautiful mystery/thriller plot interwoven with history, politics, beauty, arts and love.
3 people found this helpful
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KATARINA
3.0 out of 5 stars Don't read for History
Reviewed in Canada on April 12, 2012
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This novel is a good read and it has an interesting plot, even if it has little to do with historical events. As a historian I was most bothered by the endless mistakes in the details - large and small. Just one example (I could cite pages and pages of examples), people did not eat raw beef (Carpaccio) in Renaissance Italy. As I said, the list is endless, but why waste my time. Most historical novels (since rarely written by trained historians) suffer from this problem, although this one was over the top.
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