SACRED HEARTS

by Sarah Dunant



"In 1570 Ferrara, Italy, a family slams their daughter, sixteen-year-old Serafina, into the Santa Caterina convent after they discover her embraced with an illicit lover. As counter-reformation forces push for change outside Santa Caterina's walls, inside the angry and passionate Serafina threatens the traditionalist foundation of the convent and its sisters." (From the CD container)

After how much I ended up loving In the Company of the Courtesan, I was very anxious to get my hands on Sarah Dunant's newest offering, Sacred Hearts. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.

The premise was promising and Dunant's writing was as mesmerizing as I remember, but the story never grabbed hold of me. Learning about the lives of nuns and church/convent politics in 16th century Italy was most interesting, but there was something about the plot that felt simplistic beneath the grandeur of all the history. Once I got a couple of chapters into the book, I think I was hoping for the intensity of the movie Stigmata, and I'm disappointed that it never even came close. I realize that was a completely unrealistic expectation, but it's the one I had. I didn't dislike Sacred Hearts. It just wasn't as captivating as I had hoped it would be.



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