The year is 1570, and in the convent of Santa Caterina, in the Italian city of Ferrara, noblewomen find space to pursue their lives under God’s protection. But any community, however smoothly run, suffers tremors when it takes in someone by force. And the arrival of Santa Caterina’s new novice sets in motion a chain of events that will shake the convent to its core.

Ripped by her family from an illicit love affair, sixteen-year-old Serafina is willful, emotional, sharp, and defiant–young enough to have a life to look forward to and old enough to know when that life is being cut short. Her first night inside the walls is spent in an incandescent rage so violent that the dispensary mistress, Suora Zuana, is dispatched to the girl’s cell to sedate her. Thus begins a complex relationship of trust and betrayal between the young rebel and the clever, scholarly nun, for whom the girl becomes the daughter she will never have.

As Serafina rails against her incarceration, others are drawn into the drama: the ancient, mysterious Suora Magdalena–with her history of visions and ecstasies–locked in her cell; the ferociously devout novice mistress Suora Umiliana, who comes to see in the postulant a way to extend her influence; and, watching it all, the abbess, Madonna Chiara, a woman as fluent in politics as she is in prayer. As disorder and rebellion mount, it is the abbess’s job to keep the convent stable while, outside its walls, the dictates of the Counter-Reformation begin to purge the Catholic Church and impose on the nunneries a regime of terrible oppression.

Sarah Dunant, the bestselling author of The Birth of Venus and In the Company of the Courtesan, brings this intricate Renaissance world compellingly to life. Amid Sacred Hearts is a rich, engrossing, multifaceted love story, encompassing the passions of the flesh, the exultation of the spirit, and the deep, enduring power of friendship. ( )

Another 5* novel from Sarah Dunant.

Sarah Dunant's third book set in Italy at the time of the Renaisance does not disappoint. Like the previous two, The Birth of Venus and In the Company of the Courtesan, we are captivated by wonderful characters and brilliant sense of place.
When Serafina, a young, reluctant novice, is brought in kicking and screaming to the closed life of the convent, Suora (Sister) Zuana is called upon to administer a sleeping draught so the rest of the convent can sleep. A raport develops between Serafina and Zuana, that recalls Zuana's reluctant entry into the convent many years before.
When it is revealed that Serafina had fallen in love with an 'unsuitable' young man before her entry to the convent, we realise why she is so determined to escape.
Other vivid characters include the loving but authoritarian Abbess and Suora Umiliana, the sister entrusted with the education and well-being of the novices.
The life within a convent is fascinating and although it took me a while to get into the book, I still felt it earned 4.5*.

There is a CD of music composed to accompany the book. Sacred Hearts, Secret Music comprises music of the sort that would have been sung by the wonderful choir at Saint Caterina's. I have ordered a copy, but how wonderful to have had this to listen to while reading the book...... ( )

I really loved this book. I was a Benedictine nun, like the characters in this book, and I have never before read such a good description of the role of the liturgy or of the politics in religious community life. This book is full of really, interesting, strong women. And it's also just a great story! ( )

An engaging historical novel, set in a convent in Renaissance Italy. The story starts off with the arrival of a new novice who has been brought to the convent against her will. But the real drama is the power struggle within the convent hierarchy, between the Abbess who is trying to resist the Counterreformation and another nun who would like to crack down on some of the comforts of convent life -- music, books and even pets. ( )

A compelling story of convent life during the 1570's in Italy. This story is a reminder to all women of the sexism that still plagues us. Although sometimes convents were a refuge to women, unfortunately they also were a way for wealthy families to get rid of the daughters they did not want to provide dowries for, even if the young women did not want to go in the convent. This is a story of such a woman. It also touches on church politics. Very interesting! ( )