Laura Morowitz

When the beautiful Lucrezia Buti and her sister Spinetta arrive on the doorstep of the Convent Santa Margherita, they are admitted with open arms and ushered into the simplicity of cloistered life. But for Lucrezia this new life is one of sadness, for until her father's unexpected death, she had been expecting to marry a handsome merchant and live her life as a wife and mother. As Lucrezia comes to fully understand the sacrifices demanded of her, she meets the monk and painter Fra Filippo show more Lippi. Fra Filippo is also the chaplain to the convent and during one of his routine visits he comes across the stunning Lucrezia and is immediately captured by her beauty. Wishing to use her as a model for several commissions of the Madonna that he is to paint, Fra Filippo inveigles an arrangement for Lucrezia to visit his home and workshop so that she may model for him. But Lucrezia's visits are not going unnoticed by others with great power. As Fra Filippo begins to paint the young woman, he becomes hopelessly in love with her, a dangerous situation for a monk and a novice to find themselves in. As the two become conspirators in art, unseen hands begin to threaten both of their futures, and Fra Filippo and Lucrezia begin a frightening downward spiral amidst the wondrous paintings that their forbidden union creates. In this lush and dark creation, two people long to give their souls to each other but find heartache for they have already given them to God.

When I was offered the chance to review this book for my site, I was surprised to discover that it had in fact been written by two bloggers! I know there are probably a lot of bloggers out there who are working on novels of their own, or wish to, but I have never had the pleasure of reading something written by a member of my own community. I was pretty excited about reading the book, and in the end, I felt like the collaboration between Albanese and Morowitz made for a wonderful and engrossing read.

When I began this book, I had a feeling that I would already be familiar with the story it tells. A pair of young girls is brought to a convent against their will after their father dies and leaves them penniless. I thought back to Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant, a story that had a very similar beginning. But as the story progressed, I found that this was a very different story indeed. First of all, though Lucrezia did not want to be held as a captive in the convent, she starts to conform into a chaste and virtuous woman very early on. She is humble about the situation that she finds herself in, and instead of fighting with all her might, decides to pray for enlightenment and acceptance. I found this to be a rare attitude, for I can imagine that being placed in a convent and watching your prospects dwindle away would probably be maddening and upsetting, but Lucrezia takes it all in stride and acts with grace.

Fra Filippo was a different creature entirely. As a monk, he is forced to live a chaste life. This is very hard for him to do, and the reader is led to believe that the monk has had several indiscretions with easy women, problems with his finances and a lot of trouble actually completing the commissions that he has been hired to work upon. Fra Filippo is a lover of beauty, and upon seeing Lucrezia for the first time, his soul is rapturous. He has trouble concentrating on his duties as the convent's chaplain due to his hypersensitivity to Lucrezia's face and body. Though he doesn't dare dream about breaking his vows, he has trouble controlling his excitement and ardor for the young girl and works out his own arrangements to have her model for him. Though things begin in innocence, the two are quickly led astray when they realize that their interest in each other is not merely platonic. During these early scenes, I found a lot to admire about Fra Filippo. He had some slightly loose morals at times but he strove to keep himself in check and do what was expected of him as a monk and chaplain.

When an unexpected attack blackens Lucrezia's honor, Fra Filippo is angry and livid. He wishes to protect the young girl from further dishonor and finally reveals his love for her. Though he is a monk, he discovers that his heart's desire has been sitting right in front of him and he is willing to do anything to keep her. There are mounting dangers and pressures for Filippo. Because of his habit of always being behind on his commissions, he is drawing anger from the high placed officials in the church, and various others begin to threaten him about his inappropriate relationship with his young model. These sections were filled with drama and suspense and I found them to be the most interesting of the book. As the monk dodges and weaves out of harm's way, he never suspects that Lucrezia could be in danger as well. Forces mightier than the two are working furiously against them and are beginning to create situations of great danger for them. There is wickedness coming from all directions, and try as they might, the two have a hard time keeping it at bay while still managing to care for one another.

The writing style of this book was extremely atmospheric and easy to become enmeshed in. It portrays this time period very skillfully, and within its historic framework, it also deftly captures and describes the art of its time. I found that while I was reading it was easy to get lost in the place and time that the novel is set in and it was almost as if I could see the sun-soaked streets of Renaissance Italy and smell the gesso that the painter used to capture his detailed paintings. At times the book was darker than I had been expecting but this was not really a hindrance to me. I also loved the look at the internal politics of the convent. Much like the convent portrayed in Sacred Hearts, this was a place where ambition was clothed in the habits of the women walking through its halls. There was a lot of intrigue going on within the convent walls and it was fascinating to discover that these women, who were so far removed from society, were really not all that different from the ones that were free. I think that this was a marvelous aspect of the story and it captured my interest in a lot of ways. I am fast becoming a lover of convent literature and this is one of the books I have to thank for that!

If you are a reader of historical fiction and enjoy books with blended settings, I think this would be a great addition to your collection. Those who love stories about art history or the very intricate life that goes on behind the convent walls would also enjoy this book. Between the intense story it tells, the great attention to detail and the incredible aura it captures, this book made for a wonderful reading experience. A terrific work of historical fiction. show less

Prato, Italy 1456. Twenty year old Lucrezia Buti arrives at the Convent Santa Margherita, along with her younger sister, Spinetta. The sisters lives have completely changed since the death of their father, a successful cloth merchant. They find themselves suddenly destitute, with no choice but to enter the convent. For Spinetta, who was always promised to the church, the transition is not difficult. But this is not the case for her beautiful sister. Lucrezia's future husband had been show more selected, she was planning to be married. With the sudden lack of a dowry all her plans are destroyed and she feels the loss keenly. She is not comfortable with the stark life of a nun, though she tries her best to adjust to the life fate has chosen for her.

Fate is still at work, though. Renowned but dissolute painter Filippo Lippi has been given the job of chaplain at Santa Margherita by his patrons, the powerful Medicis. He is at a low point, lacking inspiration, when he suddenly meets Lucrezia and her beauty inspires both his painting and his heart. Lucrezia is drawn to him in return, though any relationship between a monk and a novice nun is of course completely forbidden.

Beauty can be a blessing and a curse, as Lucrezia discovers when the powerful Prior General begins to force himself upon her. In desperation, she uses the uproar on the day of The Feast of the Sacred Belt to escape the convent and hide in the house of a wealthy family. But she meets Lippi on the way and ends up taking refuge in his home, instead. When the worst happens anyway, Lippi is willing to give up everything to protect her and keep her from further harm.

Human nature never changes, that is what makes stories like this one resonate down through the years. Don't we always want most what we can't have? Centuries have gone by and this still remains true. And there will always be those who can't resist greed, self importance, power...the villains then are not so very different from the villains now. This is the aspect of historical fiction that I most enjoy, that a dusty old story that has had the personality and emotion eroded from it by time can be renewed and made relevant by the imagination of an author (or authors, in this case). Now I wish I'd paid more attention in the single art history class I took in college...I remember it being boring, boring, boring. Too bad the professor didn't have a little of the talent of these authors, if he had added the stories behind the paintings...well, who knows where I'd be now! If you enjoy historical fiction you'll definitely want to read The Miracles of Prato ! show less

The Miracles of Prato is the story of a lesser-known love affair, between the Renaissance painter Filippo Lippi, and Lucrezia Butti, a novice in the Convent of Santa Margherita in Prato. According to the authors' note in the back of the book, Lucrezia was either a novice or a young lady placed in the care of the Convent. They had two children together, one of which, Filippino, became a famous painter himself, studying under Boticelli. The story is probably a romanticized version of what show more really happened; doing a bit more reading, I found out that Lucrezia may have been kidnapped by Lippi, and held hostage in his home. The "miracle" of the title is the Sacra Cintola, or Sacred Belt, that is the lynchpin of part of the story.

I found this book to be slow going. The writing style is excellent, but excellent writing does not a great novel make. The authors are clearly passionate about art; it's too bad that the rest of the novel can't keep up. The love story is muted, and it was hard for me to see why the painter and novice were attracted to each other in the first place. It's a pretty standard treatment of an old story. But that said, I enjoyed the historical setting; it's well-researched, and the story is an interesting composite of fact and fiction. show less

The Miracles of Prato tells the story of Lucrezia Buti, a young woman who has just entered a convent against her wishes in 15th Century Prato, a town outside of Florence. Lucrezia's family had fallen on hard times, so she has been denied the marriage she always dreamed of and has to become a nun instead. Soon after entering the convent, a depressed Lucrezia catches the eye of Fra Fillipo, the convent's chaplain, and a famous monk-painter. Fillipo is intrigued by her beauty, and--seeing her show more as his new Madonna--asks her to model for him. The two quickly fall in love, and marry in secret after Lucrezia is the victim of a terrible crime. But what will the Church do, allow the monk and young nun a life together, or take it away?

Despite an excellent subject and a strong start, The Miracles of Prato fell a little flat for me. The authors do an excellent job of capturing the atmosphere of a small convent in Italy in the 15th century, and the art they describe is beautiful. But the characters that populate this beautiful world are extremely one dimensional, and they react to their situations in a consistently helpless fashion. I know I may be a modern reader imposing my views of the past, but I like my historical romance with a bit of spunk and passion, which is lacking in Miracles. Instead, the novel is full of stereotypes, from the greedy man at the head of the church to the fallen virgin who is still a repentant angel. Although the novel is in part based on fact, these flat representations make it feel unbelievable.

Although I didn't love this book overall, there were parts that were enjoyable, full of beautiful settings and scenes. It gives you a real feel for church life in Italy, and the struggles of young women at the time. I would recommend this book to fans of the Renaissance period in Italy, or students of art history, with a warning about the characters. show less