Skip to main content

The Towers of Tuscany by Carol M. Cram: A Book Review

The Towers of Tuscany
Author: Carol M. Cram
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: New Arcadia Publishing
Release Date: 2014
Pages: 388
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: Set amid the twisting streets and sunlit piazzas of medieval Italy, The Towers of Tuscany tells the story of a woman who dares to follow her own path in the all-male domain of the painter’s workshop.

     Trained in secret by her father to create the beautifully-crafted panels and altarpieces acclaimed today as masterpieces of late medieval art, Sofia’s desire for freedom from her father’s workshop leads her to betray her passion and sink into a life of loveless drudgery with a husband who comes to despise her when she does not produce a son.

     In an attack motivated by vendetta, Sofia’s father is crushed by his own fresco, compelling Sofia to act or risk the death of her soul. The choice she makes takes her on a journey from misery to the heights of passion—both as a painter and as a woman. Sofia escapes to Siena where, disguised as a boy, she paints again. When her work attracts the notice of a nobleman who discovers the woman under the dirty smock, Sofia is faced with a choice that nearly destroys her.

     The Towers of Tuscany unites a strong heroine with meticulously researched settings and compelling characters drawn from the rich tapestry of medieval Italy during one of Europe's most turbulent centuries. The stylishly written plot is packed with enough twists and turns to keep readers up long past their bedtimes.

     My review: Towers of Tuscany tells the story of Sofia, an aspiring artist, who is trapped in society and marriage to her dimwitted husband. After her husband becomes involved in an assassination plot of a wealthy nobleman at a wedding feast that killed many people including her father, Sofia decides to leave her husband and Tuscany. She disguises herself as a boy and travels to Siena in hopes to pursue her art. Her work attracts a nobleman, whom she falls in love with, and she ponders whether she should give up her masquerade.

     To be honest, I had a hard time reading this story. I liked the beginning when she bravely decides to leave her husband and disguises herself as a boy, but when she reaches Siena, Sofia makes poor choices that puts her to where she was in the beginning and worse. I honestly felt like I wasted my time reading this book because you hope that the plot gets better but it does not. And I really didn’t like the ending. I felt that the pointless epilogue which jumps to present day should have been left out.

     I didn’t really like Sofia. The only thing I liked about her was that she left her husband in Tuscany and disguised herself as a boy in Siena.  While the book was trying to show how hard it was for a woman to be herself in a patriarchal society, I didn’t really get that in the book. To me, the book was filled with a lot of what-ifs mostly based on Sofia’s decisions. I wondered if she married her husband's younger brother, who is smarter and adored and respected his wife instead or the man who loved and respected her later in the novel, would she have been happier? Instead, Sofia was shallow. She chose the handsome, selfish men that believed that a woman’s place in society is to produce sons and nothing more.

    Overall, this book is filled with romance, betrayal, and choices. It is about a woman looking to be herself. While I didn’t like the characters, I found the setting to be beautifully described. The book is very well-written. It is just that this book wasn’t for me. I recommend this book to anyone interested in art and medieval Italy.

Rating: 2 ½ out of 5 stars

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Nell: Marshal of Bodie (The Nell Doherty Mysteries #1) by John Edward Mullen: A Book Review

Nell: Marshal of Bodie (The Nell Doherty Mysteries #1) Author: John Edward Mullen Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Suspense, Western  Publisher: Murders in Time Press Release Date: 2022 Pages: 300 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: In the winter of 1892, the once-vibrant gold-mining town of Bodie, California is in serious decline.        Nell Doherty, an 18-year-old young woman with a wooden leg, dreams of leaving and becoming a Pinkerton detective.       When a tragic shooting presents her with an opportunity to prove she has the skills needed to work for the Pinkertons, Bodie’s justice of the peace deputizes Nell — over the loud objections of the majority of the town’s residents.      Can she prove them all wrong?       Nell digs in and investigates the shooting, with the help of Rags, her half-Irish, half-Chinese be...

The King's Jewel by Elizabeth Chadwick: A Book Review

The King’s Jewel Author: Elizabeth Chadwick Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance Publisher: Sphere Release Date: 2023 Pages: 456 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Wales, 1093.      The warm, comfortable family life of young Nesta, daughter of Prince Rhys of Deheubarth, is destroyed when her father is killed and she is taken hostage. Her honour is further tarnished when she is taken as an unwilling concubine by King William's ruthless younger brother Henry, who later ascends the throne under suspicious circumstances.      But it is Nesta's marriage that will really change the course of her life. Gerald FitzWalter, an ambitious young knight, is rewarded for his unwavering loyalty to his new King with Nesta's hand. He is delighted, having always admired her from afar, but Nesta's only comfort is her return to her beloved Wales. There, she cannot help but be tempted by the handsome, charismatic and danger...

The Woman from Lydia (The Emissaries #1) by Angela Hunt: A Book Review

The Woman from Lydia (The Emissaries #1) Author: Angela Hunt Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian, Biblical Fiction Publisher: Bethany House Publishers Publication Date: 2023 Pages: 330 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.  Synopsis: Widowed Euodia, known to her neighbors as "the Lydian woman," seeks to make a fresh start by moving to the foreign city of Philippi. She finds new purpose after meeting Paulos, apostle to the Gentiles, who opens her eyes to helping those in need, particularly women and those who have been enslaved.        Retired Roman soldier Hector has settled in Philippi with dreams of a future filled with wealth and status, pooling his army earnings with Lucius, his fellow comrade-in-arms turned business partner. His hopes are dashed, however, when Paulos robs their youngest enslaved girl of her lucrative ability to foretell the future, rendering her worthless to Hector's ambition.     ...