April 2, 2006

Book of the week: In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant

This week I’m reading Sarah Dunant’s In the Comnpany of the Courtesan, a fascinating historical novel set in 16th century Italy. You just can’t get better reading than this excellently written book about a beautiful courtesan, Fiammetta Bianchini, and her pimp, the dwarf Bucimo. The story is told through his eyes, and moves from Rome to Venice, giving a colorful snapshot of both cities in the process. The sacking of Rome by the armies of two countries is recounted in horrid detail, and Fiammetta and Bucimo escape narrowly, taking their fortune with them by swallowing Fiammetta’s jewels. They head for Venice, where there’ll be enough rich men to support the two in the style they’ve enjoyed. Along the way, the two suffer horribly, and their arrival in Venice finds them on the brink of collapse.

But Fiammetta recovers her looks slowly, and Bucimo gives her his loyalty and support and his shrewd bargaining ability, and gradually their fortunes improve. The extreme strictures of Venician society seem complex and peculiar, but survivors like this duo are not going to balk at its intricacies. They are aided by a witchwoman/healer, La Draga, whose fate will become tied with theirs. Then trouble enters their lives once again, when the normally practical Fiammetta falls in love.

This is a not a book that goes into details about Fiammetta’s trade. The language is frank, but the details of her trysts are not important to the main story, which is about the bond between two natural survivors. If you’re at all fond of historical fiction, In the Comnpany of the Courtesan is a book you really must read.

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I had two wonderful events this week, both small ones, but something about them really gave me a boost. At a library in Oxford, Mississippi, I had the pleasure of speaking to a great audience about my work and my work habits, and among the crowd were two readers who’d driven from Mobile, Alabama, to enjoy the talk. I was touched and delighted that they’d come so far, and I hope they had as good a time as I did.

In Hot Springs, Arkansas, I spoke at a Mystery Writers of America one-day workshop, along with three other talented women. To my pleasure, one of my high school English teachers was there; so she sat at the desk, and I lectured, kind of reversing our former dynamic. Strange, but fun. Helen Brenau Sanders was a great teacher, and now she’s a writer herself. It was just great to see her.

The audience also included writer Nina Bangs and her friend Gerry, whose last name unfortunately has escaped me . . . Gerry has a book coming out in 2007. It was fun talking to them both.

When I returned home, I began catching up on household tasks and email. I heard from Alan Ball, who said the pilot will probably start filming in February 2007, since he is going to shoot a movie first. I was faintly disappointed, but everything does seem to be on track for the HBO series.

Now I have to work very hard for a few weeks, before I go on tour. Wish me luck.

--Charlaine Harris