Bookseller Reviews
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Masterful and riveting.
Rachel Blackmore’s “Constanza” is a riveting addition to contemporary historical fiction that masterfully blends romance, adventure, and mystery within the... READ MORE
Outstanding!!!
Rome, 1636
In such a place, the scorched city of Rome, gossip, hearsay, tattle, all mix with boredom, spite, and hatred, culminating in rumours that run r... READ MORE
Historical fiction that feels fresh!
Blackmore manages to strike the balance between beautiful detail and well paced story telling. I couldn't put down this emotional retelling.
A Work of Art!
A work of art! (pun intended)
This is such a powerful story with an incredible narrative.
Blackmore's writing is rich with history - her story full of p... READ MORE
The perfect summer read!
I was so excited to receive an early copy of this amazing debut - and I devoured it in a day!
Blackmore brings the forgotten story of Costanza Piccolomi... READ MORE
Synopsis
'In Blackmore's striking fictional retelling of this true history, Costanza refuses to accept a fate as nothing more than a victim of male exploitation' SUNDAY TIMES
Rome, 1636: In the scorched city of Rome, the cobbled streets hum with gossip and sin... Costanza Piccolomini is a respectable young wife - until she meets Gianlorenzo Bernini, the famed sculptor and star of Roman society, whose jet-black gaze matches his dark temper. From the second they set eyes upon each other, a fatal attraction is born.
Their secret love burns with a passion that consumes them. But with every stolen kiss and illicit tryst, Costanza's reputation is at stake. Meanwhile, Bernini has a dangerous desire: he wants to make Costanza immortal. He vows to possess her not just in body and soul, but also in marble.
When Bernini unveils his sculpture of Costanza, she is exposed as his lover, marking the undoing of their affair - and the beginning of a scandal which will rock Roman society. For Bernini would rather destroy Costanza than let her go.
Betrayed. Abandoned. Banished. This was meant to be the end of Costanza's story. But Costanza is no ordinary woman: from the ashes, she will rise...
History calls her a Muse. Temptress. Fallen woman. This is her story. Based on a true story, Costanza brings to life a feminist icon who has been written out of history. Perfect for fans of The Marriage Portrait and The Miniaturist.
'Emotionally intense' DAILY MAIL
'Stunning' JENNIE GODFREY
'This novel took over my life' PATERSON JOSEPH
'I loved it' ELIZABETH CHADWICK
'This has to be my book of the year!' SHEILA O'FLANAGAN
'A revelation' ELLEN ALPSTEN
Publisher information
- Publisher: John Murray Press
- ISBN: 9780349131122
- Number of pages: 432
- Dimensions: 200 x 132 x 38 mm
- Weight: 340g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allA remarkable woman..
Rachel Blackmore, with extremely detailed research, gives a voice to little known Costanza Piccolomini who was the lover and muse of the great 17th century... READ MORE
Terrific read
This is such a powerful and compelling book. I was hooked from the opening pages and found it increasingly difficult to put down. The story of Costanza Pic... READ MORE
Powerful and important
I loved this book. I’ve spent a lot of my personal life drawing attention to and campaigning against domestic violence and found Rachel’s author’s note to ... READ MORE
Beautifully written
Be prepared to be really angry if you read this book. It’s amazing and so well-written but the horrendous treatment of women was rage-inducing.
This is... READ MORE
Great Read
The book is based on a true story through the eyes of Costanza. The men ruled the 1600's in Rome where women were married young, and expected to be mother... READ MORE
exquisite and gripping storytelling
I loved this book and devoured it in three days. The writing and vividness of the times and the characters expertly brought to life. It is a story of such ... READ MORE
'Tess of the D'Urbevilles' meets 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' in 17th-century Rome
[AD/PR Copy] Rome 1636: Costanza - respectably married, relatably taken for granted, understandably angry, and hungry for life - catches the eye of sculpto... READ MORE
High Art & Deep Passion
‘Costanza’ drew me in from the first sight of its cover. Once I made my initial, tentative steps into the suffocating, claustrophobic warren of 17th Centur... READ MORE
Captivating and thought provoking
I didn't realise until I had finished reading that this is based on a true story, but that just makes Constanza's life even more extraordinary. She was a r... READ MORE
Thought provoking
This book was an interesting read, very thought provoking about the treatment of women. It is a historical fiction based on the true story of Costanza.
... READ MORE
Beware the pull of genius
In Costanza, Rachel Blackmore shows us 1630s Rome in all its clamour and precarity, its pomp and glamour, right from its tantalising, sleight-of-hand prolo... READ MORE
Well researched and carefully crafted
Costanza by Rachel Blackmore focuses on 17th century Rome and the life of Costanza Piccolomini. It is a book so captivating that I almost couldn't go on re... READ MORE
Constanza by Rachel Blackmore is an unmissable feminist narrative that breathes life into a forgotten icon of history
Rachel Blackmore's masterful writing vividly captures the fashions of the era, drawing readers into a world where every stolen kiss and illicit tryst carri... READ MORE
A searing tale of medieval Italy and injustice to women
This is a story of the rise and fall of Costanza, a woman who is both wife and mistress. She tries to gain control but ultimately men are in charge of her ... READ MORE
Enjoyable historical fiction
Thank you NetGalley & Dialogue books for the ARC
It's the 17th century, Costanza is a young woman married to an up and coming sculptor who works out of ... READ MORE
Excellent historical fiction based on a true story
Rome in 1636, & Costanza Piccolomini is married to Matteo, a sculptor who works in the studio of Papal favourite, Gianlorenzo Bernini. When Costanza meets ... READ MORE
Worth every one of the 5 stars
Rome, 1636. History calls her a Muse. Temptress. Fallen woman. This is her story.
This is based on the true story of Costanza who is married to Matteo a... READ MORE
Just Wow!!
Wow. What a book. Constanza is a married woman who falls headlong in love with her husbands boss, a renowned sculptor. Set a few hundred years ago in Rome ... READ MORE
A beautifully written, character driven debut that is a story of love, lust and betrayal
4.5*
Based on a true story, this beautifully written, character driven debut is a fictionalised deep dive into the life of Costanza Piccolomini and how ... READ MORE
What a debut!
A ravishing book in every way - good historical fiction, about a woman who was ravished by those who were able to control her body and take what they desir... READ MORE
Compelling!
Compelling
Seventeenth century Rome, this compelling book is fictional but based on real characters.
Costanza Piccolomini makes the acquaintance of he... READ MORE
Just stunning! One of my favourite books of the year!
‘Costanza’ is the story of the famous sculptor, Lorenzo Bernini and the beautiful Costanza who becomes his muse. However, their story is anything but as si... READ MORE
Wow!
This blew my mind. Very moving indeed. What a writer.
Novel set in 1630s ROMe
The novel is based on the real story of Costanza Piccolomini who became Lorenzo Bernini’s lover for a period of time in the 1630s. The author was struck by... READ MORE
A sultry historical romance read
*ARC review*
What I loved: the characterisation and the richness of the storytelling. Costanza is a wonderfully flawed but relatable character, and it w... READ MORE
Wife, lover, muse but who was the real. Constanza?
1636 and Lorenzo Bernini, a famous sculptor has fallen in love with a married woman. She is young and beautiful and becomes his muse. But his brother also ... READ MORE
Costanza
Rachel blackmore what have you written...... one of the best novels I have ever read. My heart and mind entangled into this story, I experienced a whole ra... READ MORE
Giving life and a voice to the wronged women of 17th Century Rome
Not my usual style of historical fiction but "Costanza" by Rachel Blackmore definitely grew on me. Set in 17th Century Rome against the backdrop of artists... READ MORE
The wheel of fortune
Lorenzo Bernini is an artist at the height of his power, commissioned by the Pope to produce sculptures for the Vatican. Costanza Piccolomini is the wife ... READ MORE
Exceptional historical fiction
What a masterpiece of a historical fiction novel! If I were to allocate a star rating, it would be a night sky full....
Rome in 1683 is neither the time o... READ MORE
A brilliant book
Constanza is immortalised in marble by the exquisitely talented Bernini, who aged 23 sculpted The Rape of Proserpina, (On display in Rome's Villa Borghese)... READ MORE
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