Review: The Maiden of Florence by Katherine Mezzacappa

Today, I'm thrilled to share my review of The Maiden of Florence, a gripping, intriguing historical novel set in 16th-century Italy, by Katherine Mezzacappa. Well worth checking out!

The Maiden of Florence is currently on blog tour with Rachel's Random Resources. My thanks to Rachel, and to Fairlight Books, for a copy of the novel.

 

 

 

The Maiden of Florence

Katherine Mezzacappa

 

Wow, just wow! I don't know how else to begin my review of this utterly fascinating story.

Giulia is an orphan. She carries the surname of a previously famous Florentine family, but she knows nothing about her parents. Dropped off at the Ospedale degli Innocenti orphanage as a baby, she has no memory of her early life other than the experiences within her small community. When she is ten, she is moved to the stricter Pietà, where even speaking with other girls is forbidden. And whilst the girls are taught the basics – how to sew and embroider, they receive no education in reading or writing. The path ahead is clear: become a nun or go into service with one of the many families in Florence.

Until one day, when Giulia is 20, visitors arrive, with the promise of finding her a good husband. Excitedly, she is happy to escape the strict confinement of the Pietà, but when she is thoroughly examined, she wonders what she let herself in for.

Giulia becomes a new woman: washed, cleaned of head lice, and presented with clean shifts and plain but good-quality gowns. Veering between excitement, wonder, and apprehension, she is taken secretively to Venice, where she is to meet a prince of the house of Gonzaga. 

Once there, the reality of her situation is finally explained to her: in order to marry a daughter of the powerful Medici family, Prince Vincenzo must prove his virility. His first wife discarded for a physical 'abnormality', rumours raised by her family question his 'delivery'. So proof is needed!

And Giulia is to be the subject of the princes sexual attention, simply to prove to his future in-laws – and the world – that he is really a man. Well, well. 

Raised as an innocent, Giulia is horrified, but when the handsome prince appears, she falls in love with him. Not unsurprising, given she'd had very little to do with men, and during the act of lovemaking, he treats her with gentleness. But then, after proof of his virility has been witnessed (and felt!!), he disappears, and Giulia feels let down.

After leaving Venice, the man in charge of organising the 'event' – cavaliere Belisario Vinta – takes advantage of Giulia, who has no way of escaping his clutches if she wants to be properly married.

Returning to Florence, she is kept away from everyone else, and, as suspected, she finds herself pregnant, but by which man, she only discovers at birth. Then the baby is taken away from her, and her world collapses.

Will she ever see her son again? Will the promised marriage happen? And will Giulia find contentment and happiness at last? Find out in the novel!

Giulia's character at the beginning of the novel is endearing, sweet, and utterly naïve – not surprising, given her upbringing. The daily life in the orphanages is told a little abruptly, which fits the situation perfectly. There was no love shown towards the children, and forging friendships was forbidden as 'sinful'. Life there, as years go by without change, must have been demoralising for the children, only being raised to become devoid of emotions. And all in the name of religion...

The scenes of her physical examination by doctors and dubious onlookers such as Vinta, were written in a way that the harrowing experience for Giulia is clear to see. Her lovemaking with the prince is tastefully told, but the scene of Vincenzo's proof is mind-boggling in its detail! The humiliation felt by both him and Giulia is screaming from the pages, and Vinta's fascination with her comes across as eerily perverse as it would have been. 

As the author has impeccably researched this true event about Vincenzo Gonzaga and a girl called Giulia, who was used as a guinea pig to prove his virility, the scene becomes even more shocking. And, believe me, the author is not out to shock, but shock it does! Ms Mezzacappa has created a fascinating story of semi-public humiliation which even a pope approved of, in order to see proof for his political allies.

The 'event' is actually recorded, so Ms Mezzacappa writes in her Historical Notes at the end of the novel, and this novel is as much about the physical act that happened as it is about the political world of Florence, Ferrara, Venice, and all the other independent states and families that wielded great power in Renaissance Italy. It shows them for what they really were – opportunistic, greedy, antagonistic, and utterly devoid of conscience. 

The Maiden of Florence is an intriguing tale of lost innocence, political plotting, and of new beginnings. The narrative is highly engaging, to the point of blunt at times, and you feel yourself drawn into the story, unable to let Giulia go. You gasp, shake your head, and blink back tears as you read this incredible account of one young girl's fate, which is based on a true story. And you smile, as Giulia, in the novel, comes away a stronger woman.

An utterly absorbing book, highly recommended.

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Blurb:

'My defloration was talked about in all the courts of Europe. The Prince boasted of his prowess, even as preparations were being made for his wedding, as boldly as if he had ridden across that causeway with bloodstained sheet tied to his lance.'

1584, Italy: Twenty-year-old Giulia expects she will live and die incarcerated as a silk weaver within the walls of her Florentine orphanage, where she has never so much as glimpsed her own face. This all changes with the visit of the Medici family's most trusted advisor, promising her a generous dowry and a husband if she agrees to a small sacrifice that will bring honour and glory to her native city. 

Vincenzo Gonzaga, libertine heir to the dukedom of Mantua, wants to marry the Grand-Duke of Tuscany's eldest daughter, but the rumours around his unconsummated first marriage must be silenced first. Eager for a dynastic alliance that will be a bulwark against the threat of Protestant heresy beyond the Alps, the Pope and his cardinals turn a blind eye to a mortal sin. 

A powerful #MeToo story of the Renaissance, based on true events.

 

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maiden-Florence-Katherine-Mezzacappa/dp/1914148509/

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Maiden-Florence-Katherine-Mezzacappa/dp/1914148509/

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Giveaway to Win a vintage postcard, early 1900s, of the babies from the façade of the Innocenti orphanage. (Open INT)

 

 

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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About the Author:

Katherine Mezzacappa is an Irish writer of mainly historical fiction, currently living in Italy. She has published several novels under pen names with publishers Bonnier Zaffre and eXtasy. She works as a manuscript assessor for The Literary Consultancy.

 

 

Katherine reviews for Historical Novel Society’s quarterly journal and is one of the organisers of the Society’s 2022 UK conference. In her spare time she volunteers with a used book charity of which she is a founder member.

Connect with Katherine:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/katmezzacappa

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katherinemezzacappafiction/

Website: https://katherinemezzacappa.ie/