TOUR/EVENTS
USA
There are no events scheduled in The United States at this time.
Australia/New Zealand
There are no events scheduled in Australia/New Zealand at this time.
UK
Manchester Literary Festival I Historical Readers Day
, 16
5:00 PM
tbd
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News:
Sinner and saint
The dark, wild tale of Radegunda, a captured queen who becomes the founding abbess of a convent in the dark ages, helped Sarah Dunant while she was researching her own novel about nuns in 16th-century Italy - READ MORE
Sarah reads excerpts from Sacred Hearts with the Doric String Quartet and Musica Secreta on BBC Radio 3 - LISTEN HERE
Listen to the dramatization of Sacred Hearts on BBC Radio 4 with Geraldine James as Zuana, Eileen Atkins as the Abbess & Nathalie Dormer as Serafina - LISTEN HERE
NPR appearance - LISTEN HERE
PDF Downloads
Celestial sirens in the cloister
Denman Island Writers' Festival builds on success
Sarah Dunant on being inspired by Julia O'Faolain's Women in the Wall | Books | The Guardian
The Independent_ Ditch the doublet_ A fresher form of historical fiction is reclaiming lost stories
Why less-visited Ferrara is as fabulous as Florence | Travel | The Observer
Reviews:
Sacred Hearts, Secret Music
divine art 25077, 2009
Our first CD for two years, Sacred Hearts, Secret Music offers our vision of music as it could have been heard in the fictional convent of Santa Caterina, the setting for Sarah Dunant's new novel, Sacred Hearts. - READ MORE
Denman Island Writers' Festival builds on success
The Denman Island Readers and Writers Festival, this year on July 16 to July 19, has the growing reputation as one of the West Coast's premiere literary events. What's not to like? - READ MORE
Fyrefly’s Book Blog - READ REVIEW
Vancouver Sun
Celestial sirens in the cloister
Nuns in Renaissance Italy could express themselves, and turn rebellion positive, through music - READ MORE
Telegraph.co.uk
Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant: review
Amanda Craig is impressed by Sarah Dunnant's powerful new historical novel, Sacred Hearts - READ MORE
NewBooks
Current Issue: July/August 2009 - Sarah Dunant on the cover - CLICK HERE TO VIEW
On Saturday 6 June the Birkbeck Institute of Humanities organised an event on the historical novel, with the novelists Sarah Dunant and Hilary Mantel, reading from their new publications, as well as a round-table discussion and questions from the audience. A podcast of the event can be listened to here
Quotes:
UK Daily Telegraph; Saturday July 4th
"...the power of Dunant's imagination, the vigour of her scholarship and the lucidity of her style make this a novel that, in addressing unfashionable questions about the price of religious faith, is as intelligent as it is enjoyable".
UK Metro, London, Wednesday July 1st
"...the plot exerts a compulsive hold, and Dunant's insights into history and the possible effects of a religious lifestyle make this fascinating."
UK Financial Times, 20th June
"...vivid and entertaining..."
Publisher's Weekly review (Starred)
Dunant (The Birth of Venus) revisits 16th-century Italy, where the convents are filled with the daughters of noblemen who are unable or unwilling to pay a dowry to marry them off. The Santa Caterina convent's newest novice, Serafina, is miserable, having been shunted off by her father to separate her from a forbidden romance. She also has a singing voice that will be the glory of the convent and-more importantly to some-a substantial bonus for the convent's coffers. The convent's apothecary, Suora Zuana, strikes up a friendship with Serafina, enlisting her as an assistant in the convent dispensary and herb garden, but despite Zuana's attempts to help the girl adjust, Serafina remains focused on escaping. Serafina's constant struggle and her faith (of a type different from that common to convents) challenge Zuana's worldview and the political structure of Santa Caterina. A cast of complex characters breathe new life into the classic star-crossed lovers trope while affording readers a look at a facet of Renaissance life beyond the far more common viscounts and courtesans. Dunant's an accomplished storyteller, and this is a rich and rewarding novel.
"A cast of complex characters breathe new life into the classic star-crossed lovers trope while affording readers a look at a facet of Renaissance life beyond the far more common viscounts and courtesans. Dunant's an accomplished storyteller, and this is a rich and rewarding novel."
Kim McArthur , Globe & Mail (Canada)
'...she skillfully interweaves multiple suspenseful tales with ease. Her sumptuous writing style and her talent at making history relevant and characters vivid mean that Sacred Hearts is like the feisty character in a highbrow costume drama: gorgeously dressed, highly accomplished, but still with plenty going on between the ears'.
