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Girolamo Savonarola was a Dominican friar living in Florence at the end of the fifteenth century. An anti-corruption campaigner, his hellfire preaching increasingly spilled over into tirades against all luxuries that tempted his followers toward sin. These sermons led to the infamous "Bonfire of the Vanities"—a series of fires lit throughout Florence for the incineration of everything from books, extravagant clothing, playing cards, musical instruments, make-up, and mirrors to paintings, tapestries, and sculptures.
Railing against the vice and avarice of the ruling Medici family, he was instrumental in their removal from power—and for a short time became the puritanical leader of the city. After turning his attention to corruption within the Catholic Church, he was first excommunicated and then executed by a combination of hanging and being burned at the stake.
Just as in Rizzio—her latest novel with Pegasus Crime—Denise Mina brings a modern take to this fascinating historical story, drawing parallels between the febrile atmosphere of medieval Florence and the culture wars of the present day. In dramatizing the life and last days of Savonarola, she explores the downfall of the original architect of cancel culture and, in the process, explores the never-ending tensions between wealth, inequality, and freedom of speech that so dominate our modern world.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
August 1, 2023 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781639364565
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781639364565
- File size: 4592 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from June 12, 2023
Mina (Rizzio) fictionalizes the life of Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola (1452–1498), who was executed for heresy, in this vivid historical thriller. The novel opens in 1498 Florence, with Savonarola reading a coerced confession stating that he’s been lying about having the gift of prophecy. It then flashes back nearly 30 years, to when Savonarola’s hopes for marriage and a successful career as a physician are dashed, setting him on the path to religious fanaticism. Even readers who know what comes next— namely, the 1497 Bonfire of the Vanities, in which Savonarola and his followers burned books and clothes and other “extravagances” all across Florence—will be captivated by Mina’s lyricism (reading his confession to the assembled crowd, Savonarola sees “the dust motes swimming aimlessly in the warm air above their heads and imagines that each speck is an iota of faith leaving a person in the room”) and the insightful connections she draws between medieval ideological battles and 21st-century culture wars. This is a triumph. -
August 4, 2023
Mina's (Conviction) new novel is based on the actual life of Girolamo Savonarola, a Dominican friar living in Florence at the end of the 15th century. His vision of campaigning against corruption begins early in his life. As he grows more fanatical, he begins to use the visions of his faith to drive sermons that are beloved by the poor and hated by the powerful. His sermons lead to the infamous "Bonfires of the Vanities," in which people cast extravagant or luxurious possessions such as books, paintings, fashion, and even mirrors into the flames. Savonarola's sermons against corruption and vanity catch the attention of the Medici family and the Vatican. Once Savonarola turns his vision to the Pope, he is excommunicated, tortured, and executed. Yet his writings live on to inspire Martin Luther and the coming Protestant Reformation. Mina's biographical-fiction style draws parallels to modern times and implies that today's world is not devastatingly new but rather retains a historic tension between inequality, greed, and power. VERDICT This fast and compelling read is a good historical thriller for readers of history and fiction.--Ron Samul
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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