by Sarah Dunant
First published 2010
Serafina arrives at the convent of Santa Caterina in 1570 Ferrara burning with fury. Her parents have locked her away to end a forbidden romance, but the sixteen-year-old refuses to accept her fate among the noble women who have married Christ. She plots her escape while working alongside Sor Zuana, the convent's apothecary, learning the secrets of herbs and remedies in the dispensary gardens. Zuana tries to guide the girl toward acceptance of convent life, but Serafina's rebellion runs too deep. Her defiant spirit and unconventional faith shake Zuana's beliefs and threaten Santa Caterina's delicate political balance. As Counter-Reformation forces push the Church toward strict new rules, Serafina's resistance grows more dangerous. Her personal war against confinement could destroy the entire convent community.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forbidden-love, rebellion
Setting: Ferrara, Santa Caterina
Period: 1570
480 pages · Hardcover · Seix Barral