First published 2003
Florence burns with plague in 1348. Ten young nobles escape to a countryside villa where death cannot reach them. To pass the time, they agree to tell stories. Each day brings ten new tales as the storytellers take turns weaving narratives that span every corner of human experience. Merchants outwit rivals through clever schemes. Lovers reunite against impossible odds. Priests reveal their hypocrisy. Peasants display unexpected wisdom. The stories range from bawdy comedies to tragic romances, from religious parables to secular satires. As the nobles retreat deeper into their world of words, the tales become their shield against the chaos consuming their city. Through one hundred stories told over ten days, Boccaccio creates a kaleidoscope of medieval life that celebrates storytelling as humanity's response to mortality and suffering.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, classics, historical-fiction
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: epistolary, found-family
Setting: Florence
Period: 1348
909 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books