First published 1979
Florence burns with religious fever as a fanatical monk seizes control of the city's soul. Lorenzo de'Medici watches his carefully built world crumble under the preacher's hypnotic influence over the citizens. The monk's followers drag precious artworks into the flames, including paintings by Lorenzo's friend Botticelli. The artist sees years of work reduced to ash while the crowd cheers. Lorenzo must navigate the treacherous currents of fifteenth-century politics as corruption spreads through his inner circle. Power shifts between the ruling families as the monk's message takes hold. Botticelli struggles between his art and his survival as the city turns against beauty itself. The friendship between Lorenzo and the painter faces its greatest test. Florence transforms from a center of Renaissance culture into something darker and more dangerous. At stake is not just political control but the very soul of the city and the bonds between the men who shaped it.
Genres: art, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, politics
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: friendship, power-struggles
Setting: Florence, Italy
Period: 15th Century
408 pages · Hardcover · St Martins Pr