Sacred Hearts

This is a story about women’s lives and the consequences of being too poor, alone, and not having the means to marry in the 16th century. It is also a story about strength, courage, faith and love. Dunant weaves a detailed historical account of life during that era. The smells and sights transported me right into their world and I would suggest this book to lovers of historical fiction.

Sacred Hearts is set in a convent. The year is 1570, in the Italian city of Ferrara. The convent is filled with women who are married to Christ. Serafina is 16 years old when her family pays the church a hefty dowry for her to enter their protected walls. Needless to say she’s not very happy about the turn of events in her life and she is determined to escape.

Serafina is given over to Suora Zuana, a scholarly nun who is educated in the healing arts, with the hopes that the young woman will find a way to come to terms with what her life has become. Sacred Hearts not only tells Serafina’s story but Zuana’s, and a cast of characters who came from different backgrounds and lifestyles before entering the convent. It examines the role of faith, passion and character in the lives of women some of who were not willing to be locked away for the rest of their lives.