<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>"Sensuous and provocative as well as mysterious, Blume's interpretation of master painter Sandro Botticelli is at once a florid love story and a chilling political drama."-Publisher's Weekly. You'll see Sandro's conflicts with the Medici family of Florence, and meet the woman at the heart of his paintings.<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><p>"Sensuous and provocative as well as mysterious, Blume's interpretation of master painter Sandro Botticelli is at once a florid love story and a chilling political drama."--Publisher's Weekly.</p><p><em>Botticelli's Muse</em> is an historical novel about a love quadrangle: Botticelli's troubled life as he is forced to choose among his three loves: art, romance, and prestige.</p><p>In 1477, Botticelli is suddenly fired by his prestigious patron and friend Lorenzo de' Medici. In the villa of his irritating new patron, the artist's creative well runs dry--until the day he sees Floriana, a Jewish weaver imprisoned in his sister's convent. But events threaten to keep his unlikely muse out of reach. So begins a tale of one of the art world's most beloved paintings, <em>La Primavera</em>, as Sandro, a confirmed bachelor, and Floriana, a headstrong artist in her own right, enter into a turbulent relationship.</p><p>Book One: BOTTICELLI'S MUSE</p><p> </p><p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br><p>In Dorah Blume's capable hands, Renaissance Italy comes to life in all its complexity, historical fact deftly woven into a captivating narrative. Ostensibly the tale of the creation of Sandro Botticelli's famed <em>Primavera</em> masterpiece, <em>Botticelli's Muse</em> is in equal parts a story of artistic inspiration, political intrigue, religious faith, temptation, and yes, romance. <br /> --Sarah Cascone, Associate Editor, artnet News</p><p>Meticulously researched. You'll be transported to another time and place . . . and meet well-drawn characters. Dorah Blume has given us a masterpiece. --Claire Daniel</p><br>