Shortlisted for the inaugural Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction 2010.

September 2009 Good Housekeeping selection.

Convent life, you’d imagine, is one you choose – a vocation. But this searing story of the nuns of Santa Caterina in 16th-century Italy reveals how enforced convent entry was common for noble women who couldn’t find husbands, or, like 16-year-old Serafina, who are sent by their family to end unsuitable relationships. Serafina’s horror at her incarceration is palpable, but as a bond develops with Zuana, the nun who treats the sisters for illness, repressed emotion and self-inflicted wounds, so does a glimmer of hope.

Synopsis

1570 in the Italian city of Ferrara, and the convent of Santa Caterina is filled with noble women who are married to Christ because many cannot find husbands outside. Enter sixteen-year-old Serafina, ripped by her family from an illicit love affair, howling with rage and hormones and determined to escape. While on the other side of the great walls, counter-reformation forces in the Church are pushing for change, inside, Serafina's spirit and defiance ignite a fire that threatens to engulf the whole convent. SACRED HEARTS is a novel about power, creativity and passion - both of the body and of the soul. Hidden history brought alive by a wonderful storyteller, renowned for her Italian Renaissance novels.

About the Author

Sarah Dunant has written eight novels, edited two books of essays and worked widely in television, radio and in print. She has two daughters and lives in London and Florence. Photograph © Charlie Hopkinson More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation