Shortlisted for the inaugural Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction 2010.
Featured on The Book Show on Sky Arts on 6 June 2010.
Featured on The TV Book Club on More4 on 31 January 2010.
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.
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.
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
Tell Us What Rosie Goodwin’s Books Mean to You and Win a Signed Book Bundle
Closing date: 31/10/2026
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.
Sacred Hearts features in the following genres: Historical Fiction, eBooks of the Month, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Book Club Recommendations, Fiction, Recommendations, General Fiction
Paperback, Ebook. £9.89, down from the £10.99 cover price. In Stock.
Sacred Hearts was written by Sarah Dunant and published by Virago Press Ltd an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group
Sacred Hearts has 471 pages
£9.89, reduced from £10.99. In Stock.
