Costanza Audiobook

In Blackmores striking fictional retelling of this true history Costanza refuses to accept a fate as nothing more than a victim of male exploitation SUNDAY TIMES BEST HISTORICAL FICTION
Emotionally intense DAILY MAIL
A stunning visceral portrait of a woman and her life and a story as relevant now as it was then I was gripped JENNIE GODFREY
Wonderful This novel took over my life for the time I was buried in it Powerful and deeply affecting PATERSON JOSEPH

Rome 1636 In the scorched city of Rome the cobbled streets hum with gossip and sin

Costanza Piccolomini is a respectable young wife until she meets Gianlorenzo Bernini the famed sculptor and star of Roman society whose jetblack gaze matches his dark temper From the second they set eyes upon each other a fatal attraction is born

Their secret love burns with a passion that consumes them But with every stolen kiss and illicit tryst Costanzas reputation is at stake Meanwhile Bernini has a dangerous desire he wants to make Costanza immortal He vows to possess her not just in body and soul but also in marble

When Bernini unveils his sculpture of Costanza she is exposed as his lover marking the undoing of their affair and the beginning of a scandal which will rock Roman society For Bernini would rather destroy Costanza than let her go

Betrayed Abandoned Banished This was meant to be the end of Costanzas story But Costanza is no ordinary woman from the ashes she will rise

History calls her a Muse Temptress Fallen woman This is her story Costanza is a dizzying sensual novel that brings to life a feminist icon who has been written out of history This utterly addictive tale of desire and betrayal is perfect for fans of The Marriage Portrait and The Miniaturist

I loved it Rich and evocative in its portrayal of 17th Century Rome A fabulous evocative novel Elizabeth Chadwick

From the first page I was hooked Love lust fury and betrayal leap from the page This is a mustread for anyone who wants to read a true feminist retelling Louise Hare author of This Lovely City

This has to be my book of the year Full of passion and desire A story of the resilience of women in the face of male power Sheila OFlanagan author of The Honeymoon Affair

A gorgeous tale of female resilience steeped in the glamour and danger of renaissanceera Rome Blackmore restores the lively Costanza from a footnote in Berninis story to the heroine of her own Luna McNamara author of Psyche and Eros

A revelation A splendid debut brava And a super summer read Ellen Alpsten author of Tsarina

Sumptuous immersive and bold Costanza breathes life into a woman frozen in marble for three hundred years finally giving her a chance to speak Costanza is both a cathartic cry and a clarion call for justice for generations of forgotten women Hesse Phillips author of Lightborne

I was mesmerised by Costanza a searing fierce tale of obsession revenge and resilience An unforgettable debut novel Naomi Kelsey author of The Burnings

I sat up into the early hours unable to drag myself away from Costanza what a joy Rachel Blackmore rescues Costanza wronged and defiant from the shadows of history Karen Powell author of Fifteen Wild Decembers

Like all the best writers of historical fiction Blackmore uses her examination of the past to shed light on the present day in this searing indictment of the treatment and objectification of women Meticulously researched atmospheric and beautifully observed this is a heartbreaking but ultimately triumphant story of one womans determination to follow her own path Bridget Walsh author of The Innocents

A shocking story Deeply felt Quite apart from anything else I will look at Bernini in a new light Elizabeth Buchan author of The Museum of Broken Promises

Costanza is such a stunner of a novel still thinking about it and Ive been recommending it to everyone Get it on your summer reading lists people Penelope Slocombe author of Sunbirds

A stunning read very powerful The writing is so beautiful and the historical detail mesmerising Nicola Cornick author of The Forgotten Sister