This was the first Sarah Dunant book that I read... recommended to me by my ex. I figured I would like it because it has all the criteria that I look for in a book... but I didn't think I would like it as much as I did! Dunant is a great historical writer... she really does her research. I find that the ability to research and write a great novel from that research takes talent. This book has particularly beautiful prose and very strong characters. Love it!