I enjoyed the overall plot of the novel - We follow Giulia's life in her perspective, starting from when she was young and was essentially tricked into being sexually abused by the Prince. Although she was promised a sizable dowry and a husband, she lived the rest of her life being watched by Vinta. I was expecting the plot to stay sad but happy to see that Giulia found her happiness with Giuliano, who recovered Filippo for her and have done all he could to make her happy during their lives together. I did feel the ending was abrupt as we see a glimpse into Giulia potentially reuniting with her mother and learning about her real identity. Overall, plot was great but definitely some room for improvement in the writing as I've become lost at several points through the book.

This is a story of abuse. Told via the medium of letters to a mother she did not know, it is a mesmerising, yet brutally cruel story of exploitation and sexual abuse upon a young girl, who has spent her formative years in a orphanage in Florence.
Innocent in the ways of the world, and men especially, Giulia Albizzi is chosen for an important task, one that has the blessing of the Holy Church. She will give her virginity to a Prince, who had problems consummating his first marriage, in order to provide reassurance to the second bride, that everything is working as it should!! In return for this sacrifice, Giulia will be provided with enough money not to have to work again, and a husband will be provided for her.
The descriptions of this ordeal are pitiful and disturbing. She ends up pregnant, but is so very lucky in the husband she marries.
This story is pretty evenly balanced with both Giulia and her husband telling their story. I adore and salute the kindness and tenderness of the husband as he supports his wife throughout their long association together. He never makes her feel inferior.
A well researched story. These type of events happened in this country as well. In Norman times, there was a practice called “ Droit du Seigneur, which allowed feudal Lords to have the first sexual relations on the brides wedding night.
An interesting and compassionate read, quite emotional , despite the difficult subject matter.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Fairlight Books for my advanced digital copy, freely given in exchange for my honest opinion.
I will post to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication. A five star read.

I received this advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This novel really surprised me! I started it in the morning and by the evening I had finished the novel. It was a fascinating and well researched story about a young girl being manipulated by powerful men in Italy, and the writing was very captivating. I greatly enjoyed this novel! I recommend it to all those interested in historical fiction, as well as book clubs or those interested in reading about other times and cultures.

The Maiden of Florence was such an interesting read. It is a fictional account of a real girl, Giulia, an orphan who was offered up as a maiden for the Prince of Mantua to prove his virility. The book reads like a memoir, and is written mostly from the point of view of Giulia, with one part written from the POV of Giuliano. I really liked having two different voices in the narrative, and I think having Giuliano's perspective made it a bit lighter. Giulia's chapters are brutally honest about her trials and her harsh reality of being born a woman in Medici Florence. I was shocked when I reached the end to find the author's Historial Note saying that a good portion of the book was based on actual documents, including some of the quotes. Despite Giulia's despicable treatment by her "betters", her story is one of hope and resilience. If you're a historical fiction reader, or have an interest in 16th century Florence/Venice, I would definitely recommend this.

at first I wasn't too sure about this book, and up to around 30% of the way through I found it quite hard to read due to the tough subject matter. but once I got past all of that I found myself becoming more and more intrigued by the story- and I'll never say no to medieval Italy!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.

This was more moving than I thought it would be! I have read other similar stories set in Italy during the same time period, but this was quite different. For a start it was more graphic in quite an uncomfortable but not inappropriate way; secondly the language was simpler and less flowery which somehow made the story more vital and impactful. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the well-written book set in the 1500s and 1600s, as I am a fan of historical fiction from that era. After finishing a emotionally draining book, I was hesitant to start another one so soon, but I was pleasantly surprised by the unique topic of this story. The well-crafted protagonists, some likable and some detestable, made for an engaging read. Overall, I truly appreciated this book.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this advance reader copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

I have to say honestly that I did not enjoy the start of this book very much - but bear with it because by the end I was very invested! The beginning of the novel reads very factually about the unpleasant topic at the heart of the novel, namely the giving of a virgin orphan (Giulia) as a test to the prince of Mantua to prove his virility before he is married to Eleonora Medici. This is the historical fact around which the novel is based, but it makes for very hard reading initially - everything Giulia is put through is horrifying, even if likely to have happened. The novel really comes into its power though with the conclusion of this episode, where the fictional imagining takes life and sees Giulia married to Giuliano, a poor musician who is initially forced into taking her but quickly learns to see the good qualities of his new wife and to care for her. Reading from Giuliano’s point of view began to warm me to the characters. This doesn’t become a love story, however - the novel continues to show how the couple are still tied by forces outside of their control to that past event, and how they work to overcome it. It’s a very interesting and well written account of the times, and I do really enjoy reading about Renaissance Florence/Mantua/Venice.

My thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher, Fairlight Books, for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The cover and the blurb got me very interested. Unfortunately, it didn't held my attention for long. I found the writing a bit dul and the story in itself a bit boring. It reminded me of another book as well. I am sure other people will like it, it just wasn't for me.

The Maiden of Florence tells the story of Giulia, plucked from an orphanage in Florence to be used as an experiment to prove or disprove the virility of a prince marrying into the Medici family, and her subsequent life.

I was worried this would be a book that was very upsetting to read given the subject matter, and I would definitely urge anyone who needs to heed any trigger warnings regarding sexual assault to give this book a miss.

However if that's something you can deal with, there is also so much more to this story. I found myself rooting for Giulia and enjoyed hating the despicable minister Vinta, and the tension that his consistent presence in her life brought had me turning the pages long after I had other things to do.

Mezzacappa quite clearly sets out the myriad ways women were subjugated by the patriarchy at the time, and how so many women's lives were completely beholden to more powerful men, and one just had to hope they were moral and upstanding. In that vein, without giving anything away, Giulio was a standout character for me, I loved him.

It was easy to get lost in Florence, Mantua and Venice and I really enjoyed the scene setting and felt how important Giulia's faith was to processing and finding solace in her life, as did the other female characters, in what seems to be a very difficult time to be a woman.

I will post on socials nearer the publishing date on 11 April.

A beautifully written book, shining a light on an incredible historical story. The historical information seems well researched and the continuation of the story in fiction works really well. The characters are well rounded, and I was desperate to get through the story to find the twists.

Florence 1584, A prince, a marriage, the Medici family. Wow that is the way to get me to read a book. This is a strong story of the way life was in an era long ago, the way the rich and royal lived and how it affected everyone. This is a book based on true events and is quite the intriguing read. Historical, haunting, powerful and dramatic.

This is a very well researched and written book and kept me enthralled throughout. It is a history lesson but far better than reading an actual history book and for that reason I really enjoyed it. A great read and one I do recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Fairlight Books for giving me the opportunity to read adn review this book.

I really loved this book! I read a lot of historical fiction and I have a particular interest in 15-1600s history. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this unique a premise in this genre! Reminiscent of Sarah Dunant, I loved the personalized yet completely time-logical way of speaking from the main character as we weave through her life. Giuliano…what a guy! It made me so happy to see their marriage.
This poignant tale of what a woman’s body means in the hands of men, and the deeper thread of power and sexuality, has strong ties to modern issues.

Thank you NetGalley! A must read for hist fic friends

I love historical fiction like this. You read it and you wonder what was factual and what was fiction. I play the guessing game with myself and this time, I was dead wrong about what was fiction and I was thrilled. Early on, you want to know what happens to the orphan who is taken out of the orphanage for the Grand Duke and why she (and her husband) are telling the story. It is a crash course in history, politics and culture all at once while also being a fascinating story about so many different people. It definitely has me more interested in this area and time period now that I've read this book and I'll be looking for more information and stories.

really interesting historical fiction, well done. thanks so so much for the arc, and i would recommend this one quite a lot.

Reminded me very much of The Marriage Portrait, for this reason I didn’t enjoy it as much as I think I would have done had I read this first. Enjoyable read.

The author clearly loves her chosen period and the depth of research was my favourite aspect of this novel. It explores a fascinating episode in history and I was glad to learn more about it. The repeated indignities Giulia has to suffer every few pages in the first part of the book started to feel quite gratuitous and voyeuristic (the reader gets the point after the fourth or fifth gynaecological examination…)

Interesting but not emotive. Reads like the equivalent of a partly dramatised historical documentary.

This story recounts Guilia’s experience, in Renaissance Italy, as she is plucked from a religious life and given as a virility test for a the Prince of Mantua before his would be marriage to the Medici daughter. Guilia is promised a husband and comfortable life but in exchange but at what cost to herself?

I wanted to read this for two main reasons: Florence is my favourite place on earth and I LOVED the Marriage Portrait by Maggie O Farrell. I did actually enjoy this, the story was genuinely really interesting but I didn’t feel anything for any of the characters. I can’t put my finger on what made me so emotionally uninvested.

The writer clearly knows their history and maybe this fidelity was too strong for the narrative to really grip? From a reader POV I also thinks it assumes a lot of knowledge about the power structure of Medici Florence, it certainly never explains it.

A funny one. I did like it but would struggle to recommend.
Thank you Netgalley for my review copy

The Maiden of Florence by Katherine Mezzacappa is an absolutely stunning work of literature set in an era that I knew little about but am now absolutely invested

The first thing to note is that Katherine Mezzacappa writes beautifully, her writing style is authentic and her research clearly extensive. I am a huge fan of historical fiction and I was really glad to get my teeth into a new historical genre. This is in no way a quick read and that makes it even better, so very fulfilling!

I will certainly be re-reading and looking for more frrom Katherine Mezzacappa!

Thank you to Netgalley, Fairlight Books and the Author for this incredible ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Wow wow wow, this was incredible! I learned so much in this book, without it being overwhelming or too complicated. The time of the Medici's has always been so interesting to me, so to see things from this angle was refreshing. I did have to do a bit of a wiki spiral to get all of my ducks in a row, but I was really glad of it. I'm a sucker for historical fiction that isn't about the First or Second World Wars so this was just amazing.

My only qualm is whether Giulia was a real person or not? I know the other key players were, as little as I could find on them but for Giulia I'm not sure. For her to have been an unrecongized orphan, it unlikely that she was Giulia de' Medici (the illegitimate but recognized daughter or Alessandro de' Medici). Plus the timelines in this book don't align with her (b. 1535, d. 1588).

The author did an amazing job in terms of the writing. I felt all the feelings when reading Giulia's passages, and was so happy when we were given those of Giuliano! I honestly have so much praise for this book, it totally got me out of my reading slump and was just so interesting!! I'll absolutely grab a print copy once published (also helps that the cover is stunning!), and I look forward to any other books the author may bring out