New Release: The Maiden of Florence

By Katherine Mezzacappa (April 2024)

“Those events are almost thirty years old but I remember them as if they happened thirty days ago, though I have tried to bury the memories. Nearly every player in that story is dead. It is only now that what happened can be told by me, not by the men -and women – who decided my fate.”

Florence, Italy, 1584. Orphan Guila is chosen to put an end to rumours that are spreading about the prince’s virility. The men in charge tell her that this is an opportunity for freedom: for a dowry, a husband, and a new life. In her innocence, Guila is drawn into the patriarchal world of control and exploitation. Here, she tells her story.

This is a story based on truth. Guila was a real woman, and the men who exploited her were real, too. Attested to with details of correspondence found in Medici archives, this story is historically accurate. Mezzacappa’s research is clearly extensive; the attention to detail, through real quotes, makes the story vivid. From the first few pages, we are drawn into Guila’s world.

With disturbing intimacy, Mezzacappa explores core themes of Guila’s story: womanhood, motherhood, and hierarchical control. The intimate scenes are written in such a way that I found them incredibly uncomfortable. They are graphic, but not unnecessarily so. When I first got to one of these scenes of sexual abuse, I was shocked, and found it hard to get through. However, Mezzacappa writes with a simple flair that brings out the relevance of these historical atrocities. 

I found myself growing ever fonder of Guila with every turn of the page. We, as readers, watch her grow up. We watch, helplessly, as her life spirals from one horrific experience to another. We watch her transform from girl, to woman. We watch as she is shaped by her experiences. By the end of the book, I felt deeply protective of her, and longed for her to find peace. My heart ached for her, for the entirety of the book, and though I finished this book a week ago, I find myself still thinking of her.

I found this book incredibly engrossing; medieval Italy is not a place I have explored much through literature. As far as historical fiction goes, this was an interesting story told in such a way that it was fresh, and raw.

Overall, this is a tale of resilience, and hope. I found it deeply moving, and hard to put down. I only have praise for Mezzacappa.

Thank you to Fairlight Books for the ARC!

The Maiden of Florence is out now.