For the final novel in her Renaissance Trilogy, Sarah Dunant spent some time in an Italian convent for research purposes. She was a full participant, even rising with the nuns in the middle of the night for their services, during which she came to see the significance of the timing.

``Waking up in the deepest part of night, it's as if you are the only one alive,'' she says. ``People are at their most fragile. There's an impact on the personality with sleep deprivation. It's going to be cold, with very few candles. There's a haziness from the candles. If women were going to have visions, that would be the time.''

Dunant, who appears Thursday at Books & Books in Coral Gables, also learned something else while she was there. While the Benedictine order in her book is known for its heavenly singing voices, ``older nuns don't sound like angels,'' especially in the middle of the night, Dunant says, laughing.

Set in the late 16th century in northern Italy, Sacred Hearts (Random, $25) follows The Birth of Venus, set in the 15th century, and In the Company of the Courtesan, set in the early 16th. Sacred Hearts takes place at a time when 50 percent of Italian noblewomen became nuns. Dowries were spiraling out of control, and families with several daughters usually couldn't afford to marry off more than one, so many young women were basically sold off for a lesser price to the convents and into the sisterhood, regardless of their wishes.

Serafina, an outraged teenage newcomer to the convent, doesn't want to be there and rebels. The abbess in charge has seen it all before. ``She is only a young woman who did not want to become a nun. The world is full of them,'' she says of Serafina. True, but the abbess doesn't know that Serafina's resolve will forever change the convent.

Suora Zuana, the dispensary mistress, who learned medicine from her father and entered the convent as her only alternative after he died, plays a central role in Serafina's tale. The story is perhaps as much about Zuana's psyche as about Serafina. Dunant puts readers inside the convent, at once beautiful, cold and rigid, and examines many of its political facets. The church is starting to come down hard on convents, to the point of shuttering nuns and allowing them no outside contact. Politics are rife within the walls as well; there are disagreements over matters of stigmata and miracles, holy anorexia as a way to allow the soul to blossom while the body shrivels, and scheming to overthrow convent leadership.

The historical aspects of the novel are important, but Dunant, who lives in London and Florence, says that her job is to draw readers in with a great story.

Q: You've written in three different historical contexts, the 15th century, the early 16th century and the latter 16th century. Which is your favorite?

A: I suppose, like all writers, it's the one I'm working on at the time. Sacred Hearts was the hardest book to write. I mean, in order to write it really well, I literally went into a convent south of Milan.

Q: Are any of your characters based on real women of the time?

A: We certainly know that there were women who were brilliant singers and did work composing and arranging music. We know that people would go to convents where virgin angels would be singing. The music they sang is on my website (www.sarahdunant.com). And in some cases, these convents would be a dumping ground. . . . Girls who were too smart and brilliant for the time were sent there.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@