In the Company of the Courtesan cover art

In the Company of the Courtesan

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

In the Company of the Courtesan

By: Sarah Dunant
Narrated by: Tom Hollander
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £11.99

Buy Now for £11.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

 1527. While the Papal city of Rome burns, brutally sacked by an invading army including Protestant heretics, two of her most interesting and wily citizens slip away, their stomachs churning on the jewels they have swallowed as the enemy breaks down their doors. Though almost as damaged as their bellowed city, Fiammetta Bianchini and Bucino Teodoldi, a fabulous courtesan and her dwarf companion, are already planning their future. They head for the shimmering beauty of Venice, a honey pot of wealth and trade where they start to rebuild their business. As a partnership they are invincible: Bucino, clever with a sharp eye and a wicked tongue and Fiammetta, beautiful and shrewd, trained from birth to charm, entertain, and satisfy men who have the money to support her. Venice, however, is a city which holds its own temptations. From the admiring Turk in search of human novelties for his Sultan's court, to the searing passion of a young lover who wants more than his allotted nights. But the greatest challenge comes from a young blind woman, a purveyor of health and beauty, who insinuates her way into their lives and hearts with devastating consequences for them all.©2006 Sarah Dunant (P)2006 Time Warner AudioBooks Historical Fiction Fiction Heartfelt City Italy Rome

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The Infirmary: A DCI Ryan Mystery (Multicast Drama) cover art
Rembrandt's Mirror cover art
The Revolution of Marina M. cover art
Into the Wilderness cover art
Elantris (1 of 3) [Dramatized Adaptation] cover art
For Whom the Bell Tolls cover art
Anna Karenina cover art
Tulip Fever cover art
The Glassblower of Murano cover art
Shadow of the Moon cover art
The Summer Queen cover art
The Midwife's Revolt cover art
The Mists of Avalon cover art
A Love Most Dangerous cover art

Critic reviews

"What makes this audiobook enthralling is the combination of elegantly satisfactory plotting, almost cinematically vivid settings, and characters with real depth. The reader, Tom Hollander, brings them all before us as real people." (The Times)

"An engrossing saga of period Italian sex and skulduggery, enlivened by evidence of the author's extensive research into 16th-century Venice." The Sunday Times
All stars
Most relevant  
This book must have one of literature's most surprising and unusual narrators. Emotionally retarded but quick-thinking dwarf Bucino. We see the lavish yet harsh environs of 16th century Italy through his eyes as the courtesan he serves flees Rome and re-establishes herself in Venice.
It's a rich tapestry of a tale that weaves itself through the colour of the times but at its heart lies humanity. We see Bucino unfold through his folly, feel his torment and his tragedy.
This version of the book is exquisitly read by actor Tom Hollander whose capacity to immerse himself in character is as embracing in voice as it is on the screen.
This will be a book that you cannot fail to remember.

Captivating Courtesan

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved this book, I have read it myself and was disappointed that it was an abridged version but the narration by Tom Hollander was wonderful, I'm hoping to find more books read by him.
I have read a few books by this author and hope to listen to them now on audible.

Wonderful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.