Book two of the house of niccolo house of niccolo series 2. One of the most successful novel series written by dorothy dunnett is called as the house of nicolo. Nicholas himself, to me, is a less appealing character than lymond though i know others will disagree. The main character niccolo is a fascinating renaissance man, in the true sense of the word. Both the historical and fictional characters are, however, taken from a wider variety of occupations and social classes than in the lymond chronicles. Huge changes were taking place all across europe and the middle east at this time. House of niccolo is a series of historical books written by dorothy dunnett. Questions to dorothy house of niccolo dorothy dunnett. Dorothy dunnett, novelist of scotland, is dead at 78 the. Though i doubt we could insist on native bruges speakers for niccolo. She told me that neither of them really matched her mental image of them but were the closest shed seen. Questions on the house of niccolo dossing q the dossiers who wrote them. Being quite a reputed writer, the rich amount of detail in.
Two extra dossiers were produced with a series of medici messages and a section written as if from the greek with the wooden leg. Donatello was educated in the house of the martelli family. A knotty confusion of names, places and schemes, but overall an engrossing, often witty portrayal of the early throes of commerce, fleshed out with satisfying characters. Thinking nothing could be better than the story of lymond, i was amazed how the house of niccolo series is just as surprising with characters that are insanely intelligent, funny and secretive. There are so many things that go wrong in these books, so many enemies of lymond that harm him in devious ways and then there is the kind of harm he does to himself. When it was published in 2000, i read the michael joseph uk edition, specially ordered from an edinburgh bookseller, because like a lot of us in the us i didnt want to wait for the north american. The house of niccolo is a series of eight historical novels by dorothy dunnett set in the midfifteenthcentury european renaissance. And dunnetts usual flair for ending each book with a shocking revelation. House of niccolo series by dorothy dunnett goodreads. He journeys to scotland, closer at hand to the secrets of his birth. Now known as nicholas or niccolo, he heads back to milan for more business triumphs. While expanding my knowledge of medici italy in magnifico, i was reminded over and over of peripheral characters in the house of niccolo, the renaissance series by the magnificent dorothy dunnett.
Niccolo rising dorothy dunnet 910 historical fiction. The house of niccolo is a series of eight historical novels by dorothy dunnett set in the. The fourpage list of characters announces the panoply of individuals, many based on historical persons. The novels feature a cast of compelling original characters and historical figures. Jousting is the genteel pastime, and successful merchants are, of necessity, polyglot. Order of dorothy dunnett books dorothy dunnett 19232001 was a scottish novelist of historical fiction and mystery novels. But whatever you think the fact is that one of the most popular discussion points amongst dunnett enthusiasts is to cast the various characters of dorothys books for the big screen particularly lymond.
The house of niccolo is a series of eight historical fiction novels by scottish author dorothy dunnett. This is because it turns out that the main characters of the niccolo. Book two of the house of niccolo house of niccolo series 2 kindle edition by dunnett, dorothy. He apparently received his early artistic training in a goldsmiths workshop, and then worked briefly in the studio of lorenzo ghiberti.
Historical fiction history italy france english fiction belgiumbruges belgiumflanders vander poele, nicholas fictitious character merchants. The house of niccolo house of niccolo s dorothy dunnett. We have members in scotland, england, wales, ireland, the usa, canada, australia, germany, new zealand, south africa, france and other countries. The lymond chronicles by dorothy dunnett and all their. Rather than get into the plot, though, im going to talk about some of my favorite characters. The house of niccolo series has the plot mainly rotating around the main character nicholas vander poele of burges. Casa di machiavelli, also referred to as lalbergaccio italian. Bach, the characters, the passages, tend to repeat. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The house of niccolo is a series of eight novels set in late 15th century. The result is a professionally printed color family tree superimposed over a photograph of st. Born in rome, italy, on september 6, 1983, began his career in 1997 when he was casted for the main role in lalbero delle pere, directed by francesca archibugi. Matthew macfadyen good smile pride and prejudice british actors beautiful sky the man it cast black and white charmed.
Niccolo s serieslong journey the building of his house, the gaining of the high ground somehow feels more substantial than lymonds. Set during the renaissance, the books settings range from continental europe to asia minor to africa, iceland, russia and scotland. One of the things i most enjoy about reading dorothy dunnetts books is the way in which she can so effortlessly create a sense of place. At the end of august i found an online group that was doing a slow read of the niccolo books together and it seemed too good an opportunity to miss. This series serves as the prequel to the previous series written by author dunnett called as the lymond chronicles. When we meet niccolo his name is claes short for nicholas, an apprentice dyer. This book finishes the eight volume house of niccolo series. The first book of the house of niccolo dunnett, dorothy on. Youve brought back so many memories even after more than a decade. Philippa somerville especially stands out as a character with a marvellous and unexpected journey, but one grows attached to various side characters. Whereas with the lymond chronicles, i read em all x 3. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the spring of the ram. Complex characters, convoluted plots, and fascinating locations make the house of niccolo series of books a dream read for anyone who loves historical novels or adventure stories.
The dorothy dunnett society was formed to help our members enjoy, discuss and promote the works of dorothy dunnett and the historical periods in which they were set. Nicholas has become an influential trader and has the backing of the medici. Books by dorothy dunnett authors like dorothy dunnett. The fifth title in the house of niccolo sequence, recreating the perilous world of trade, war and banking in renaissance europe. I have a friend who was so taken with dorothy dunnetts eight volume series based on the travels of a 15th century flanders businessman and adventurer that she planned a trip around his base in bruges, belgium. As far as i know dorothy herself only ever mentioned two characters peter otoole for lymond, and colin firth for nicholas.
The house of niccolo audiobooks listen to the full. The sixth volume in the popular the house of niccolo series, this vivid novel of the 15th century centers on nicholas vander poele who, in 1471, is acclaimed by all the great courts of europe, but whose personal life is tumultuous. I loved dunnetts lymond books and had tried to read this one in the past, but didnt get far. Dorothy dunnett brings history alive without making it tedious.
We first encounter the protagonist, nicholas, as he relaxes in an empty bath, which is strapped to the back of a canal barge and destined for the duke of burgundy. Street smart, brilliant at figures, adept at the subtleties of diplomacy and. Q is nicholas in any way inspired by a flemish story about a character called claus. The eighth and final instalment of the house of niccolo series opens in scotland in 1477. With the bravura storytelling and pungent authenticity of detail she brought to her acclaimed lymond chronicles, dorothy dunnett, grande dame of the historical. Dunnett wraps up all the threads and conflicts beautifully, often in surprising ways. I read the house of niccolo before the lymond chronicles and controversially prefer niccolo as the main character and all the supporting cast in this series more than lymond. But the lymond plots are not hampered by a silly crutch like nicholas divining, which i never considered more than just a weak, cliched device. This is the second book in the house of niccolo series, and sees our hero nicholas journeying to the fabled city of trebizond, the last outpost of the byzantium empire. I had to become a different kind of reader, one who trusted that eventually each piece of narrative would make sense, even if it takes eight books. Niccolo has returned to venice from africa richer, wiser yet ever unpredictable. She is best known for her lymond chronicles books and its prequel, the house of niccolo. Dorothy dunnett called him the forerunner without whom lymond would not have.
This opening novel of dunnetts house of niccolo series is a gem right from the off. With unger as background, i decided, i could revisit this series with a better understanding of niccolo s world. But, i was hooked and soon recognized the value of the maps, lists of characters, and the family tree of the house of niccolo at the front of the books. It is comprised of a total of 8 books, published from 1986 to 2000.
There are many characters herein to get your arms around, however, not unlike a composition by j. This is located in santandrea in percussina in san casciano in val di pesa, in the province of florence, tuscany, italy. Lymond chronicles and house of niccolo visual aids. Being quite a reputed writer, the rich amount of detail in the series does not come as a surprise. While expanding my knowledge of medici italy in magnifico, i was reminded over and over of peripheral characters in the house of niccolo, the renaissance. Dunnetts latest series of historical novels, the house of niccolo, is a.
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