First the positives - the setting in Florence and the details on Florentine life during the Renaissance were interesting - I have never been there but reading this book makes me want to go. The actual historical events - like the rise of Friar Savonarola and the French invasion - that were woven into the plot were interesting too.

The negatives - Two of our members likened the writing style to "romance or teenage novel" but a couple of other members disagreed. We all did agree, however, that the main character - Alessandra - was not well developed. She became a bride at 14 and then suddenly became an older and experienced woman. Plus she was a rule-breaker her whole life and then passed up the chance to marry her paramour and father of her child to stay in a convent. Needless to say this doesn't make sense in the 21st century but if it did 500 years ago, the author didn't explain it well. My score - C.

Generally, our club liked this book - although one thought it was creepy. I loved the detail about Highgate Cemetery in London, which made it essentially another character. Very imaginative - if unbelievable at times - premise of what a ghost-like existence might be like. We also thought the portrayal of mirror twins and their idiosyncracies was very interesting.

One of our book club members is a former literature teacher. I agree with her assessment that this book is yet another example of the pornification of literature.