Blog tour: Costanza

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Welcome to the blog tour for Costanza by Rachel Blackmore!

More about the book…

It’s 1636 and Rome hums with gossip and sin. Costanza Piccolomini is a respectable young wife - until she meets world-famous sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini, whose jet-black gaze matches his dark temper. From the second they set eyes upon each other, a fatal attraction is born.

Their secret love burns with a passion that consumes them. But with every stolen kiss and illicit tryst, Costanza's reputation is at stake. And Bernini has a more dangerous desire: he wants to immortalise Costanza in marble. When Bernini unveils his sculpture of Costanza it marks the beginning of a scandal which will rock Roman society. For Bernini would rather destroy Costanza than let her go.

Betrayed. Abandoned. Banished. This was meant to be the end of Costanza’s story. But Costanza is no ordinary woman: from the ashes, she will rise…

More about the author…

Born in Birmingham, Rachel spent her childhood in the Northeast, then the Midlands.

She studied history at King's College London, where her fascination for women's history took root.

After a brief stint in politics, Rachel built a career in corporate communications.

In 2021, she was runner-up in the Harper's Bazaar Short Story Competition and won the Irish Writers Centre 2022 Novel Fair.

Rachel lives in London with her three teenagers, two cats and one dog.

My impressions…

The first thing that attracted me to this book was the beautiful cover. My attention was then caught by the name of Bernini. Being Italian, I was fairly familiar with his work but less so with his personal life. The synopsis and the promise of a piece of historical fiction with a feminist slant did the rest!

Having now read the book, I am ready to sing its praises. 17th century Rome is brought to life within these pages, and the characters are well-developed, with their feelings burning bright. There is passion, lust, scandal, betrayal, revenge… all of human nature is encapsulated here, with a stark reminder of the way women, in those times but sadly still today, are held up to different standards in comparison to men.

Like the publisher shares, ‘Based on real-life events, Costanza's love affair, and subsequent downfall at the hands of one of the world’s best-known artists, foreshadows modern-day violence against women. Examining themes of male rage and female transgression, the plotline is based on the ‘Intimate Partner Homicide Timeline’ used by police today –  the eight identifiable stages of escalation to violence all of us should be able to recognise’. 

A book that is as important as it is fascinating.

Three words to describe it. Powerful. Brilliant. Important.

Do I like the cover? Yes, it is stunning.

Have I read any other books by the same author? No, this is an extraordinary debut.

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