Published in paperback 7th October 2026 by Ravenna Press.
From the cover of the book:
From the acclaimed author of The Birth of Venus and In the Company of the Courtesan comes a vibrant exploration of the Italian Renaissance through the character of Isabella d'Este, the first female art collector and patron of her time. Her famed collection has long since dispersed or been lost, but what remains is her correspondence - thousands of letters preserved in a deconsecrated church and convent in the archive of Mantua.
'For the longest time after my death, those who claimed an interest in history showed little interest in me. Or indeed women like me. Nor did they seem to care much about the wonder of our city states: Mantua, Ferrara, Urbino. We may never have been as grand or powerful as Venice or Rome or Florence but our great age - this thing that is now so valued and trumpeted as the Renaissance - would have been a much lesser affair without us.'
The Marchesa is Renaissance history at its most vivid, an immersive, multi-layered experience that mixes historical fiction with biography, scholarship and imagery, of both the people and the time. It is also a meditation on our attitude to history itself, challenging how far we can set aside our own values and certainties when it comes to understanding those who grew out of very different cultural soil.
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Isabella d'Este was born on 19th May 1474, the daughter of Ferdinand I, the Aragonese King of Naples, and Isabella of Clermont. From a young age it was obvious that her determination and intelligence would suit her perfectly for the kind of life she was born to live, and on her marriage to Francesco II Gonzaga, Marchese of Mantua, in 1490, she needed to draw on both to fulfil her duties as Marchesa.
Sarah Dunant tells Isabella's story in an unconventional way, beginning with the voice of her ghost, which haunts the archive that stores the many letters she wrote and received during her lifetime. As she looks over the shoulders of the latest researcher keen to unravel the secrets of her life, Isabella takes you back in time to the moments each document refers to.
The book splits nicely into sections that cover her life before and after marriage, and the many difficulties she negotiated as Marchesa of Mantua during times of war, pestilence, and the machinations of others, all the way to her death when the Dowager Marchesa. The story unfolds like a sequence of examinations of a journal, divided up by visits to the researcher in the archive, and excerpts from Isabella's letters. This makes for slow and reflective going at first, but gradually Isabella's voice captivates you, immersing you in the trials of marriage, motherhood, and the things expected her. By the time the disreputable Borgias entered the fray, I was hooked!
Isabella offers a fascinating perspective on a time of considerable political turmoil, dominated by powerplays between competing houses; the ambitions of France, Italy and Spain; and the influence of the church - all through the eyes of a wily and resourceful woman. The role of women behind the scenes when it comes to succession and diplomacy is especially interesting; and there is a wealth of detail about fashion, art, sexual politics, and the consequences of sexual impropriety. She was a prodigious collector of art, and a patron of many of the artists whose names have become synonymous with the Renaissance too, and Dunant takes time to go into detail about Isabella's passion to acquire her collection.
If there is anything I am unsure about here it is Dunant's choice to examine Isabella's story with the addition of a modern, unnamed, female researcher. The segues in the archive do tend to disrupt the flow of the story and introduce a separation between Isabella and the real meat of the novel - particularly when it comes to the impetus that builds up around the antics of the stellar cast of notable figures who make an appearance. However, you do get an intriguing extra dimension this way, which delves into the nature of archival research, and how individual researchers introduce bias. It also gives Isabella an opportunity to comment on episodes from her own life with hindsight. I will leave it to you to decide whether a straight-up historical retelling is your bag, or if a literary side-quest makes things more entertaining.
This is an incredible journey through a turbulent period of history, starting in slow-burn country and burgeoning into a many-layered portrayal of a remarkable woman. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Isabella d'Este, Marchesa of Mantua.
The Marchesa is available to buy now.
Thank you to Ravenna Press/Weatherglass Books for sending me a review copy of this book, and to Folk PR for inviting me to join this blog tour.
About the author:
Sarah Dunant has written twelve novels, four of which have been short-listed for awards, and edited two books of essays. She worked for many years for the BBC in radio and television. She featured as an expert in the BBC2 'Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty' drama-documentary series which broadcast in December 2024. Her most recent five novels, set within the Italian renaissance, weave cutting edge historical scholarship into fiction, have become international bestsellers and have been translated into thirty languages.
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