Editorial Reviews
Giacoma is a wonderful character. Despite the centuries that separate her life from ours, she is totally relatable… I know from past experience that Ms Heath knows medieval Italy. In her last book, it was Florence that sprang to life; here it is Rome. The vibrant descriptions of processions, of feuding families, of Church politics, of rituals and customs has the novel twisting with life… we are enveloped in a Roman famiglia, complete with warmth and chaos and squabbles, tears and laughter. And over it all soars the beautifully depicted, utterly chaste, love story between Giacoma and her spiritual mentor, San Francesco… absolutely excellent and evocative novel! – Discovering Diamonds
Through the eyes of her heroine, Giacoma, Heath captures the charisma and quixotic appeal of Brother Francesco and Sister Chiara, known to history as Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi, in a portrait that brings to life the world of medieval Italy, in all its beauty, opulence, suffering, and poverty. – Lucy Pick, University of Chicago (retired) and author of Pilgrimage
It is not easy to write about characters’ profound religious faith with veracity and sympathy when it differs so starkly from the mores of modern society, but Heath has accomplished that and more with this tale. Her historical research immerses the reader into medieval Italy to such an extent that one can smell the rosemary, taste the communion wine, and hear the poor begging for alms. – Historical Novels Review
Reader Reviews (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, BookBub)
Heath has accomplished something of a brilliant high wire act with this book. With deep and reverent believability, she captures both Giacoma’s and Francesco’s passionate devotion to God without any saccharin religiosity or necessary co-belief on the reader’s part. … To read Lady of the Seven Suns is to savor that rarest of reading pleasures: you will live another person’s life to the full, vicarious time travel at its empathetic best. … Lady of the Seven Suns will take you on a transcendent journey full of laughter, tears, humane joy, and subtle historical understanding.
Full of well drawn characters, many of them actual historical figures, with many different personalities, tales of redemption and even small comedic episodes. This book drew me in immediately.
I read this novel at the speed of speaking…wishing to hear the evocative words unfold within my mind; to capture the sharp marble planes of the Roman city and the soft golden blue of the skies of Assisi. The author’s research is impeccable to the degree that, IMHO, she could be called an authoritative source on many aspects of the material. Besides the authenticity of her writing this novel touched my heart. It deals with honest and deep love – for spouses, children, the poor, one’s G-d, those who labor beside one and everyone in between. There is sorrow, great joy and growth. I loved the characters in this very character driven story and hated to see it all end.
Ms. Heath depicts Francesco as both a holy man and a human being, one who is beloved but not always easy to be around. I must admit: I knew little about Francesco before reading this novel. Ms. Heath’s depiction of the saint makes him very real.
The novel tells more of lives lived, and enhanced by belief, than of matters of medieval theology or church politics. But that’s not to suggest that this is a book full of unworldly piety – Giacoma in particular is presented as a voice of sense and pragmatism … the historical, or at least hagiographical, background to all this is sound, and was convincing and moving for this student of art, and the related religion. The humanity is what you’ll take away …
When Lady of the Seven Suns arrived, I put off reading it for several days, worried that it might disappoint despite its author’s good intentions. Wasted worry. It is a superb book. If you love Francis, it is a look behind the scenes at the lives of the friends of the great saint. If you love historical novels, it is a rich and knowledgeable narrative that will reward your curiosity.
What a lovely book! Giacoma was a winning protagonist, with a wry voice and a big heart. I had only a passing knowledge of St. Francis and his life, and seeing him through Giacoma’s eyes was fascinating and illuminating.
Heath’s characters are well-defined, her descriptions of Rome and Assisi are vivid and textural, and, as in her first novel, she provides a narrative filled with humor. Her heroine is relatable, and we feel her struggle to balance her life between her earthly family and her spiritual goals of following Francis’s way of poverty.
A story from a fascinating POV, beautifully researched and well worth the read.
I wish I had read this novel before I visited Assisi! The novel has so much about the life of St. Francis of Assisi and his acolytes that I never knew about. … also involves St. Clare and her devotion to the ascetic life that Francis advocated. This novel brings to life the story of these medieval saints in ways that don’t make it onto the holy cards or into history books. I hope I can someday return to Assisi and find Giacoma’s tomb near that of St. Francis.
I knew nothing at all about the main character and not much about Saint Francis’s life either, so I was surprised by the author notes at the end explaining how much was true.
