The Ornatrix is a book about beauty its importance to women of society, the lengths women will go to make themselves beautiful and questions just what we see as beautiful. Gilia opens up some of Ghostanza's world to us and the importance of beauty to women of the higher classes. The other narrative is Gilia la Bella, step daughter to Ghostanza. After her sisters wedding she is sent to the convent of Santa Guiliana as a punishment for trying to ruin the day, and there she meets Ghostanza, a beautiful widow, and becomes her Ornatrix her personal maid. The narrative is told mainly from Flavia's point of view, as she is shielded from the world by her mother who is ashamed by the birthmark on her face. The Ornatrix, set in sixteenth century San Fortunato, Umbria in Northern Italy, ticked all the boxes for me.

after studying Art History at University. I am always drawn to historical fiction especially set in Italy. beguiling' ― Vogue marvellous debut novel… exquisite, earthy, witty - this is a book of rare beauty, about beauty' - Wendy Wallace, author of The Painted Bridge About the Author a first novel of originality and, yes, beauty' ― The Times A richly drawn cast of twisted characters. Brenda Rickman Vantrease, bestselling author of The Illuminator Dazzling. It sent me immediately to my cosmetic shelf to decipher the real ingredients of all those miracle creams for which I have paid so dearly, even as I remembered that the more things change, the more they stay the same especially human nature. kept me guessing until the end - Lisa Cox ― Nudge Kate Howard s exceptional debut novel should be enjoyed in sips like fine wine, to better savor the lush, evocative prose all the way to the satisfying finish. deliciously complex and intelligent - Essie Fox, author of The Goddess and the Thief Richly drawn historical novel ― Sheerluxe, Summer Reads 2016 Brilliant. In this intensely-imagined, elegant and erudite novel, the story of a 16th century Italian woman's quest for beauty springs vividly to life - Wendy Wallace, author of The Painted Bridge A historical novel in the old fashioned style. Exquisite, earthy, witty - this is a book of rare beauty, about beauty. beguiling ― Vogue Kate Howard's marvellous debut novel creates a seething, sensual idiom entirely its own.

a first novel of originality and, yes, beauty ― The Times A richly drawn cast of twisted characters. Set in sixteenth century and painted against a vivid historical Italian landscape, rich in description and character and with themes and characters relevant to today, it tackles issues of belonging, female identity and the perception of beauty. And Flavia is drawn into a world of desire and jealousy that has devastating consequences. But as white-lead paint rots the flesh below it, the bustling city, and Santa Giuliana, is rotting below the shimmer of wealth and privilege. Flavia becomes her ornatrix: her hairdresser and personal maid.

There she meets Ghostanza, a courtesan turned widow, whose white-lead painted face entrances Flavia, and whose beauty and cruelty are unmatched. But on the night before her younger sister’s wedding, Flavia does something drastic, something that will draw her into a much wider and stranger world than she could have imagined: the convent of Santa Giuliana, just outside the city walls. Ashamed of the mark, her mother forces Flavia to conceal her face behind a veil. A dyer’s daughter, she grows up in a secluded little house in the woods, away from prying eyes. Flavia was born with a birthmark marring her face in the shape of a bird in flight.

The ornatrix by kate howard