Point of View

The novel begins in the third person point of view as a couple of nuns prepare the body of a recently deceased nun in their convent. This routine preparation reveals a secret about the nun that is later explained in an autobiography the nun left behind in her cell. This autobiography is written in the first person point of view. The narrator is Alessandra, the daughter of a wealthy clothe merchant who married a respected member of the Medici court and was widowed after only a few short years of marriage.

The novel is written to resemble an autobiography written by an elderly nun who wished for the world to know the story of her life. Due to this format, the novel is written in the first person point of view. This works with this novel not only because of the novel's format, but because it...