After reading "The Birth of Venus" I was in awe of Sarah Dunant. So when "In the Company of the Courtesan" came out, I couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately for me, this book is the very definition of "dull." The story is told by a dwarf who is the companion to a courtesan...yeah, ok. Reading about either character separately might have been interesting, but smashed together it was a mess.I would not recommend this book to anyone.