Book Review | Three Fires

A very different historical fiction to the last one I read.

Three Fires
Denise Mina

Girolamo Savonarola was a Dominican friar living in Florence at the end of the fifteenth century. An anti-corruption campaigner, his hellfire preaching increasingly spilled over into tirades against all luxuries that tempted his followers toward sin. These sermons led to the infamous “Bonfire of the Vanities”—a series of fires lit throughout Florence for the incineration of everything from books, extravagant clothing, playing cards, musical instruments, make-up, and mirrors to paintings, tapestries, and sculptures.

Railing against the vice and avarice of the ruling Medici family, he was instrumental in their removal from power—and for a short time became the puritanical leader of the city. After turning his attention to corruption within the Catholic Church, he was first excommunicated and then executed by a combination of hanging and being burned at the stake.

Just as in Rizzio—her latest novel with Pegasus Crime—Denise Mina brings a modern take to this fascinating historical story, drawing parallels between the febrile atmosphere of medieval Florence and the culture wars of the present day. In dramatizing the life and last days of Savonarola, she explores the downfall of the original architect of cancel culture and, in the process, explores the never-ending tensions between wealth, inequality, and freedom of speech that so dominate our modern world.

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I won’t lie, I picked this book up after reading Rizzio because I really loved the author’s way of storytelling and the way she brought that part of history to life. It made me curious to see which historical figure was being brought to life in this story because I was sure it was going to be intriguing.

As someone who is not well-versed in history, it is unsurprising that I had never heard of Girolamo Savonarola before, but it was fascinating to see the parallels between events that occurred then and those happening in the world today. I must say that I found this book quite difficult to read at times, primarily because it forced me to confront many of the negative feelings I am currently facing regarding the state of the world in everyday life, and I usually enjoy reading as a means of escape from that.

It was, of course, well written and engaging and painted an interesting picture of how a persuasive voice can upend an entire way of living. I did feel like I was starting to enjoy the story more as things started to fall apart for Savonarola, which sounds terrible, but there was just so much about that part of the story that was more interesting, I think, because there was a lot more action at that part of the story. It was also a little gruesome, and even though I didn’t like him, I did start to feel a little sorry for him, especially with what he went through at the end.

I was surprised to hear how his legacy has survived and been used to inspire people in positions of power to this day, quite remarkable in some respects and chilling in others. Even though it wasn’t always an easy read for me, I can appreciate the work that has gone into this book, and it is certainly thought-provoking.