Sarah studied history at Newnham College, Cambridge from where she went on to become a writer, broadcaster, teacher and critic. She has written 12 novels, four of which have been shortlisted for awards, and edited two books of essays. She worked for many years for the BBC in radio and television including BBC 2’s arts programme,
The Late Show and Radio 3’s Nightwaves. She has taught at Washington University, St Louis and at University of Oxford Brookes from where she was awarded an honorary doctorate for her services to higher education and literature. Her most recent five novels, set within the Italian renaissance, weave historical scholarship into fiction,
and have become international bestsellers, translated into 30 languages.