Reviews

Blood & Beauty by Sarah Dunant

meganstreb's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed this. It's fairly slow, and is absolutely a soap opera. It feels well researched, more of a non-fiction book brought to life than a novel.

stevienlcf's review against another edition

4.0

In her latest work of historical fiction, Sarah Dunant takes on the redoubtable Borgia family, the titular subject of the steamy drama on Showtime that recently concluded its three season run. As the book opens in 15th century Rome, the Spanish Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia has been elected Pope Alexander VI through a series of political maneuverings and handsome payoffs. In blatant acts of nepotism, he installs his four illegitimate children as heads of church and state. The dynastic takeover is spearheaded by the Pope's eldest son, Cesare, whose war chest is financed by "donations" made by those who wish entry into the Sacred College of Cardinals. The Pope excommunicates families who support the enemy and strip them of their land. Spouses who outlive their use as strategic alliances are falsely accused of being impotent or, worse, are murdered so that a more politically favorable spouse can be woven into the dynastic web. The Borgias are surrounded by conniving and morally challenged courtiers and cardinals (such as the aunt who negotiated the cuckolding of her son for the benefit of the Pope)that make this an entertaining read.

karenafagan's review against another edition

4.0

In Sarah Dunant's latest offering, she's giving us the Borgias in all their glory. Here is where I usually give you a synopsis of the book, but the Borgias's story is so well known it seems redundant. Here is the story of Rodrigo Borgia, better known as Pope Alexander VI and his children, Cesare, Lucrezia, Juan, and Jofre and their family's reign in Renaissance Italy.

While Blood & Beauty doesn't offer new information that no one has ever heard before, it doesn't matter. Instead, Dunant gives us a story to sink into and immerse our lives into the Rome that was trenched in treachery, betrayal, and politics.

Read the rest of my review here: http://cwatc-bookclub.blogspot.com/2013/04/review-blood-beauty.html

eososray's review against another edition

3.0

The style of this story was similar to a non-fiction book. It came across as quite factual though I do know that in many areas it was definitely not. The story was full of fictional ideas.

I like the Borgia family and know too much about the real history to be able to really enjoy a tale that wasn't factual.

foofy777's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

hilse's review against another edition

It took me forever to finish this book; I had to marathon-read the last fifth of the book; it was a chore.

Well-written but felt incredibly flat; I had a hard time caring about any of the Borgias tbh.

dudebubguylady's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

marissak's review against another edition

3.0

If you're interested in a fictional approach of the Borgia family, Blood & Beauty is definitely worth exploring as an option - the characterizations felt right, and the historical aspects were well-researched. The plot spans several years, following Rodrigo Borgia's rise to Pope, as well as the happenings of his children. I liked that the plot didn't center around one particular character, instead switching back and forth in a fluid manner to include them all. The "twist" at the end, I thought, was interesting and tied the plot together, but with plenty of room to continue in a following novel, as is the author's plan. Personally, I enjoyed Lucrezia's perspective, but also seeing Rodrigo and his love for his children, and how he incorporated that aspect into his actions as Pope. At times, I found the book to feel a little bit long, but the language in Blood & Beauty was crisp and descriptive, and I think most Borgia enthusiasts will enjoy giving this book a try.

sabregirl's review against another edition

2.0

This, this book. Wow. It was really painful to get through. There was just too much information in the book. Instead of focusing on the key years of the Borgia family it really should've focused on some more specific ones. There was too many changing of point of views, from random people, just to show a point in time. I want to like this book, I really do but I just can't. And it's probably more of what really happened with the Borgia family rather than incest and all the scandal you would normally see. Which is a bit disappointing but still. I dunno, this book just gave me headaches.

kirstycreads's review against another edition

informative tense

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0