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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I spent a lot of time thinking about how this book didn't really grip me emotionally. I never felt an emotional connection to Lucrezia, despite some of the horrors she went through in this interpretation of her life.
And then right near the end, it finally got me.
Some interesting interpretations of events that created her infamy as part of her family, and an unstintingly unapologetic denouncement of Pope Alexander (Borgia) and how nasty he actually was, and yet, how much a child can love their parent despite everything until it suddenly becomes too much.
A surprisingly good read.
And then right near the end, it finally got me.
Some interesting interpretations of events that created her infamy as part of her family, and an unstintingly unapologetic denouncement of Pope Alexander (Borgia) and how nasty he actually was, and yet, how much a child can love their parent despite everything until it suddenly becomes too much.
A surprisingly good read.
I can never say enough about the novels that C.W. Gortner writes, I have absolutely LOVED each and every one of them I have read so far, and that includes The Vatican Princess. I do not have as much experience with the Borgias as I do with say, the Tudors, but Gortner does such a fabulous job of creating characters that I did not feel like I was missing anything by coming into this book with relatively little knowledge.
Gortner brings the intrigue of the Borgia world to life as seen through the eyes of a young Lucrezia. Throughout the novel she matures through her teen years into her young 20s and grows in her understanding of the intrigue that is Borgia. She starts off naïve, but learns a lot over time. As has become his signature, Gortner presents a more sympathetic Lucrezia; she is certainly not the scheming, poisoning, woman that is frequently portrayed in novels and television. There were times that I was angry with her, sad for her, and loved with her.
I think it was a smart choice to tell the Borgia story through her eyes; you can definitely find sympathy for her and grow with her throughout the story. While some have taken issue with the choice to only showcase less than a decade of Lucrezia’s life, I think it shows the most compelling period of her life. If it had continued through her later life it probably would have suffered from a loss of excitement during the later years. I think that sometimes authors feel compelled to tell the complete story of their focal characters and it was a refreshing choice here.
While Lucrezia is Gortner’s main character, her brother, Cesare, and father, Roderigo (AKA Pope Alexander VI) get their fair share of page time. Cesare is a man that I grew to love and hate – he was passionate and driven and did everything for his family and mission, even when those choices were reprehensible. For Lucrezia, Roderigo is her father regardless that he is the Holy Father and she finds that he is not quite the man she thought he was. Whereas she early on truly sees what Cesare is capable of and chooses how to deal with that, she constantly gives her father benefit of the doubt and is more blind to his faults which creates interesting decision making for her.
The world crafting that Gortner does in this novel is absolutely palpable. There are colors, sounds, textures, and sensations that leap off the page and embed you in Renaissance Rome or wherever else the travels take you.
As always, I highly recommend this novel and would read anything this author releases be it the Renaissance or twentieth century! Give me more!
This review was previously posted at The Maiden's Court blog and the book was received in exchange for an honest review.
Gortner brings the intrigue of the Borgia world to life as seen through the eyes of a young Lucrezia. Throughout the novel she matures through her teen years into her young 20s and grows in her understanding of the intrigue that is Borgia. She starts off naïve, but learns a lot over time. As has become his signature, Gortner presents a more sympathetic Lucrezia; she is certainly not the scheming, poisoning, woman that is frequently portrayed in novels and television. There were times that I was angry with her, sad for her, and loved with her.
I think it was a smart choice to tell the Borgia story through her eyes; you can definitely find sympathy for her and grow with her throughout the story. While some have taken issue with the choice to only showcase less than a decade of Lucrezia’s life, I think it shows the most compelling period of her life. If it had continued through her later life it probably would have suffered from a loss of excitement during the later years. I think that sometimes authors feel compelled to tell the complete story of their focal characters and it was a refreshing choice here.
While Lucrezia is Gortner’s main character, her brother, Cesare, and father, Roderigo (AKA Pope Alexander VI) get their fair share of page time. Cesare is a man that I grew to love and hate – he was passionate and driven and did everything for his family and mission, even when those choices were reprehensible. For Lucrezia, Roderigo is her father regardless that he is the Holy Father and she finds that he is not quite the man she thought he was. Whereas she early on truly sees what Cesare is capable of and chooses how to deal with that, she constantly gives her father benefit of the doubt and is more blind to his faults which creates interesting decision making for her.
The world crafting that Gortner does in this novel is absolutely palpable. There are colors, sounds, textures, and sensations that leap off the page and embed you in Renaissance Rome or wherever else the travels take you.
As always, I highly recommend this novel and would read anything this author releases be it the Renaissance or twentieth century! Give me more!
This review was previously posted at The Maiden's Court blog and the book was received in exchange for an honest review.
RATING: 4 stars
Seems like a decently researched ficcional account of Lucrezia's life and the scandals surrounding the Borgias.
Seems like a decently researched ficcional account of Lucrezia's life and the scandals surrounding the Borgias.
Me ha aburrido y lo dejo a poco menos de 200 páginas. Lucrezia no es nada proactiva, solo le pasan las cosas, y ya me he hartado.
El tratamiento a Giulia y Vanozza llama poderosamente la atención. Siendo las mujeres más importantes de su vida, y Lucrezia tiene una relación negativa con ambas fruto, ni más ni menos, de la envidia por el afecto del papa Alejandro VI. Huele a machismo del autor.
La narrativa es correcta, con intentos de lírica que se notan, pero que tampoco aprecio porque ya estoy diagonalizando.
El tratamiento a Giulia y Vanozza llama poderosamente la atención. Siendo las mujeres más importantes de su vida, y Lucrezia tiene una relación negativa con ambas fruto, ni más ni menos, de la envidia por el afecto del papa Alejandro VI. Huele a machismo del autor.
La narrativa es correcta, con intentos de lírica que se notan, pero que tampoco aprecio porque ya estoy diagonalizando.
DNF at 40%. I’m disappointed because I was interested in reading something about this family, but I couldn’t get into this.
The author’s style just isn’t for me, it lacked the emotional and personal touches I tend to gravitate toward when I read historical fiction.
The author’s style just isn’t for me, it lacked the emotional and personal touches I tend to gravitate toward when I read historical fiction.
This was a bit lurid, but then I think anything about the Borgias is supposed to be a bit lurid, isn't it? Novels about real people aren't something I read too much of just for fun, but when I'm embarking on a new historical period to explore I like to read them to get a more of a personal grip on the characters. (This got pretty personal, alright) So this did it's job. How accurately, I can't yet say.
Ahoy there me mateys! One standard “non-standard for me” genre is historical fiction. While I love history by itself, I enjoy historical fiction for the blending of history and getting to feel like the historical characters are real people. I mean, I know many of the historical characters in historical fiction books were real people, as that is the point. But I like the idea of knowing what they may have thought about the strange circumstances they found themselves in – especially if it involves women’s perspectives.
One of the many time periods I find most interesting is Europe from the 1300s to the 1500s. Now at one point in my life, I wanted to know more about the Catholic Church’s history so I read a concise history of the catholic church by Thomas Bokenkotter. It is fascinating how some Popes acted back in the day. Mistresses, children, money, political wrangling, murder, etc. Some of the facts seem undisputable. Others like the story of Pope Joan – not so much (though I wish).
This novel deals with the children of Rodrigo Borgia a.k.a. Pope Alexander VI and is told from the point of view of his daughter, Lucrezia Borgia. It covers the period of her life from 1492 (about 12 years of age) until 1501 (before she married her 3rd husband). The Borgia’s were one truly dysfunctional family even though in the eyes of history, Lucrezia herself seems to have a lot of the mud flung at her. This version of course is a take on her side of events. It was a well written and fun foray into that time period of papal excess. Makes me extremely glad I was not a woman back in that time. I like being the Captain of my own future thank you very much.
Of course, this story addresses some of the myths of incest in the papal court concerning Lucrezia, so be forewarned that this is not really a pretty tale that ends well. But it does prove that history is sometimes stranger than fiction. I will likely read another historical fiction novel by this author . . . cause Catherine de Medici was awesome.
If you liked this review see others at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
One of the many time periods I find most interesting is Europe from the 1300s to the 1500s. Now at one point in my life, I wanted to know more about the Catholic Church’s history so I read a concise history of the catholic church by Thomas Bokenkotter. It is fascinating how some Popes acted back in the day. Mistresses, children, money, political wrangling, murder, etc. Some of the facts seem undisputable. Others like the story of Pope Joan – not so much (though I wish).
This novel deals with the children of Rodrigo Borgia a.k.a. Pope Alexander VI and is told from the point of view of his daughter, Lucrezia Borgia. It covers the period of her life from 1492 (about 12 years of age) until 1501 (before she married her 3rd husband). The Borgia’s were one truly dysfunctional family even though in the eyes of history, Lucrezia herself seems to have a lot of the mud flung at her. This version of course is a take on her side of events. It was a well written and fun foray into that time period of papal excess. Makes me extremely glad I was not a woman back in that time. I like being the Captain of my own future thank you very much.
Of course, this story addresses some of the myths of incest in the papal court concerning Lucrezia, so be forewarned that this is not really a pretty tale that ends well. But it does prove that history is sometimes stranger than fiction. I will likely read another historical fiction novel by this author . . . cause Catherine de Medici was awesome.
If you liked this review see others at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
Extremely well written and captivating, be forewarned that this book is incredibly brutal, graphically depicting an era of wanton bloodshed and corrupt authority and web of deceit that reigned in 1400s Roma. What a miserable life Lucrezia had, not of her own doing, well trapped in the ebb and flow of her evil family. What a read!
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated