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carmenna's review against another edition
4.0
Ero un pò prevenuta verso questo romanzo, in quanto temevo che sarebbe stato l'ennesimo che avrebbe sfruttato la "leggenda" degli amori incestuosi di Lucrezia Borgia; una volta cominciata la lettura, tuttavia, ho davvero pensato di dovermi ricredere... fino a trenta pagine dalla fine, ahimè!
Ma andiamo con ordine.
La storia prende le mosse dalla cacciata degli ebrei dalla Spagna, a causa della quale la piccola Ester, narratrice del romanzo, arriverà a Roma, e diventerà poi la dama di compagnia favorita di Lucrezia Borgia ai tempi delle sue nozze con Alfonso d'Este, dopo la morte del secondo marito Alfonso di Bisceglie.
Il libro è scritto benissimo, la prosa è davvero incantevole, e le descrizioni di scene di corte, abiti e quant'altro sono minuziose. La figura di Lucrezia si avvicina molto a quella descritta da Maria Bellonci nel suo bellissimo saggio, e innumerevoli sono i personaggi storici che sfilano davanti ai nostri occhi, da Angela Borgia a Dorotea Caracciolo, da Caterina Sforza a Isabella d'Este. La storia d'Italia e il coinvolgimento dei Borgia in essa viene spesso, purtroppo, lasciata in secondo piano, ma evidentemente non ci troviamo di fronte ad un libro di storia.
Cinquecento pagine scorrono veloci, anche se il romanzo non è proprio privo di difetti, come l'inconsistenza del personaggio di Ester (ribattezzata prima Donata e poi Violante) o la poco coinvolgente storia della stessa ragazza con il duca Valentino, di sicuro non il mio personaggio preferito.
Evidentemente, però, la presunta -e a quanto pare falsa- relazione di Lucrezia con il fratello Cesare rappresentava una tentazione troppo grande per non essere colta, e così, con il suo inserimento a pochissime pagine dalla fine si rovina, secondo me, un romanzo godibile e il cui elemento di novità era rappresentato proprio dal non servirsi degli incesti di casa Borgia.
Senza contare che alla luce della "rivelazione" va riletta l'intera vicenda e la funzione stessa della protagonista Violante all'interno della storia.
Il finale è un pò affrettato e la parte centrale, con un Cesare Borgia onnipresente e una Lucrezia momentaneamente scomparsa dalla scena, può risultare lenta.
http://iltesorodicarta.blogspot.it/
Ma andiamo con ordine.
La storia prende le mosse dalla cacciata degli ebrei dalla Spagna, a causa della quale la piccola Ester, narratrice del romanzo, arriverà a Roma, e diventerà poi la dama di compagnia favorita di Lucrezia Borgia ai tempi delle sue nozze con Alfonso d'Este, dopo la morte del secondo marito Alfonso di Bisceglie.
Il libro è scritto benissimo, la prosa è davvero incantevole, e le descrizioni di scene di corte, abiti e quant'altro sono minuziose. La figura di Lucrezia si avvicina molto a quella descritta da Maria Bellonci nel suo bellissimo saggio, e innumerevoli sono i personaggi storici che sfilano davanti ai nostri occhi, da Angela Borgia a Dorotea Caracciolo, da Caterina Sforza a Isabella d'Este. La storia d'Italia e il coinvolgimento dei Borgia in essa viene spesso, purtroppo, lasciata in secondo piano, ma evidentemente non ci troviamo di fronte ad un libro di storia.
Cinquecento pagine scorrono veloci, anche se il romanzo non è proprio privo di difetti, come l'inconsistenza del personaggio di Ester (ribattezzata prima Donata e poi Violante) o la poco coinvolgente storia della stessa ragazza con il duca Valentino, di sicuro non il mio personaggio preferito.
Evidentemente, però, la presunta -e a quanto pare falsa- relazione di Lucrezia con il fratello Cesare rappresentava una tentazione troppo grande per non essere colta, e così, con il suo inserimento a pochissime pagine dalla fine si rovina, secondo me, un romanzo godibile e il cui elemento di novità era rappresentato proprio dal non servirsi degli incesti di casa Borgia.
Senza contare che alla luce della "rivelazione" va riletta l'intera vicenda e la funzione stessa della protagonista Violante all'interno della storia.
Il finale è un pò affrettato e la parte centrale, con un Cesare Borgia onnipresente e una Lucrezia momentaneamente scomparsa dalla scena, può risultare lenta.
http://iltesorodicarta.blogspot.it/
drey72's review against another edition
3.0
Sins of the House of Borgia is a story of a young girl who gets embroiled in a game of politics that opens her eyes to the seedy side of religion and costs her more than she can afford to lose. Her mother's dead. Her father sends her to serve as lady-in-waiting to the Pope's illegitimate daughter. She is baptized, renamed, and nicknamed. All that she has ever known, from her prayers to her meals, have changed.
Then she meets her mistress' brother Cesare, and loses her heart. And in doing so she dooms herself.
There are no redeeming characters in Sins of the House of Borgia. Violante is silly and immature, playing in waters too deep for her by far. Lucrezia Borgia is spoiled by her position as her father's daughter, and spends her days trying to secure her position as her husband's wife--not that it stops her from dallying with others. Cesare is wickedly rakish and unrepentant about it. And all of them have their part to play in the scheming intrigues of the Church.
Fans of Philippa Gregory's work around the English monarchy will love Sarah Bower's portrayal of this Renaissance family.
Then she meets her mistress' brother Cesare, and loses her heart. And in doing so she dooms herself.
There are no redeeming characters in Sins of the House of Borgia. Violante is silly and immature, playing in waters too deep for her by far. Lucrezia Borgia is spoiled by her position as her father's daughter, and spends her days trying to secure her position as her husband's wife--not that it stops her from dallying with others. Cesare is wickedly rakish and unrepentant about it. And all of them have their part to play in the scheming intrigues of the Church.
Fans of Philippa Gregory's work around the English monarchy will love Sarah Bower's portrayal of this Renaissance family.
jennp28's review against another edition
3.0
Ugh, this book took me over a month to read... It was interesting and I wanted to get into it but it was just such a slog.
casreadman's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
rabristow's review against another edition
3.0
I am definitely interested in reading more of the Borgias, I just think that Ms. Bower just didn't illustrate them as clearly as she could have. The events in the book were kind of confusing and the sense of time was entirely lost on me. I think that too much time was spent on Violante/Esther's obsession with Caesare and not enough explaining the historical events.
I think certain bits were done well, certain scenes, but I really felt that she could have done more with what she had.
I think certain bits were done well, certain scenes, but I really felt that she could have done more with what she had.
bepisaun's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic and intimate take on the Borgia's from outside eyes. Esther is a passionate character sprinkled with just the right amount of naivete. Her decisions and actions in her life throughout this book are perfectly reasonable given the times and people she was surrounded by. The story is so intricate and smooth that you'll be done with the novel before you realize it. For lovers of the Borgia's and Renaissance Italy, this is definitely a must read!
aquaflame64's review
4.0
I won this book in a goodreads contest.
I knew next to nothing on the Borgia's and really had no interest in them until I saw the trailer for the upcoming show on Showtime The Borgias. I decided to do some research.
This is an excellent book. It gives us a chance to see the happenings of the Borgia's and the rest of the court. The narrator is an interesting character and one you can sympathize with.
I knew next to nothing on the Borgia's and really had no interest in them until I saw the trailer for the upcoming show on Showtime The Borgias. I decided to do some research.
This is an excellent book. It gives us a chance to see the happenings of the Borgia's and the rest of the court. The narrator is an interesting character and one you can sympathize with.
aquaflame64's review against another edition
4.0
I won this book in a goodreads contest.
The book was extremely interesting. I enjoyed the character of Violente at most points although I did find her a little obsessed with Ceaser. The only downside is that we only get Violente's point of view.
The book was extremely interesting. I enjoyed the character of Violente at most points although I did find her a little obsessed with Ceaser. The only downside is that we only get Violente's point of view.
amberinpieces's review
5.0
Esther is a Spanish Jew with unusually fair features. During the expulsion of the Jews from Spain by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, Esther’s siblings and father travel to Italy with Esther and her mother making the journey some time later.
Esther’s father has financial dealings with the infamous Borgia family and as part of some deal, he obtains an audience for Esther with Lucrezia Borgia. Lucrezia sees herself in Esther, accepts her into her household, and becomes her godmother in the Catholic faith, changing her name to Donata.
Read the full review here.
Esther’s father has financial dealings with the infamous Borgia family and as part of some deal, he obtains an audience for Esther with Lucrezia Borgia. Lucrezia sees herself in Esther, accepts her into her household, and becomes her godmother in the Catholic faith, changing her name to Donata.
Read the full review here.
theforbsiest's review against another edition
4.0
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a great mix of history and fiction. I don't normally use the word to describe books because it seems like one of those blurbs on jacket covers, but I think "sumptuous" is about the only word to properly describe it. Damn long book, but definitely worth the time.