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A review by cosmith2015
Blood & Beauty: The Borgias by Sarah Dunant
4.0
This was for my author whom was over 65 for the Bookriots read harder challenge for 2015
Overall:
Ms. Dunant did a splendid job of portraying five years of the Borgias. This is the sixth book that I have read that involved the Borgia's (The Poison series by Sarah Pool, Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire and The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis) and the differences between them are astounding. Key examples include the behavior of Sancia, the nature of Lucrezia, and Rodrigo's personality.
Good:
What I liked most about Blood and Beauty was the liberties she didn't take. There is a lot of speculation and infamy among the Borgia family and many stories regarding them like to really play on that. Ms. Dunant didn't do that. She did highlight some of the infamous things (such as Lucrezia being lover of both Cesar and Rodrigo), but didn't run away with it. I.e. She showed how fiercely Cesar loved Lucrezia, but didn't have any incest involved. This is seen throughout the book in forms of the Infans Romulus, the murder of Juan, and a few others.
I enjoyed her portrayal of the Borgia family. So often the Borgias (in particular Cesar and Lucrezia) are demonized and portrayed as cold hearted murderers whom only cared about lust and money. Frequently Cesar is portrayed as a rage filled killing machine instead of a calculating level headed tactician. While it is impossible to know what they were really like, it is refreshing to see the change.
Things for improvement:
I would've liked to have more of Rome and the various places (like France or Spoleto). While she did a splendid job describing places like the Pope's apartments, I would've liked to have actually seen more of Rome and not just a few key locations.
While she did divide it up a bit between focusing on Rodrigo in the beginning then switching to Lucrezia with a final focus of Cesar, I would've liked the format to be different and the inclusion of Jofre and Juan more than just being interwoven in the story.
Another thing she could've improved on was making it sound more like a story. I'm not exactly what it was about the writing. She certainly had great descriptions and did a great job showcasing the characters.. There was just something about it.
Overall:
Ms. Dunant did a splendid job of portraying five years of the Borgias. This is the sixth book that I have read that involved the Borgia's (The Poison series by Sarah Pool, Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire and The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis) and the differences between them are astounding. Key examples include the behavior of Sancia, the nature of Lucrezia, and Rodrigo's personality.
Good:
What I liked most about Blood and Beauty was the liberties she
I enjoyed her portrayal of the Borgia family. So often the Borgias (in particular Cesar and Lucrezia) are demonized and portrayed as cold hearted murderers whom only cared about lust and money. Frequently Cesar is portrayed as a rage filled killing machine instead of a calculating level headed tactician. While it is impossible to know what they were really like, it is refreshing to see the change.
Things for improvement:
I would've liked to have more of Rome and the various places (like France or Spoleto). While she did a splendid job describing places like the Pope's apartments, I would've liked to have actually seen more of Rome and not just a few key locations.
While she did divide it up a bit between focusing on Rodrigo in the beginning then switching to Lucrezia with a final focus of Cesar, I would've liked the format to be different and the inclusion of Jofre and Juan more than just being interwoven in the story.
Another thing she could've improved on was making it sound more like a story. I'm not exactly what it was about the writing. She certainly had great descriptions and did a great job showcasing the characters.. There was just something about it.