Madonna of the Seven Hills (Lucrezia Borgia, #1)

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Madonna of the Seven Hills (Lucrezia Borgia #1)

3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 · rating details · 701 ratings · 33 reviews

This is the story of Lucrezia Borgia, born into history's most notorious family. Her father, who became Pope Alexander VI, was known as the 'most carnal man of his age'.
Growing from childhood into beautiful womanhood, Lucrezia becomes aware of that destiny from which, as a Borgia, she could not hope to escape...

Kindle Edition, 322 pages

Published (first published 1958)

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Madonna of the Seven Hills by Jean Plaidy

Sins of the House of Borgia by Sarah Bower

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Jun 11, 2013 Hobby rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: drama-romance, family-saga, epic-historical, forbidden-though, great-cover, historical-fiction, pinjam, weird-relatioships

Judul Asli : THE BORGIAS : MADONNA OF THE SEVEN HILLS
[ book 1 of THE BORGIAS Series ]
Copyright © 1958, 1974 by Jean Plaidy
Copyright renewed © 1986 by Jean Plaidy
Penerbit : Elex Media Komputindo
Alih Bahasa : Eka Budiarti
Cetakan I : Februari 2013 ; 488 hlm

Nama Lucrezia Borgia merupakan daya tarik tersendiri bagi penggemar kisah sejarah. Bukan saja karena ia merupakan keturunan keluarga Borgia yang memegang kekuasaan serta mengendalikan pemerintahan melalui Vatikan, Roma, tetapi juga permainan int...more Judul Asli : THE BORGIAS : MADONNA OF THE SEVEN HILLS
[ book 1 of THE BORGIAS Series ]
Copyright © 1958, 1974 by Jean Plaidy
Copyright renewed © 1986 by Jean Plaidy
Penerbit : Elex Media Komputindo
Alih Bahasa : Eka Budiarti
Cetakan I : Februari 2013 ; 488 hlm

Nama Lucrezia Borgia merupakan daya tarik tersendiri bagi penggemar kisah sejarah. Bukan saja karena ia merupakan keturunan keluarga Borgia yang memegang kekuasaan serta mengendalikan pemerintahan melalui Vatikan, Roma, tetapi juga permainan intrik kotor yang menyebabkan nama Borgia ditakuti oleh kawan serta lawannya. Kisah ini merupakan hasil intrepetasi sang penulis, yang berusaha merangkum fakta-fakta sejarah dan menyajikan sebuah drama misteri tentnag salah satu keluarga tertua dan paling berkuasa di Eropa.

Roderigo Borgia – Kardinal Agung di Roma, adalah sosok yang tampak lembut, ramah serta baik hati, namun memiliki rasa haus akan kekuasaan yang sangat tinggi, dan ia memiliki otak yang sangat cerdas untuk menyusun sebuah rencana demi mewujudkan cita-citanya : menjadi penguasa dunia melalui Vatikan. Langkah-langkah awal yang ia lakukan adalah menghasilkan keturunan putra-putra tangguh yang akan menjadi jenderal dalam tampuk pemerintahan yang akan diraihnya. Sebagai seorang Kardinal terhormat, seorang pastur Katolik yang diwajibkan untuk ‘selibat’ – tentunya tidak mungkin ia menikah dan memiliki keturunan. Berkat kekayaan keluarga, beliau mampu memiliki cukup banyak ‘simpanan’ ; mulai dari gadis belia hingga janda yang menawan. Salah satunya adalah Vannozza Catanei – janda cantik yang dijuluki Madonna dari Seven Hills, berhasil menarik hati sang Kardinal, terutama semenjak ia berhasil melahirkan putra-putra yang menjadi tumpuan cita-cita beliau. Dari si sulung Pedro Luis yang terpejar, Cesare yang pemberani, hingga Giovanni yang tampan dan menjadi kesayangan ‘paman’ Roderigo. Dan kelahiran bayi mungil yang cantik jelita bernama
Lucrezia semakin menambah semarak keluarga tersebut.

more about this book, just check on my review at here :
( http://my-classic-books.blogspot.com/... )
(less)

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Apr 06, 2013 Debbie Young rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've never read any of Jean Plaidy's books before and read this because it was nominated by a historical novelists' book group I belong to that focuses on historical novels. I have many friends and relations who have enjoyed her books so was interested to see what the fuss was about, especially now that, having been out of fashion for a while, her books have been reissued.

I found this a curious book. It reminded me partly of a high school history text book, carefully and elaborately explaining t...more

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Oct 29, 2011 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

This is a story of the Borgia family taking place in Italy during the fifteenth century. I read this story because of my interest in the Borgias after the episode on TV. The novel focuses on the lives of the father (who became Pope Alexander VI) and his four illegitimate children. Most of the story centers around his daughter Lucrezia. It is a story of power, luxury, murder and heartbreak.

Jean Plaidy has written over 100 historical fiction books under several names (many as Jean Holt.) There are...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Because of the TV Series on the Borgias, I reread this and Light on Lucrezia Alsdo by Jean Plaidy. I believe anyone watching this series woud gain a lot by reading a Plaidy first. She lived from 1 Sept 1906 until 18 January 1993. Her real name was Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert. She wrote under many names (8-15). Over 31 novels were written as Victoria Holt and sold over 51 million copies and were gothic romances. She aso wote fiction as Philippa Carr that were set in historical times, though the...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Kate Sherrod rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first Jean Plaidy book I've ever read that did not concern itself with a Queen of England. I was expecting the reading of it to be a stranger experience.

But Jean Plaidy is always Jean Plaidy, writing as if she's telling a fairy tale but not sparing us any of the unsavory or unpleasant details. So of course she had to take on the infamous Lucrezia Borgia.

I've noticed a tendency, in Plaidy, to build the tale around the most popular anecdote about her subject known at the time, whether...more This is the first Jean Plaidy book I've ever read that did not concern itself with a Queen of England. I was expecting the reading of it to be a stranger experience.

But Jean Plaidy is always Jean Plaidy, writing as if she's telling a fairy tale but not sparing us any of the unsavory or unpleasant details. So of course she had to take on the infamous Lucrezia Borgia.

I've noticed a tendency, in Plaidy, to build the tale around the most popular anecdote about her subject known at the time, whether it's truth or folklore. Thus, for instance, The Follies of the King is one long argument/justification for the infamous (and possibly fanciful) murder, at the behest of his long-suffering wife, of Edward III by means of a red hot poker. And thus this first of two books Plaidy wrote about Lucrezia and the rest of the Borgia family is just a giant bit of foreshadowing for the legendary fratricide of Lucrezia's brother Juan/Giovanni by her other brother Cesare.

Thus even as it tells the story of Lucrezia's father's elevation from Cardinal Roderigo Borgia to Pope Alexander III despite being the father of three and possibly four illegitimate children by a courtesan, which is a tale quite worthy of a novel in its own right, Madonna of the Seven Hills focuses on perhaps the most famous case of sibling rivalry gone wild since Cain and Abel, except this time, instead of God's favor, the brothers are dueling for that of their own sister and father.*

Some later writers (Madonna of the Seven Hills was first published in 1958) might have gone all out for the scandalous, salacious incest plot, but Plaidy, as always, was more interested in who Lucrezia really was and why she would accept and even embrace a situation that most modern women would find intolerable. From the first pages, we see Lucrezia as a girl born to a bizarre station in life (tartly observing at one point to her friend Giulia Farnese [who has also by that point taken over Lucrezia's mother's job as the pope's mistress] that accepting bribes and telling her father all about them is her job) but who never knew anything else; the only daughter of a family of vain, proud, selfish and violently passionate pseudo-aristocrats who can't afford not to stick together however much they have gotten sick of each other.

So of course Plaidy's Lucrezia** grows up to be a pathological people pleaser. She is rich and powerful and beautiful and educated, but despite these advantages her self-worth is bound up only in how her father and brothers react to her; if they are adoring her, they are not fighting each other, or killing people, or starting wars or seduce-raping innocent girls (or boys) -- so it's very important that they keep on adoring her, even if it means keeping them trapped as rivals for her attention and affection. Whether or not she had a sexual relationship with any of them is quite beside the point, for Plaidy; if she did, it was just another symptom. Plaidy is more interested in how the rumors got started than if they were true.

As I said, though, all of this is just foreshadowing for the culmination of the big and legendary hatred between Cesare and Giovanni***, the two brothers who have only ever been friends when they were teaming up against an outsider whom they perceived as a threat to the family (usually a husband or lover or would-be lover of Lucrezia's). It's a tricky thing Plaidy has done here, making us sympathize for their prize even as our author so obviously taps her foot impatiently waiting for the Big Showdown. Lucrezia gets humanized only to be turned into a thing, a prize, anyway.

Which is to say that in Madonna of the Seven Hills, Plaidy may have achieved her greatest degree of verisimilitude, of art imitating life almost painfully perfectly, of all.

But that's not quite what we turn to historical fiction/romance for, is it?

*Alexander VI was an infamously indulgent and doting father, but even so, imposed his will on his children somewhat mercilessly. Giovanni, his favorite, he chose to be the soldier and the secular nobleman, blind to the fact that Giovanni was about as much a soldier as, as, well, as Cesare was a clergyman. And, famously, Cesare was the one who got trained up in the priesthood and made a Cardinal by age 18. Of course, had this not happened, Niccolo Macchiavelli wouldn't have had his model for The Prince, because Cesare wouldn't have had to become the consummate schemer he was, etc.

**And possibly the historical Lucrezia, too.

***Peculiarly, the actual murder is dealt with offstage, which feels like a bit of a cheat after all of the build-up, but again, is the sort of anti-climactic "truth" writers like Plaidy most like to highlight, even at the expense of causing the last third or so of the novel to fall flat.(less)

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Apr 28, 2011 Shoshanah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As soon as I realized this book had been released I was really looking forward to reading it. First it was written by Jean Plaidy, I've already raved about her over and over so I'll try to avoid doing that once again. Second it was about the Borgias family, and this would be my first time reading anything about them. I am happy to report back that I wasn't disappointed.

While the book follows the Borgiases from Pope Alexander VI to his 3 illegitimate sons, the focus is on his daughter Lucrezia. I...more

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Sep 25, 2009 Allie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, 2009-reads, italy

My first Plaidy and I am hooked! I will say it did take me longer than expected to really get into the book. But once I did, I didn't want to put it down. I am waiting for the 2nd book is this series to arrive in the mail! The Borgia family is very interesting! I read The Borgia Bride a few months ago and wanted to read more. I enjoyed this version of the Borgias maybe more than Kalogridis' perhaps because it doesn't seem as exaggerated. It is a quick read which was a nice change of pace for me...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Bookworm rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-novel, 2012

Since I love historical novels, I was very surprised that I never heard of Jean Plaidy before. She has written so many books! I came across her name while browsing historical-fiction and decided to give her work a try.

Madonna of the seven hills was the book I chose. It was nice to read historical fiction about someone I know very little about. I did not know where the story would be going. I enjoyed the story a lot and will be reading part II soon. However I do have some negative comments to mak...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Dahlia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Zaista ne znam kako bih ocijenila ovu knjigu. Mislila sam dati tri zvjezdice, ali onda pogledam kojim sam sve knjigama dala tri zvjezdice a puno su lošije. Dati četiri opet bi bilo previše. One stvari koje su mi se svidjele istovremeno bi mi išle na živce u nekim poglavljima.
Ali prije toga, evo ukratko o čemu se radi u knjizi. Za one koji ne znaju, „Madonna of the Seven Hills“ (na hrvatskom prevedena kao Gospa od sedam brežuljaka) govori o Lucreziji Borgiji, vanbračnom djetetu kardinala Rodriga...more

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Mar 23, 2012 Victoria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Jean Plaidy because you always know what you're getting. A brisk, well-written historical tale that is based on the facts. Her books aren't particularly racy, but they're dependable and easy to read.
This was my first Plaidy that wasn't about the English monarchy, but it stuck to the same formula, and so was enjoyed. I don't know a lot about the Borgias, so any recommendations for good books about them would be appreciated.

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Jul 05, 2011 Crystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

I didn’t know much about the Borgia’s before reading this, and I had such a great time learning about them as I was reading this! Just like any other book by Plaidy, you can always count on her to tell a story in such an interesting way that you don’t even realize it’s based on history.

The Borgia’s are such an interesting family, I loved the dynamic Plaidy portrayed between the brothers and Lucrezia, as well as their father, who loves them more than anything in the world. Alexander is just as co...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Kathleen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kathleen by: kathymk2@comcast.net

Shelves: historical-novels

The book is O.K. A little too "light" for my taste. I read the book, because I am interested in the Borgias. I don't get Showtime or I would be watching the series on TV. "The Artist, the Philosopher, and the Warrior: Three Renaissance Lives" was much better, as the book is non-fiction.

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Mar 29, 2011 Jacqi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Totally addictive thus far. Purchased for my Kindle - but I think this one is certainly a keeper - so I'll be ordering the actual book. Looking forward to the HBO/Showtime series now...

Changed this to FIVE stars - and I downloaded the next installment immediately to my Kindle...

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Mar 14, 2012 Tamsin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, fiction, historical

light look at the scandal and corruption surrounding the Borgia family in 15th century Italy. Poor Lucrezia was very much the pawn of her controlling brothers and father, the pope , who represented everything that is wrong with the catholic church. i hate to leave series unfinished so am off to start the sequel now.

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Jun 29, 2011 Michele rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A good book about Lucrezia Borgia from her birth to about age 20. She is sweet and innocent, lacking guile during these early years. This book was written over 50 years ago, and is not as racy or explicit as many of the historical novels are today. It is the first in a series of books on Lucrezia by this author.

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Jun 29, 2011 Meghan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, italian-renaissance

I really liked this book and thought that Lucrezia was a very relatable character. There were times when I was jealous, angry, and happy for her all through out the novel. I wish the book store would have had the second novel in this series when I bought this one because I really wish I could read it next. Jean Plaidy does not disappoint.

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Jan 24, 2011 Robin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, kindle, 16th-century, royalty

Once again, Plaidy's character assessment is what makes this book. Her characterization of all the characters, but particular Cesare and his relationship with Lucrezia, worked so well to bring them alive and allow us to understand them.

Plaidy's forward note which states "Only by judging the Borgias against their own times can they arouse our sympathy, and only if they arouse our sympathy can they be understood" is incredibly accurate, not just of this novel and the Borgias but of history in gen...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Julie Murphy-Rice rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this because of the Show Time series "The Borgias". The story is from Lucrezia's point of view, and gives you a lot more sympathy for her.

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Apr 26, 2011 Shelley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Really enjoyed this story. The writing was captivating and moved right along to keep you interested. I didn't know much about this family so it was really interesting to read. I can't wait to get right into book 2.

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Jan 13, 2012 Pam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction

I love these books by Jean Plaidy! I feel like I am right back in time.

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Sep 19, 2011 Erika hernandez added it · review of another edition

i love this story of lucrezia borgia my favorite of any borgias story i've read so far!

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Jan 13, 2010 Harper20 added it · review of another edition

Another series of books I read after watching a BBC drama, The Borgias this time lol

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Dec 20, 2010 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The never boring Borgia family.

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Apr 18, 2013 Christine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another great Jean Plaidy book.

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Feb 07, 2011 Tammy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is my first introduction to The Borgias. An easy read and hard to put down.

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Apr 18, 2011 Catherine rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

not all that great of a book, but I just wanted to learn something about Lucretia Borgia.

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Feb 18, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: renaissance, historical-fiction, borgias

A bit tamer than Kalogridis' take on The Borgia, but nonetheless engrossing, Jean Plaidy tells the story of Lucrezia Borgia while choosing to maintain the idea of the character's innocence. (History has diverging opinions concerning Lucrezia's role in her family's schemes.) It was a quick read, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel: "Light on Lucrezia."

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Jun 18, 2011 Mendy-Sue rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-ebooks

LOVED IT!!!!! better than a glass of cabernet and cheese plate!! (if thats possible??)

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Jun 18, 2013 Jackie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Was just a warm up of introductions to the Borgias. Still a good read tho.

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Nov 26, 2011 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was O.K, I am kinda disappointed. Considering how interesting Lucrezia and the rest of the Borgia's are this book seemed to be missing something. I will be reading the next installment though.

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About Jean Plaidy

Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million)....more

More about Jean Plaidy...

Books by Jean Plaidy

The Lady in the Tower (Queens of England, #4)

Katharine of Aragon: The Wives of Henry VIII (Tudor Saga, #2-4)

The Rose Without a Thorn: The Wives of Henry VIII (Queens of England, #11)

To Hold the Crown: The Story of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York (Queens of England Series, #11)

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