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19th out of 190 books
—
63 voters
Lucrezia Borgia
Although Lucrezia Borgia was a daughter of Pope Alexander VI and chiefly remembered as a raven-haired poisoner, Bellonci depicts a passionate woman moving uncertainly through the papal court and the intrigues, ambitions, and political chicanery that swirled about her. Winner of the Viareggio Literary Award and the Galante Prize in Italy in 1953.
Originally published in an a...more
Originally published in an a...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
October 1st 2003
by Phoenix
(first published 1939)
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This is probably the most accurate biography of Lucretia Borgia. (Yes, she spelled her name Lucretia, not Lucrezia.) The author accessed many primary sources—official documents, Vatican archives, contemporary letters and diaries. It is not an easy read, as there are many characters and titles to keep track of. The political alliances are complicated and keep changing. It is worth the effort, but I could have done without the detailed descriptions of wardrobes, pomp, and ceremony.
This book will...more
This book will...more
Oggi, per caso, mi sono imbattuta nell'intelligente commento di una utente di aNobii ad un altro romanzo della Bellonci, "Rinascimento privato".
Poichè tale recensione si può perfettamente adattare anche a questo, ho chiesto il permesso all'autrice di poterlo riportare qui. Gentilmente, mi è stato risposto che potevo farlo. Per cui lo faccio. :-)
Cara Maria Bellonci, finalmente ci ritroviamo alla fine di questa estenuante, prolissa e pesante avventura insieme. Cercherò di essere meno maleducata...more
Poichè tale recensione si può perfettamente adattare anche a questo, ho chiesto il permesso all'autrice di poterlo riportare qui. Gentilmente, mi è stato risposto che potevo farlo. Per cui lo faccio. :-)
Cara Maria Bellonci, finalmente ci ritroviamo alla fine di questa estenuante, prolissa e pesante avventura insieme. Cercherò di essere meno maleducata...more
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An exhaustively researched, enlightening biography about one of the most infamous women in history who's life, like that of Cleopatra and Boudicca, was recounted by her enemies. The text is quite dense and it's difficult to keep track of who's who and where's where, so an updated edition with maps and lists of people would have been welcome. Unfortunately not much happened to Lucrezia herself, so there are long periods where she does nothing much but be pregnant and the "action" moves off to her...more
Last year I bought a boxed set of books about historical female personalities. I've already reviewed the set's biography of Mary Tudor, which I found dated and frankly misogynist. Bellonci's account of the life of Lucrezia Borgia avoids most of the misogyny but is terribly dated, perhaps not surprising since it was published in 1953. On top of the date, this book was written in Italian by an Italian for Italians, so it's full of inscrutable (to an American) references to subcultures and stereoty...more
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My grandmother gave me a strange set of history books for my birthday. Not sure why. I was determined not to read them until I realized that I can't return them and also got bored and started looking for train reading.
As train reading, this only attracted older men who wanted to talk about Renaissance Italy. Let's not go there.
The Borgias led a colorful life (and yes I mean that in the singular since they were so closely intertwined) but this book manages to relate their escapades in the driest...more
As train reading, this only attracted older men who wanted to talk about Renaissance Italy. Let's not go there.
The Borgias led a colorful life (and yes I mean that in the singular since they were so closely intertwined) but this book manages to relate their escapades in the driest...more
One of my all time heroines..... A completely misunderstood woman who is now undergoing something of a renaissance, but she's been my heroine since I was 10 years old...... A Pope's illegitimate daughter, married 3 times, a businesswoman & patron of arts.....also accused of incest, witchcraft, adultery and murder....all by men. Wonderful book.
Acurada i ben documentada biografia de la més famosa "filla de Papa" de la història. Bona contextualització del personatge, no és fàcil entendre les polítiques d'aliances (matrimonials... o no) dels Estats italians del Renaixement. En contrapartida, moltes pàgines sobreres, l'autora es dedica en excés (al meu entendre) a aprofundir en molts aspectes que es poden considerar anecdòtics, i fa que el relat esdevingui feixuc en moltes fases de la seva lectura.
Very good book. Changed how i though of Lucrezia, the myth of her being the lady of poisons is stripped away. A really good look at how family work in the Papal States
This book is quite boring to me, it being a biography; which I don't usually read. But there are many detailed descriptions of the personalities of the Borgias, the political considerings, the affairs, and all the names of everybody. Which confused me; just exactly how many Giovannis and Alfonsos can there be? I think that may be the main reason that I find this book boring. :D
Filled with facts, but I wish that it contained the pictures which it refers to. Rather dry.
I found Lucrezia very interesting, but the book itself was a little out of date. I would like to read more about the Borgias, but with more modern research.
I liked it, but there are a LOT of names to remember, including some people who are referred to under more than one name. A list of characters in the front might have come in handy. It was interesting and deep enough to read again, which I will do sometime.
Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction and Lucrezia's life is one example. The daughter of a Pope she was married off several times for political gain for her family. Perhaps it was a bad translation but this one reads a bit dull and academic. Is the story of the poison ring true or not? This book barely touched the subject.
This wasn't a particularly well-written account of Lucrezia's life, although her life was certainly fascinating. Between international political intrigues, lovers and murder, there was much afoot. I hadn't known that she had lived in Ferrara, or even that Ferrara had been such an epicenter of culture (my bad).
Very educational, I wouldn't recommend this book if you are looking for a light easy read. She lead a fascinating life but at times it was hard to follow due to all the names. I found myself flipping back and forth to double check characters.
Such an amazing woman with grace, courage and intelligence. A true lady who took advantage of her birth in very darling times. The book is very well written with careful detailing and loads of back-up creditable research. I'm loving this book.
Interesting! A little hard to read. Hard to follow all the characters.
Others have said that this translation doesn't make for compelling reading, which is true. But the story, if you can push your way past the words, is fascinating and was enough to keep me going.
Er... I think this was a bad translation. Not a very well written or interesting biography of someone who was clearly quite a fiery character.
Mar 31, 2011
Angela
added it
Getting a little history lesson before the Showtime Series starts in April.
She was a victim, not a monster. This biography was a fairly easy read.
May 18, 2013
Mel B
marked it as to-read
May 18, 2013
Marloes
marked it as to-read
May 15, 2013
Fate
marked it as to-read
May 15, 2013
Teo
marked it as to-read
May 13, 2013
Alena
marked it as to-read
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Historical Info f...: The Borgias | 11 | 18 | Apr 27, 2013 12:06pm |
