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62nd out of 3,222 books
—
14,002 voters
The Agony and the Ecstasy
by
Irving Stone
Celebrating the 500th anniversary of Michelangelo's David, New American Library releases a special edition of Irving Stone's classic biographical novel-in which both the artist and the man are brought to life in full. A masterpiece in its own right, this novel offers a compelling portrait of Michelangelo's dangerous, impassioned loves, and the God-driven fury from which he...more
Paperback, 776 pages
Published
March 3rd 1987
by Signet
(first published 1961)
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Finished: I am giving this 4 out of 5 stars. I learned a lot and this book will push me on to reading more about Italy in the 1500s, more about the Medici, more about the Borgia family, more about the Popes, more about Charles V,the Holy Roman Emperor. History was made VERY interesting. It was not difficult to keep track of the numerous people. It isn't necessary to keep a list of friends, foes, family and Medicis. The reader learns a lot about the internecine religious battles of the times. And...more
Oct 18, 2007
Debbie Lazar
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who enjoy historical novels
Shelves:
booksihaveenjoyed
Goodreads crashed on me - I didn't realize the five stars were posted but not my review. You may be wondering why I rated this book so highly.
The book made Michelangelo and his times really come alive for me. I feel like I personally know, like and respect Michelangelo as a person. He was so recognizably human with family issues, rivalries, loyal friends, treacherous friends and, above all this fierce driving passion for his art, especially sculpture. He was born with a gift and a genius that h...more
The book made Michelangelo and his times really come alive for me. I feel like I personally know, like and respect Michelangelo as a person. He was so recognizably human with family issues, rivalries, loyal friends, treacherous friends and, above all this fierce driving passion for his art, especially sculpture. He was born with a gift and a genius that h...more
15 likes · like · see review
Oh good lord. No wonder I'm reading this book so slowly. I have to keep putting it down and fanning myself. Here's the young Michelangelo carving marble for the first time:
"He had removed the outer shell. Now he dug into the mass, entered in the biblical sense."
Really? He's fucking the marble? Apparently, yes...
"In this act of creation there was needed the thrust, the penetration, the beating and pulsating upward to a mighty climax, the total possession. It was not merely an act of love, it wa...more
"He had removed the outer shell. Now he dug into the mass, entered in the biblical sense."
Really? He's fucking the marble? Apparently, yes...
"In this act of creation there was needed the thrust, the penetration, the beating and pulsating upward to a mighty climax, the total possession. It was not merely an act of love, it wa...more
14 likes · like · see review
Even with Art History 101 under my belt, I was shocked to learn of his monumental contributions to sculpture, paint, architecture and even politics. But I was even more inspired by the incredible challenges he overcame throughout all of his 90 years of life. Nothing came easy. What an inspiration! Here is a quote from his death bed:
"Life has been good. God did not create me to abandon me. I have loved marble, yes, and paint too. I have loved architecture, and poetry too. I have loved my family a...more
"Life has been good. God did not create me to abandon me. I have loved marble, yes, and paint too. I have loved architecture, and poetry too. I have loved my family a...more
9 likes · like · see review
Jun 07, 2007
Mary Kathryn
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
one who would want a deluded view of history
In the wake of The Da Vinci Code, the field of art history has had a curious relationship with pop culture, especially mainstream literature. These books remain infinitely more accessible to readers than scholarly writings, and are marketed as if they carry the same amount of factual evidence, but with an enticing story so no one gets bored (overlooking the fact that the subjects were real people, and even as geniuses, were inherently boring).
The result is a public that feels informed, but in f...more
The result is a public that feels informed, but in f...more
2 likes · like · see review
This is a book I got in Florence after having admired the works of Michelangelo. A wonderful reading experience - I found myself reading slower and slower towards the end, because I did not want to finish reading the book! Every time I opened it and started reading, it was like entering a secret gate to 16th century Italy.
Jun 27, 2008
angelle
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone
Recommended to angelle by:
my mom
The Agony and the Ecstasy (1961) is a biographical novel of Michelangelo Buonarroti written by one of my favorite American authors -- Irving Stone. I am always amazed at how he does his research. For this book he lived in Italy for years visiting many of the locations in Rome and Florence, worked in marble quarries, and apprenticed himself to a marble sculptor. I read that a "primary source for the novel is Michelangelo's correspondence, all 495 letters of which Stone had translated from Italian...more
2 likes · like · see review
This is probably one of my All time favorite books that i have read, the thing is a beast and took me quite awhile to finish, but was well worth it.
I would love to own it, the copy i read was my Mothers, and she is pretty clingy with her books
I would love to own it, the copy i read was my Mothers, and she is pretty clingy with her books
1 like · like · see review
(My wife loved this book). I found the insights into the Medici family and into the culture of Italy at that time to be very interesting. But I found the details of Michelangolo's life to be a bit overworked. I don't think Mr. Stone really had to give insight for the reader into EVERY significant work of his life. After a while we come to understand the emotional process that he went through with each work without having to experience it over and over.
I was also rather disturbed by the author's...more
I was also rather disturbed by the author's...more
2 likes · like · see review
I LOVED it. I am beginning to realize that I really enjoy books about peoples lives, historical and contempory. I really liked Manhunt and a couple others that I had read before I started reviewing, like The Glass Castle and Issac's Storm.
This book had great character development, and flowed well. I felt the author devoted enough time to each event in Michelangelo's life to give it meaning and purpose, but was sure to move on when it was time--it wasn't boring. There was so much to learn about...more
This book had great character development, and flowed well. I felt the author devoted enough time to each event in Michelangelo's life to give it meaning and purpose, but was sure to move on when it was time--it wasn't boring. There was so much to learn about...more
1 like · like · see review
Jun 06, 2008
Mister Jones
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone
Recommended to Mister Jones by:
no one, library roulette
I was thinking about this book a few days ago, and how much I enjoyed reading it years ago.
In fact, I like this book so much I went on to read other works of historical fiction by Stone, but I think Agony and the Ecstasy was his best.
I came away with a deep appreciation of Michaelangelo, his suffering and vision, his world, and the Medici, and it led me to look up his artistic creations in various art books.
I need to read it again. I need to go to Florence one day too, maybe before I depart this...more
In fact, I like this book so much I went on to read other works of historical fiction by Stone, but I think Agony and the Ecstasy was his best.
I came away with a deep appreciation of Michaelangelo, his suffering and vision, his world, and the Medici, and it led me to look up his artistic creations in various art books.
I need to read it again. I need to go to Florence one day too, maybe before I depart this...more
1 like · like · see review
When I first got my hands on Irving Stone's The Agony and the Ecstasy, it was a hard-bound book with no leaflet to describe what I was getting myself into. I hadn't heard of Irving Stone yet and didn't know that he wrote biographies, nor had I seen or heard of the movie adaptation of the book... So, you can imagine where my mind went with a title like The Agony and the Ecstasy! Instead of finding out that my dad had a gigantic book of erotica in his library, I was pleasantly surprised to learn t...more
Read this book and you'll get a Que on how to write a biography that it almost feels like an autobiography..Renaissance is one the most interesting era in history were immense changes took place in the form of art, architecture, music and the whole thinking-thought process and ideologies...It was during the twelfth century spanning across the whole Europe starting from Italy....Leanardo Da Vinci, Isaac Newton, William Shakespeare, Vasco Da Gama are the ones that come into my mind instantly...Wit...more
At first glance, this giant tome seems daunting. Once you dive in, you won't want it to end.
Irving Stone gets a bit of flak in the literary world, as his historical novelizations may not be considered true histories. But, in my opinion, that is exactly what makes his writing so enjoyable.
The Agony and the Ecstasy is colored with the incredible complexities of Michelangelo's brilliance. Being a pawn of the Pope, living at the mercy of his lenders, struggling to release the true artist within him,...more
Irving Stone gets a bit of flak in the literary world, as his historical novelizations may not be considered true histories. But, in my opinion, that is exactly what makes his writing so enjoyable.
The Agony and the Ecstasy is colored with the incredible complexities of Michelangelo's brilliance. Being a pawn of the Pope, living at the mercy of his lenders, struggling to release the true artist within him,...more
I read this book when I was 12 years old and it really made me aware of just how different the world of the 15th and 16th century Artists was in comparison to the current Art scene. To have sponsors like the Medici family and the Pope gives one a huge advantage over current artists. In the USA there used to be Federal funding for Artists to look for, but that is now dried up with the new concept that if you have the BEST talent then you should naturally float to the top. In the pre-twentieth cen...more
The Agony and the Ecstasy is the "biographical novel" of Michelangelo, but much more than that, it is the story of the Italian Renaissance in all its glory. It is also the story of the conflicts between church and state and more specifically between the Pope and Michelangelo. I read this first when I was in high school (with Michelangelo, of course) a year or two after it was first published, and I fell in love with the book and with the artist, Michelangelo. It is a personal view of the struggl...more
I read this years ago just before a trip to Italy. It is a great book not so much for its treatment of the character of Michaelangelo as for its treatment of his art and his artistic process. If you pick up this book with the expectation of an in depth treatment of the artist's life and sexual orientation, you may be disappointed. While Stone deals with the former and skirts much of the latter, the man Michaelangelo is a secondary character in this book. It is the artist and, more significantly,...more
This book is incredible. I picked it up, having thought I’d heard of it … maybe … somewhere. And I was kind of nonplussed about reading it – especially because of its length and because I have no particular interest in Michelangelo. However, from the first chapters, Stone blew me away with the detail about Michelangelo and the richness of his life. He paints a character who is fully realized and emotionally charged – the portrait of an artist. Stone also examines the motivations behind the sculp...more
Oh, how I adore this book.
I had learned in school about Michelangelo's Pieta and David, and of course I knew he painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling, but I knew nothing about him personally, as a man or an artist. After reading this book, I feel like I do know him, and I am completely in awe.
Michelangelo was never satisfied with mediocrity - everything he did had to be the best he could make it, even if it was something he didn't want to do. When he was involved in a project, he put everything int...more
I had learned in school about Michelangelo's Pieta and David, and of course I knew he painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling, but I knew nothing about him personally, as a man or an artist. After reading this book, I feel like I do know him, and I am completely in awe.
Michelangelo was never satisfied with mediocrity - everything he did had to be the best he could make it, even if it was something he didn't want to do. When he was involved in a project, he put everything int...more
I remember my father reading this book - I was a teenager and into sports and music, but Dad found time to balance work and his love for athletics by reading one or two books a week.
So, after three kids and now two grandchildren, my interest in this historical novel came to fruition with much anticipation. At first, I found it a tough read, although the dialogue was lively and credible; but Stone's passion for history, and obvious adoration for Michelangelo's creativity, rings true throughout th...more
So, after three kids and now two grandchildren, my interest in this historical novel came to fruition with much anticipation. At first, I found it a tough read, although the dialogue was lively and credible; but Stone's passion for history, and obvious adoration for Michelangelo's creativity, rings true throughout th...more
It was the spring of 1973. Revelations into the behind-the-scene antics of the Nixon White House in a scandal known by one word “Watergate” had made cynics of us all. I needed something nobler to think about, a story about someone that pursued more than his own self interest, i.e a higher calling.
Set 500 years earlier, “The Agony and the Ecstasy,” Irving Stone’s historical novel about Michelangelo, master from the Italian Renaissance, fit the bill. Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was...more
Set 500 years earlier, “The Agony and the Ecstasy,” Irving Stone’s historical novel about Michelangelo, master from the Italian Renaissance, fit the bill. Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was...more
Absolutely fascinating! I read this one for book club and was initially not excited to read it. I'll have to admit, for me it was a slow meticulous read. I couldn't speed read it like a twilight or hunger games book... that's not a bad thing though. I know very little about art history and Michelangelo, so I felt like I was back in college taking a fascinating class in art history. During the time I was reading this book I became obsessed with Michelangelo and his art. I would recommend looking...more
This is a historical novel of Michelangelo Buonarroti from when he was a 13 year old seeking an apprenticeship to his death at the age of 89. As a small child, he lived near a stone quarry and was taught as a stonecutter how to use the hammer and chisel. He learned that the stone is the master not the carver. For although Michelangelo is most well known for his Sistine Chapel, it is marble sculpture that he loved. I admired Michelangelo's courage to be different. He loved the beauty of the male...more
Finally, after the long agony of reading this book, the day of ecstasy has arrived, completion! I only kept reading because the chronological account of Michelangelo's works along with the basic history of Rome and Florence did help me weave the two together. By so doing it helps me to understand the historical circumstances surrounding him when he created his artwork; giving me a better ability to understand those works more so than receiving the art and the history separately.
However, knowing...more
However, knowing...more
A very long time ago my mother told me she read that Michelangelo learned to be a sculptor by dissecting dead people in the night. That stuck with me so when my friend, Zoe, recommended this book my first question was did Michelangelo study corpses in the book. When she said yes, I knew this was the book my mom read and I had to read it.
It’s called The Agony and Ecstasy for a very good reason. Thanks to the author, I could feel each moment of Michelangelo’s despair, each time of triumph.
Looking...more
It’s called The Agony and Ecstasy for a very good reason. Thanks to the author, I could feel each moment of Michelangelo’s despair, each time of triumph.
Looking...more
Thanks to my dear friend Patty for recommending this to me while we were standing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art! I know this is an older book but I can't believe I have missed out on reading it all these years! Michelangelo and all his Medici buddies/fremenies really came alive for me in this historical piece. I was really caught up in (and sometimes confused by) all the political-religious activity going on during this time period. Thank goodness for Google so I could see each piece after h...more
On the PRO side: This was very helpful to me in tying together many threads and timelines in history - the Medicis and the Borgias and Savanarola and Luther and Tudor England....all very useful.
Also - Clearly Stone studied Michaelangelo's letters carefully, which made his descriptions of the artist's thought processes, and intentions very thorough and revealing. Very useful to know where Michaelangelo was headed as he embarked upon his various works.
On the CON side: Now that I have a clearer ide...more
Probably the longest book I've ever read in the shortest amount of time. I was nineteen, working twelve hour factory shifts, and inbetween - reading. Sunning at 90 degrees and reading. Read this in two sittings. Everything about this book entranced me. The Italian Renaissance society and its relationship to the arts. Michaelangelo's path and fascination with the human body and the process by which he learned about it. His work on the Sistine chapel. Everything brought compellingly to life.
This...more
This...more
Nov 15, 2011
06MirandaH
added it
Anything so violently censoured by the school computers, is a book I gotta read. Unfourtunatly, it is only censoured because it has the word ecstasy in the title. I'm on page 300 now, and I don't hate it, but I also don't love it either. Not much has happened yet, but my fingers are crossed because with 400 more pages, something is bound to happen eventually. I'm a fairly good reader, but this book leaves me a little dazed because the italien names confuse me. I never remember who is who, so I...more
Jun 07, 2013
Holly
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
historians, Renaissence fans
Recommended to Holly by:
the nightstand in my mother's room
Shelves:
fiction
I copped this from my mother's nightstand when I was 14 and loved the sex scenes, which were pretty hot back in the day. In feeding my libido, I also feed my nascent love of history. Even though Stone's writing galumphed heavily throughout the story, his fact checking turned the book into a good lesson on the Borgia and Della Rivers papacies, the wars between the Italian states, Renaissance art and the power of the Italian families, especially the Medicis. Living in a naive world as I did, the f...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michelangelo | 14 | 82 | Jan 15, 2013 01:55pm | |
| Goodreads Librari...: Do I Make a New Edition? | 18 | 139 | Nov 08, 2011 09:36pm | |
| The History Book ...: HF - THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY | 71 | 157 | Nov 28, 2009 09:49pm |
In 1923, Stone received his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley. In the 1960s, Stone received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Southern California, where he had previously earned a Masters Degree from the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.
When at home, Stone relied upon the research facilities and expertise made available to him by Esther Euler...more
More about Irving Stone...
When at home, Stone relied upon the research facilities and expertise made available to him by Esther Euler...more
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“Talent is cheap; dedication is expensive. It will cost you your life.”
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62 people liked it
“One should not become an artist because he can, but because he must. It is only for those who would be miserable without it.”
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