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The Poisoner Mysteries #1
Trovačica
Uzavrelog ljeta 1492. u vječnom gradu Rimu dogodilo se neopisivo zlo. Jezivo ubojstvo alkemičara uskomešalo je cijeli grad i zaprijetilo povratkom srednjovjekovne tame. Odlučna osvetiti smrt svojega oca, mlada i zanosna Francesca postaje trovačica na dvoru najzloglasnije obitelji svih vremena Borgia. U vrtlogu opasnosti i intriga Francesca igra svoju igru i suočava se s nezamislivim izazovima. Podli neprijatelji mogu joj u svakom trenutku oduzeti život, ali samo ona može spasiti svoju dušu... Fascinantan triler prepun intriga i opasnosti.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 3, 2010
90 people are currently reading
6307 people want to read
About the author
Sara Poole
6 books244 followersSara Poole is the pen name of a NY Times bestselling author who is branching out to write historical novels.
Her long-time fascination with Renaissance Italy and with the Borgias in particular has led her in this new direction. It corresponds nicely with her interest in botany as especially regards the poisonous plants flourishing all around us. Sara lives in the Northeast with her husband and a menagerie of animals who are discouraged from nibbling on anything outside.
Her long-time fascination with Renaissance Italy and with the Borgias in particular has led her in this new direction. It corresponds nicely with her interest in botany as especially regards the poisonous plants flourishing all around us. Sara lives in the Northeast with her husband and a menagerie of animals who are discouraged from nibbling on anything outside.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 443 reviews
July 21, 2011
this is exactly the type of book i needed - total smut disguised as genuine historical fiction.
poole creates an interesting depiction of 15th century rome here - all the borgias are here, natch - but while the history is authentic enough the characters all feel a bit too modern.
didn't bother me, but it might bother some.
delicious death:
1. while poole honors the history surrounding her fiction, she never becomes a slave to it. it's a fine line to dance and she does it well.
2. francesca is just bad ass enough to like but also vulnerable enough to relate to. no one wants to get in the mind of a cold-hearted killer for 400 pages. or at least, not in their historical "romance"
3. smutty and informative - i can get my jollies and learn something! woot!!
4. cesare - never before has a borgia seemed attractive to me. good on you, poole!
the emetic:
1. there's a lot of barfing in here. i mean A LOT of barfing.
2. i feel like rome is full of men for francesca to flirt with. or, they call her a whore. or a witch. that's it. oh, except oddly rodrigo borgia who seems to look at her like a granddaughter he'd kill if he had to. i don't know. it's sort of like it twilight when all the boys at forks jr. high all stare at bella and think she super-pretty-awesome-kissy-face. eh.
3. i wish there were more poison involved. for a book called "poison" i'm never entirely convinced that the protag knows what she's doing. of her two kills, one happens before the book begins and the other could be accidental or not even her own work. for a mistress of death, she spends considerable effort keeping people alive. that seems to be a job crisis of some kind.
overall, i really enjoyed this light and trashy summer read. i mean that in the best way possible.
poole creates an interesting depiction of 15th century rome here - all the borgias are here, natch - but while the history is authentic enough the characters all feel a bit too modern.
didn't bother me, but it might bother some.
delicious death:
1. while poole honors the history surrounding her fiction, she never becomes a slave to it. it's a fine line to dance and she does it well.
2. francesca is just bad ass enough to like but also vulnerable enough to relate to. no one wants to get in the mind of a cold-hearted killer for 400 pages. or at least, not in their historical "romance"
3. smutty and informative - i can get my jollies and learn something! woot!!
4. cesare - never before has a borgia seemed attractive to me. good on you, poole!
the emetic:
1. there's a lot of barfing in here. i mean A LOT of barfing.
2. i feel like rome is full of men for francesca to flirt with. or, they call her a whore. or a witch. that's it. oh, except oddly rodrigo borgia who seems to look at her like a granddaughter he'd kill if he had to. i don't know. it's sort of like it twilight when all the boys at forks jr. high all stare at bella and think she super-pretty-awesome-kissy-face. eh.
3. i wish there were more poison involved. for a book called "poison" i'm never entirely convinced that the protag knows what she's doing. of her two kills, one happens before the book begins and the other could be accidental or not even her own work. for a mistress of death, she spends considerable effort keeping people alive. that seems to be a job crisis of some kind.
overall, i really enjoyed this light and trashy summer read. i mean that in the best way possible.
October 1, 2011
This book is probably a 2.5 star for me. I enjoyed the overall story, and the main character is very likable, but the author's writing style made it very hard for me to get through this book. I felt the flow of the story was disjointed, like one scene didn't always flow into the next. I often found myself rereading the same passage to try and figure out what was happening, only to see the author explaining what was going on a few paragraphs down. She would often make references to things that will happen in the future of the story that are not contained in this book. Poison is the first of a series (only the first 2 books of the series are written), and the author is often alluding to things that I would assume will be happening in future books. It was distracting.
There was also too much Catholicism in it for me. There is no way to get around that, since the story is about a girl who works for one of the Cardinals of the Catholic church in Rome, in the late 1400s. It just made me dislike the Catholic church and made me think that there is nothing religious about the church. I'm not sure if Ms. Poole could have gotten away with leaving out some of the details about the church, but I think I would have enjoyed it more than I did if she had.
I'm not sure I will read the rest of the books in this series, even though I am very interested to find out what happens between the main character and her love interest. I'll just wait for the movie version to come out and tell me what happens. :)
There was also too much Catholicism in it for me. There is no way to get around that, since the story is about a girl who works for one of the Cardinals of the Catholic church in Rome, in the late 1400s. It just made me dislike the Catholic church and made me think that there is nothing religious about the church. I'm not sure if Ms. Poole could have gotten away with leaving out some of the details about the church, but I think I would have enjoyed it more than I did if she had.
I'm not sure I will read the rest of the books in this series, even though I am very interested to find out what happens between the main character and her love interest. I'll just wait for the movie version to come out and tell me what happens. :)
May 15, 2013
(1.5 stars, because to its credit it is a functioning novel with a mildly coherent narrative.)
One of my primary grievances was the antagonists. They were are all over the place. The Big Bad is the anti-Semites! No, it's Pope Innocent! No, it's ! No, it's Because of this, it's hard to find a central conflict and the pacing suffers severely for it.
The plot is a giant deus ex machina. Characters appear just in time, of course it is , of course that person was hiding in the shadows during that conversation, etc. etc. etc.
Something that other reviewers have touched on which drove me up the wall: the narration. I'm hesitant towards first-person in general, and the fact that I was often being directly addressed by Francesca ruined atmosphere. She would point out how symbolic or ironic something was when it was obvious enough. I struggle to find character development in Francesca because of her heavily biased narration. Some of the language was hair-pullingly frustrating: Italian is used for words and phrases that have perfectly good English translations ("Ay, dios mio!" = "Oh, my God!"), and at the same time painfully anachronistic terms are used ("blasé" was one that made me physically reel away from my eReader).
Francesca's emotions and attitude are hyperconvenient. She never makes a mistake, and when she does she is praised for it as it had unforseen benefits. Francesca certainly fails to live up to what she calls her "inner darkness". She doesn't take actions which are morally questionable but incredibly beneficial and practical, and a chapter later insists to the reader that she is a "creature of the dark". I would love to read about Francesca being genuinely Chaotic Neutral or something of that nature, but she's not. She doesn't own her actions. There isn't a character who doesn't like her, and if they don't like her, they're sexually attracted to her. It's ridiculous. A magnetic protagonist? I'm down with that. But I don't believe a protagonist can be magnetic when she appears to not know her own identity.
There are so many male characters that I struggle to differentiate them beyond their names - they all seem to lack personality. Almost all of them are used as symbols, and the fact that Francesca needs to choose a man to properly self-actualise is again, ridiculous. I love female-centered fiction, but that's not the case here. The only female consistently relevant to Francesca's situation is Lucrezia. The characterisations are appalling bad: in one chapter Cesare is superstitious and devout, in another he insists that God be left out of important decisions. Francesca's faith appears to have the same habit of flip-flopping.
Poole discards certain rumours (Cesare and Lucrezia, for example - Francesca states outright to the reader that the rumours of the two are incorrect, and the two never interact on-page) and encourages others. A particularly foul one involving Pope Innocent VIII is used repeatedly for a reason I can't quite discern beyond making Rodrigo look like a desirable Pope. Which.. isn't the point of Rodrigo becoming Pope. At all.
I can't see myself reading the rest of this trilogy, not even as a quick read - with this one I found myself thinking "Is this book over yet?!" at every chapter.
One of my primary grievances was the antagonists. They were are all over the place. The Big Bad is the anti-Semites! No, it's Pope Innocent! No, it's ! No, it's Because of this, it's hard to find a central conflict and the pacing suffers severely for it.
The plot is a giant deus ex machina. Characters appear just in time, of course it is , of course that person was hiding in the shadows during that conversation, etc. etc. etc.
Something that other reviewers have touched on which drove me up the wall: the narration. I'm hesitant towards first-person in general, and the fact that I was often being directly addressed by Francesca ruined atmosphere. She would point out how symbolic or ironic something was when it was obvious enough. I struggle to find character development in Francesca because of her heavily biased narration. Some of the language was hair-pullingly frustrating: Italian is used for words and phrases that have perfectly good English translations ("Ay, dios mio!" = "Oh, my God!"), and at the same time painfully anachronistic terms are used ("blasé" was one that made me physically reel away from my eReader).
Francesca's emotions and attitude are hyperconvenient. She never makes a mistake, and when she does she is praised for it as it had unforseen benefits. Francesca certainly fails to live up to what she calls her "inner darkness". She doesn't take actions which are morally questionable but incredibly beneficial and practical, and a chapter later insists to the reader that she is a "creature of the dark". I would love to read about Francesca being genuinely Chaotic Neutral or something of that nature, but she's not. She doesn't own her actions. There isn't a character who doesn't like her, and if they don't like her, they're sexually attracted to her. It's ridiculous. A magnetic protagonist? I'm down with that. But I don't believe a protagonist can be magnetic when she appears to not know her own identity.
There are so many male characters that I struggle to differentiate them beyond their names - they all seem to lack personality. Almost all of them are used as symbols, and the fact that Francesca needs to choose a man to properly self-actualise is again, ridiculous. I love female-centered fiction, but that's not the case here. The only female consistently relevant to Francesca's situation is Lucrezia. The characterisations are appalling bad: in one chapter Cesare is superstitious and devout, in another he insists that God be left out of important decisions. Francesca's faith appears to have the same habit of flip-flopping.
Poole discards certain rumours (Cesare and Lucrezia, for example - Francesca states outright to the reader that the rumours of the two are incorrect, and the two never interact on-page) and encourages others. A particularly foul one involving Pope Innocent VIII is used repeatedly for a reason I can't quite discern beyond making Rodrigo look like a desirable Pope. Which.. isn't the point of Rodrigo becoming Pope. At all.
I can't see myself reading the rest of this trilogy, not even as a quick read - with this one I found myself thinking "Is this book over yet?!" at every chapter.
June 29, 2010
This plot is a bit complicated so I will try to keep this summary short and sweet. Francesca Giordano is daughter to the official poisoner for Rodrigo Borgia (what a job). Her father is mysteriously bumped off, and with her eye on taking over pop's job she shows off her poisoning skills to Borgia and like that she's got the gig - and that includes finding a way to bump off Pope Innocent before he can sign an edict expelling the Jewish refugees flooding Rome after being expelled from Spain during the Inquisition.
About halfway through the story switches gears as the Pope finally dies (no spoiler, that's known history) and the story changes focus to a fight between the forces of good (Borgia who wants to protect the Jews so they can continue to bribe him) and bad (the rabid churchmen who want to incite Rome into slaughtering the Jews) and Francesca finds herself in the thick of things in a nail-biting race to save a child from becoming an unwilling sacrifice at the hands of a madman.
The first person narrative used in this book (admittedly not my favorite), comes off at times as overly chatty, it feels like she's retelling it to an audience and sometimes the attempts at humor fall a bit flat - at least for me. I really didn't care much for Francesca, nor could I pick up on why she's so attractive to all the men lusting after her. In the end, this was an OK book, not bad but certainly not great either. If you like historical mystery/thrillers on occasion with a OTT credulity stretching heroine who can leap tall buildings in a single bound (let alone diagnose someone with "influenza" years before the word came into use), you might want to give this a whirl. If you're like me and expecting a serious novel with new insights into the Borgias I'd recommend you keep searching as you won't find that here. From the ending as well as the jacket blurbs I am guessing this is going to be an ongoing series - Francesca and the Borgias will return to fight the evil priests of Renaissance Italy. Nicely timed now that Showtime is switching gears, hmmm? 3/5 stars.
About halfway through the story switches gears as the Pope finally dies (no spoiler, that's known history) and the story changes focus to a fight between the forces of good (Borgia who wants to protect the Jews so they can continue to bribe him) and bad (the rabid churchmen who want to incite Rome into slaughtering the Jews) and Francesca finds herself in the thick of things in a nail-biting race to save a child from becoming an unwilling sacrifice at the hands of a madman.
The first person narrative used in this book (admittedly not my favorite), comes off at times as overly chatty, it feels like she's retelling it to an audience and sometimes the attempts at humor fall a bit flat - at least for me. I really didn't care much for Francesca, nor could I pick up on why she's so attractive to all the men lusting after her. In the end, this was an OK book, not bad but certainly not great either. If you like historical mystery/thrillers on occasion with a OTT credulity stretching heroine who can leap tall buildings in a single bound (let alone diagnose someone with "influenza" years before the word came into use), you might want to give this a whirl. If you're like me and expecting a serious novel with new insights into the Borgias I'd recommend you keep searching as you won't find that here. From the ending as well as the jacket blurbs I am guessing this is going to be an ongoing series - Francesca and the Borgias will return to fight the evil priests of Renaissance Italy. Nicely timed now that Showtime is switching gears, hmmm? 3/5 stars.
August 30, 2010
A debut novel, and what an accomplished one. Sara Poole's "Poison" tells the story of Francesca, a young woman of Renaissance Rome who wants to take over her father's job and find his murderers. His job? Poisoner in the household of the wily, intelligent, and sensual Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia. Francesca wins the job by poisoning her father's successor, and calmly explaining to the bemused Cardinal how she did it - and I knew this was no ordinary heroine. There is plenty of excitement as Francesca looks for her father's killer and gets wrapped up in Cardinal Borgia's plot to become Pope, but the novel's real fascination is Francesca's inner turmoil as she comes to grips with the darker parts of her own nature. The book is also worth reading for the descriptions alone - the city's blood-soaked streets leap off the page, and historical figures like Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia are woven meticulously into the story. A great read, sometimes bloody, sometimes funny, always fascinating. The first of a series, and I will be first in line to continue Francesca's adventures.
September 26, 2018
I like historical fiction pretty well, but this wasn't the greatest. There were so many adjectives and descriptive paragraphs and I didn't particularly care for it. I found it kinda interesting that she killed for the poisoner position. I didn't care for the fact that we didn't get to know Francesca either. Overall this got 3.5 stars.
February 15, 2013
Veoma dobro za ubijanje vremena... čitala sam je u autobusu dok bih se vraćala s posla, dok doručkujem, ili kad sam bila previše umorna da bih razmišljala o nečemu komplikovanijem... fino mi je legla u stresnom periodu. Bila sam skeptična, ali zaista nije loše.
January 31, 2019
I thought the main character was interesting but one-dimensional. The story moved slowly for me. Some parts were interesting.
September 20, 2011
I went into this book expecting a duller version of Philippa Gregroy. I have little fascination with Rome and am a little disilluminated by the Catholic church. However, I was pleasantly surprised! The action packed plot and adult language were very interesting (although not usually my style.) The best part of Sara Poole's novel was her portrayal of the main character, Francesca. Rarely, even in current-day fiction, do you see independently courageous and feminist characters. Francesca held a position of authority, was financially indpendent... but beyond that was her attitude. She asked no one for help, slept around, was driven by revenge. It was not just the character the Poole created, but also how she portrayed her. Poole did not give any occassion where Francesca would need help. There is no "damsel in distress" here, but also no "I'm super woman" attitude. Instead, she is real. Poole does not go out of her way to make her a feminist creature, but also doesn't portray her as weak in any sense of the word. Cheers for that!
September 15, 2019
Lengvas istorinis nuotykių romanas. Daug dialogų, labai paprastas rašymo stilius, nesunku įsitraukti ir tiesiog versti puslapius, tačiau kažko gilesnio nėra. Nors veiksmo nemažai, tačiau romantinė linija labai silpna, vietomis net nutrūksta, o panašaus tipo knygai jos vis dėlto reikėtų.
Knygų apie Bordžijų šeimą yra be galo daug, jau seniai nesiimu lyginti vienos su kita, nes kiekvienas autorius duoda valią savo vaizduotei pasilikdamas tik būtiniausius rėmus, vis tik jaunojo Čezarės charakteris man čia nebuvo labai įtikinamas ir kiek perdėtas. Tiesa, aprašomu laikotarpiu jam vos septyniolika, o istorija visiškai grožinė.
Patiks išskirtinai istorinių nuotykių romanų mėgėjams su mintimi, kad istorijai nekelsite per daug didelių lūkesčių ir neieškosite kažkokių gilių minčių ar didesnės prasmės.
Knygų apie Bordžijų šeimą yra be galo daug, jau seniai nesiimu lyginti vienos su kita, nes kiekvienas autorius duoda valią savo vaizduotei pasilikdamas tik būtiniausius rėmus, vis tik jaunojo Čezarės charakteris man čia nebuvo labai įtikinamas ir kiek perdėtas. Tiesa, aprašomu laikotarpiu jam vos septyniolika, o istorija visiškai grožinė.
Patiks išskirtinai istorinių nuotykių romanų mėgėjams su mintimi, kad istorijai nekelsite per daug didelių lūkesčių ir neieškosite kažkokių gilių minčių ar didesnės prasmės.
March 10, 2013
I've said many a time before that I am thoroughly enamored of the Italian Renaissance. It's one of my favorite periods in history - among many, to be sure, but this is one particular time period in which my interest borders on the obsessive. I will read as much about it as I can get my hands on; I will watch movies, TV shows, and documentaries set in the period; I will even look for traces of it in the fiction I read. However, while my interest in the period is broad enough to span almost its entirety, most of my interest lies in one rather narrow point in time of that era: the time from the 1490s to the early 1500s, when the Borgias rose to the pinnacle of power, and then fell from it so spectacularly.
There has been quite a bit of fictional and non-fictional material on that (in)famous family generated over the years, but in recent times there's been a shift in the way they're portrayed in non-fiction and, as a consequence, in fiction. Careful and more unbiased research has led to many historians taking a different perspective on the numerous accusations that have been leveled against the Borgias through the years (some of which have grown to outright fantastical proportions), though they're also careful to point out that the Borgias were not innocent of everything they've been accused of, either. It is this grayer, less clear-cut portrayal of the Borgias that Sara Poole subscribes to in her novel Poison: A Novel of the Renaissance, the first in The Poisoner Mysteries series.
Poison opens with a dead man: a man poisoned by the novel's narrator and protagonist, Francesca Giordano. She did so in order to prove to the man's employer, Rodrigo Borgia, that she was more than capable of becoming Borgia's poisoner, which had been her father's position before he'd been murdered. Almost immediately after being appointed to her father's position in the Borgia household, she finds herself tangled up in a conspiracy involving her father's murderer; a mysterious association called Lux; and the Jews of Rome, who are flooding into Italy after being expelled from Spain by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Aside from all of these very complicated things, Francesca must protect the interests and ambitions of Rodrigo and La Famiglia, as he makes a gamble for the pinnacle of power in the Christian world: the Throne of St. Peter itself.
Since Poison is narrated from the first-person perspective, it was pretty much essential to my enjoyment of it that Francesca be a character I could like, whose voice I could listen to with as little irritation as she told her story - and fortunately, she is exactly that. The fact that she dispatched her primary competition for the position of poisoner/food taster of the Borgia household the way she did pretty much ensured my interest in her, and the rest of the novel ensured that I would be hooked. She's depicted as a woman of means, financially independent and capable of making her own way in the world with little help from those around her. While this is typical of the female characters I enjoy reading about, one of the best things Poole has done in this novel is to actually frame Francesca's power according to her position in the world during that time period. While it's true that many women (particularly those of the merchant class or similar) were capable of having a certain amount of independence, it's still true that that period of history is very patriarchal, and so any amount of power a woman might have would be severely limited by the social structure of the time. The fact that many people find Francesca's position as Borgia's poisoner unusual, and that some call her strega, or witch, is accurate to the time period - and are details I greatly appreciate.
Another thing I like about Francesca is the tone of her voice: there's a certain coolness to it that I thoroughly enjoy. She has more passionate emotions, of course - she's got something of a temper, and a tendency towards impulsiveness - but she's always careful to make sure that such emotions are never put on display. If they do surface, she's quick to pull them back in and put on her veneer of calm. Equally interesting is how she's aware of a certain "darkness" inside herself: a willingness (though certainly not eagerness) to kill people if she thinks they have wronged her or those she cares for, a certain inability to feel sympathy or have any attacks of conscience when she takes a life. This makes it sound as if Francesca is a bit of a sociopath, which really wouldn't surprise me in the least. What I find intriguing, though, is that she recognizes her darkness, and she has an uneasy relationship with it.
Given how interesting Francesca is, I'd rather hoped that the characters around her would be just as interesting, but some of them don't quite hold my interest through to the end of the novel. Rocco Moroni, a glassmaker who was a friend of Francesca's father, and now a friend of Francesca herself, initially struck me as quite interesting, given his past and his present existence, but after a while he'd lost something of his shine, remaining static in a particular, given role. The same can be said of the primary villain, . Of course, this is just the first book in a series, so I suppose such characters will become more complex further down the line.
As for the Borgias themselves, Poole's take on them falls in line with what most historians today tend to say about them. There's no denying that Rodrigo Borgia had immense ambitions for his family, and that he himself was an extremely intelligent man, and Poole writes him precisely as that. Cesare is also written closer to the vein of current historical knowledge regarding the Borgias, though Poole adds an intriguing little twist to his character when it comes to Cesare's piety - not that it's straightforward piety as Christians understood it during the time period, but an interesting variation of that. As for Lucrezia, she is every bit as charming and sweet as history claims her to be at the time that this takes place (1492, to be precise), but possessing a great deal of intelligence and insight - one that, Francesca states, is often underestimated.
While it's safe to say that the reader will likely find Poole's portrayal of the Borgias to be more interesting than her portrayal of the other characters save Francesca, her portrayal of Cesare may have some people raising their eyebrows - especially because of the nature of his relationship with Francesca herself. .
And here, I think, is the primary problem I have with this novel: the structure. While I have absolutely no problems with Francesca's voice as narrator, I do have some issue with the way the story itself is organized. It could be argued that the choppy structure is the result of the first-person perspective, but I've read novels told in the first-person that read much more smoothly than this. The structure, as it stands, serves well enough to support the plot twists and reveals that are central to this novel, but it doesn't make for a completely smooth read. There were moments when I wished that Poole had taken the time to smooth the structure out, because the book would have been an even more enjoyable read.
Overall, Poison was a no-brainer for me to read: it fits into the very precise, narrow time period that I really like reading about, and features historical figures I'm already intrigued with. Even better, it featured a protagonist I could really get behind, who also happened to be a pretty good narrator with a voice that didn't irritate me in the least. This made up somewhat for the weaker portrayal of some of the other characters, but it couldn't quite fix some issues with the structure of the narration itself. Despite that, though, the novel itself is readable, with some interesting plot twists that will likely keep the reader on his or her toes, if they're willing to put up with the weaknesses of the structure.
There has been quite a bit of fictional and non-fictional material on that (in)famous family generated over the years, but in recent times there's been a shift in the way they're portrayed in non-fiction and, as a consequence, in fiction. Careful and more unbiased research has led to many historians taking a different perspective on the numerous accusations that have been leveled against the Borgias through the years (some of which have grown to outright fantastical proportions), though they're also careful to point out that the Borgias were not innocent of everything they've been accused of, either. It is this grayer, less clear-cut portrayal of the Borgias that Sara Poole subscribes to in her novel Poison: A Novel of the Renaissance, the first in The Poisoner Mysteries series.
Poison opens with a dead man: a man poisoned by the novel's narrator and protagonist, Francesca Giordano. She did so in order to prove to the man's employer, Rodrigo Borgia, that she was more than capable of becoming Borgia's poisoner, which had been her father's position before he'd been murdered. Almost immediately after being appointed to her father's position in the Borgia household, she finds herself tangled up in a conspiracy involving her father's murderer; a mysterious association called Lux; and the Jews of Rome, who are flooding into Italy after being expelled from Spain by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Aside from all of these very complicated things, Francesca must protect the interests and ambitions of Rodrigo and La Famiglia, as he makes a gamble for the pinnacle of power in the Christian world: the Throne of St. Peter itself.
Since Poison is narrated from the first-person perspective, it was pretty much essential to my enjoyment of it that Francesca be a character I could like, whose voice I could listen to with as little irritation as she told her story - and fortunately, she is exactly that. The fact that she dispatched her primary competition for the position of poisoner/food taster of the Borgia household the way she did pretty much ensured my interest in her, and the rest of the novel ensured that I would be hooked. She's depicted as a woman of means, financially independent and capable of making her own way in the world with little help from those around her. While this is typical of the female characters I enjoy reading about, one of the best things Poole has done in this novel is to actually frame Francesca's power according to her position in the world during that time period. While it's true that many women (particularly those of the merchant class or similar) were capable of having a certain amount of independence, it's still true that that period of history is very patriarchal, and so any amount of power a woman might have would be severely limited by the social structure of the time. The fact that many people find Francesca's position as Borgia's poisoner unusual, and that some call her strega, or witch, is accurate to the time period - and are details I greatly appreciate.
Another thing I like about Francesca is the tone of her voice: there's a certain coolness to it that I thoroughly enjoy. She has more passionate emotions, of course - she's got something of a temper, and a tendency towards impulsiveness - but she's always careful to make sure that such emotions are never put on display. If they do surface, she's quick to pull them back in and put on her veneer of calm. Equally interesting is how she's aware of a certain "darkness" inside herself: a willingness (though certainly not eagerness) to kill people if she thinks they have wronged her or those she cares for, a certain inability to feel sympathy or have any attacks of conscience when she takes a life. This makes it sound as if Francesca is a bit of a sociopath, which really wouldn't surprise me in the least. What I find intriguing, though, is that she recognizes her darkness, and she has an uneasy relationship with it.
Given how interesting Francesca is, I'd rather hoped that the characters around her would be just as interesting, but some of them don't quite hold my interest through to the end of the novel. Rocco Moroni, a glassmaker who was a friend of Francesca's father, and now a friend of Francesca herself, initially struck me as quite interesting, given his past and his present existence, but after a while he'd lost something of his shine, remaining static in a particular, given role. The same can be said of the primary villain, . Of course, this is just the first book in a series, so I suppose such characters will become more complex further down the line.
As for the Borgias themselves, Poole's take on them falls in line with what most historians today tend to say about them. There's no denying that Rodrigo Borgia had immense ambitions for his family, and that he himself was an extremely intelligent man, and Poole writes him precisely as that. Cesare is also written closer to the vein of current historical knowledge regarding the Borgias, though Poole adds an intriguing little twist to his character when it comes to Cesare's piety - not that it's straightforward piety as Christians understood it during the time period, but an interesting variation of that. As for Lucrezia, she is every bit as charming and sweet as history claims her to be at the time that this takes place (1492, to be precise), but possessing a great deal of intelligence and insight - one that, Francesca states, is often underestimated.
While it's safe to say that the reader will likely find Poole's portrayal of the Borgias to be more interesting than her portrayal of the other characters save Francesca, her portrayal of Cesare may have some people raising their eyebrows - especially because of the nature of his relationship with Francesca herself. .
And here, I think, is the primary problem I have with this novel: the structure. While I have absolutely no problems with Francesca's voice as narrator, I do have some issue with the way the story itself is organized. It could be argued that the choppy structure is the result of the first-person perspective, but I've read novels told in the first-person that read much more smoothly than this. The structure, as it stands, serves well enough to support the plot twists and reveals that are central to this novel, but it doesn't make for a completely smooth read. There were moments when I wished that Poole had taken the time to smooth the structure out, because the book would have been an even more enjoyable read.
Overall, Poison was a no-brainer for me to read: it fits into the very precise, narrow time period that I really like reading about, and features historical figures I'm already intrigued with. Even better, it featured a protagonist I could really get behind, who also happened to be a pretty good narrator with a voice that didn't irritate me in the least. This made up somewhat for the weaker portrayal of some of the other characters, but it couldn't quite fix some issues with the structure of the narration itself. Despite that, though, the novel itself is readable, with some interesting plot twists that will likely keep the reader on his or her toes, if they're willing to put up with the weaknesses of the structure.
November 22, 2020
i actually rather liked this and i plan to read the rest of the trilogy. it was smart and full of interesting history and religious discussion, as well as political intrigue and some action. i loved the mc - i found her refreshingly honest and interesting. i give it 3 stars due to how the story lagged in some parts. it’s not a favorite read by any means but tbh the rest of the trilogy could grow on me and i could end up loving them as a whole. i’m excited to find out what happens in book 2!
October 7, 2016
Francesca Giordano bertekad mencari siapa pembunuh ayahnya. Dlm perjalanannya, dia menemukan banyak hal-hal menarik di seputar Roma, yg selalu rumit dan penuh intrik.
Setting dimulai pada masa Paus Innosensius sedang sekarat di Vatikan, Roma thn 1492. Dikisahkan Francesca bekerja pd Rodrigo Borgia (yg kelak menjadi Paus Alexander VI) menggantikan ayahnya sbg ahli racun di kediamannya. Saat dia mengetahui bhw ayahnya dibunuh karena berusaha mencegah pembasmian orang-orang Yahudi, Francesca bertekad utk mencegah ditandatanganinya dekrit genocide tsb, tapi tanpa dinyana Francesca terkena jebakan perangkap Morozzi, pendeta yg anti Yahudi.
Francesca berhasil meracuni Paus Innosensius tanpa ketahuan. Dgn kematian Innosensius, pekerjaan Francesca tidak menjadi lebih mudah, apalagi dgn peluang racun-racun yg bertebaran di kediaman majikannya. Francesca terus berpacu dgn waktu utk menggagalkan semua rencana jahat Morozzi hingga kulminasinya pd saat pemilihan Paus baru. Berhasilkah Francesca menunaikan tugas beratnya ini?
Novel ini memuaskan tapi sekaligus sedikit mengecewakan saya. Saya puas karena unsur suspense nya mengena dan endingnya di luar perkiraan. Gambaran sejarahnya juga luar biasa walaupun tidak persis sama. Saya hanya heran kenapa tokoh Juan (Giovanni = adik Cesare & kakak Lucrezia) tidak ditampilkan sama sekali. Mungkin dua tokoh kakak beradik yg sama-sama villain akan menjadi terlalu banyak. Tokoh Cesare di novel ini belum terlihat sekali kebangsatannya, justru lebih terkesan heroik.
Author dgn piawainya menggambarkan sisi Borgia yg kecerdasan dan kebijaksanaannya lebih "ditajamkan" walau dia adalah seorang korup dan duniawi yg tidak segan-segan menimbun kekayaannya dan kesukaannya terhadap sensualitas scr terang-terangan. Saya jadi bisa melek dgn persepsi baru ttg Borgia bhw sejahat-jahatnya Borgia, justru dia jauh lebih baik drpd pendahulunya, Innosensius. Setidaknya Borgia menerima uang dari para Yahudi tsb dan tidak mengkhianati mereka.
Yang membuat saya kecewa, di novel ini tidak ada secuil pun keterangan/cara Francesca meramu racun. Sangat tidak lazim jika seorang ahli racun tidak meramu racunnya. Deskripsi yg banyak digambarkan justru Francesca selalu menginspeksi makanan dan minuman, sehingga terkesan Francesca itu adalah bodyguard Borgia.
Karena masih ada lanjutannya, saya sangat berharap karakter Francesca di novel lanjutannya akan makin berkembang dan ketrampilan racunnya lebih memuaskan saya.
Setting dimulai pada masa Paus Innosensius sedang sekarat di Vatikan, Roma thn 1492. Dikisahkan Francesca bekerja pd Rodrigo Borgia (yg kelak menjadi Paus Alexander VI) menggantikan ayahnya sbg ahli racun di kediamannya. Saat dia mengetahui bhw ayahnya dibunuh karena berusaha mencegah pembasmian orang-orang Yahudi, Francesca bertekad utk mencegah ditandatanganinya dekrit genocide tsb, tapi tanpa dinyana Francesca terkena jebakan perangkap Morozzi, pendeta yg anti Yahudi.
Francesca berhasil meracuni Paus Innosensius tanpa ketahuan. Dgn kematian Innosensius, pekerjaan Francesca tidak menjadi lebih mudah, apalagi dgn peluang racun-racun yg bertebaran di kediaman majikannya. Francesca terus berpacu dgn waktu utk menggagalkan semua rencana jahat Morozzi hingga kulminasinya pd saat pemilihan Paus baru. Berhasilkah Francesca menunaikan tugas beratnya ini?
Novel ini memuaskan tapi sekaligus sedikit mengecewakan saya. Saya puas karena unsur suspense nya mengena dan endingnya di luar perkiraan. Gambaran sejarahnya juga luar biasa walaupun tidak persis sama. Saya hanya heran kenapa tokoh Juan (Giovanni = adik Cesare & kakak Lucrezia) tidak ditampilkan sama sekali. Mungkin dua tokoh kakak beradik yg sama-sama villain akan menjadi terlalu banyak. Tokoh Cesare di novel ini belum terlihat sekali kebangsatannya, justru lebih terkesan heroik.
Author dgn piawainya menggambarkan sisi Borgia yg kecerdasan dan kebijaksanaannya lebih "ditajamkan" walau dia adalah seorang korup dan duniawi yg tidak segan-segan menimbun kekayaannya dan kesukaannya terhadap sensualitas scr terang-terangan. Saya jadi bisa melek dgn persepsi baru ttg Borgia bhw sejahat-jahatnya Borgia, justru dia jauh lebih baik drpd pendahulunya, Innosensius. Setidaknya Borgia menerima uang dari para Yahudi tsb dan tidak mengkhianati mereka.
Yang membuat saya kecewa, di novel ini tidak ada secuil pun keterangan/cara Francesca meramu racun. Sangat tidak lazim jika seorang ahli racun tidak meramu racunnya. Deskripsi yg banyak digambarkan justru Francesca selalu menginspeksi makanan dan minuman, sehingga terkesan Francesca itu adalah bodyguard Borgia.
Karena masih ada lanjutannya, saya sangat berharap karakter Francesca di novel lanjutannya akan makin berkembang dan ketrampilan racunnya lebih memuaskan saya.
May 21, 2010
Francesca is the fictitious “poisoner” to the very real, ruthless Borgia family, having killed to obtain the position so that she could avenge her father's death and assume his former position. The corrupt Pope Innocent VIII is ill and Cardinal Borgia intends on being his replacement. Poison might be a handy way to accomplish the goal, but it must be done without raising any suspicion against Borgia. In addition, the Jews have been run out of Spain and are being persecuted in Rome. The Pope is rumored to have an edict ready for his signature that will eliminate all Jews. Lucrezia, who was to become famous later in the Borgia story, was still a girl of only twelve.
“He does not fear you,” the priest said. “Not as he did your father. You are only a woman.”
God help me, I smiled. Innocent would have all of eternity to contemplate his error.
This fast-moving historical fiction is well written. While it could have evolved into more historical romance than historical fiction, it did not, leaving the intrigue as the main part of the tale. The language gave the flavor of the period but did not become arcane. Told in the first person, Francesca occasionally addressed the readers directly, advising us that we already knew or did not need more information about this or that. She also alluded to happenings in years beyond the story. The copy I read was an Advance Readers' Copy, and had fewer mistakes than I expect in an ARC. This is a novel I think readers of historical fiction, especially those interested in the days of the Renaissance and the Inquisition, would enjoy.
“He does not fear you,” the priest said. “Not as he did your father. You are only a woman.”
God help me, I smiled. Innocent would have all of eternity to contemplate his error.
This fast-moving historical fiction is well written. While it could have evolved into more historical romance than historical fiction, it did not, leaving the intrigue as the main part of the tale. The language gave the flavor of the period but did not become arcane. Told in the first person, Francesca occasionally addressed the readers directly, advising us that we already knew or did not need more information about this or that. She also alluded to happenings in years beyond the story. The copy I read was an Advance Readers' Copy, and had fewer mistakes than I expect in an ARC. This is a novel I think readers of historical fiction, especially those interested in the days of the Renaissance and the Inquisition, would enjoy.
April 14, 2015
Ce premier tome lance remarquablement bien la série. Au-delà des personnages forts, l'héroïne est un bon exemple parmi tant d'autres, l'histoire nous embarque au cœur d'intrigues dangereuses et passionnantes qui rythment parfaitement le récit. Nombre d'informations intéressantes nous sont communiquées, un côté que j'apprécie beaucoup dans ce genre de roman, même si en néophyte il est difficile de démêler le vrai du faux, mais j'avoue ne pas accorder d'importance à ce détail. Dans tout ça, Francesca tient un rôle de choix, son aventure va l'entraîner dans un milieu dangereux et la jeune fille devra faire plus que de son mieux pour ne pas se faire avoir. J'ai beaucoup aimé et il est certain que la suite rejoindra ma pile à lire très bientôt.
Ma chronique complète : http://bloggalleane.blogspot.fr/2015/...
Ma chronique complète : http://bloggalleane.blogspot.fr/2015/...
May 28, 2012
It seems as if author Sara Poole wanted to incorporate every word in her thesaurus into this series. I have read the first and second, and I can't bring myself to read the third. As interested as I am in historical fiction, particularly from the Borgia papacy, this book couldn't hold my interest. I don't recommend this book.
December 31, 2022
An interesting adventure as Francesca braves the moat of the Castel Sant'angelo and the crypts beneath St Peters in an attempt to save the Roman Jewish community and the election chances of Rodrigo Borgia.
Better than I thought it would be and I am looking forward to continuing the series next year.
Better than I thought it would be and I am looking forward to continuing the series next year.
July 31, 2019
All of the action is done 1/2 way through the book. Everything comes easy to the main character. She never really struggles, has any flaws or limitations. The writing style wasn't bad, different and at times could feel like rambling. I couldn't even finish it.
April 20, 2021
Story was interesting, editing was lacking. In a handful of places, the wrong name was written, which was confusing.
August 20, 2010
"The Spaniard died in agony. That much was evident from the contortions of his once handsome face and limbs and the black foam caking his lips. A horrible death to be sure, one only possible from that most feared of weapons.
Poison."*
What an opening to a page-turner of a book! Especially when the protagonist, Francesca Giordano, immediately admits that she's the one who killed him.
Francesca's father was Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia's poisoner. When he dies, Francesca vows to have her revenge, and the best way to do that is to take over his position. One death later, she does. The role of poisoner isn't just about poisoning others; it's also about keeping your charge safe. There's a power-play for the papacy going on, and Borgia is in the thick of it. Can Francesca protect him and avenge her father?
I loved this book! Francesca was a great character. She's so very earnest in her narration. Her tone actually reminded me a little of Mary Russell, Sherlock Holmes' protegee. She's very confident in her abilities as a poisoner, but she soon realizes that she's up against a very clever opponent. She could have remained over-confident, but she adjusts her thinking. She's also living in a time when anyone outside the "norm" is a heretic and only fit for poverty and starvation at best. She's open-minded enough to learn the lessons that she needs to. She likes to kill and that disturbs her a little. She thinks of herself as a creature of the darkness. She doesn't realize that she's working for the light in a roundabout way. She can only think of her actions and her theological questions and assume that she's probably doomed. But she still continues to do her best.
Francesca's narrative irritated me a little when the author just couldn't let some little bits of trivia go. She'd obviously done a lot of research, and she'd found some interesting things. They didn't have anything to do with the story, but Francesca would all of a sudden bust out with a tidbit about the papacy or something. I've already mailed the book on, so I can't find an example. You'll have to take my word for it. And then there were the times when she'd be all, "Well, to kill a person like that you would mix this with.... Oh, wait. I don't want to teach you how to kill. Moving on." Yes, I'm paraphrasing, but that was the essence of it. Luckily, it didn't happen often enough to ruin the book, but I hope those kinds of things are edited out in the rest of the series.
One thing that was nice, if a little, um, unrealistic, is that every man in Francesca's circle is drop-dead gorgeous. I didn't mind the mental eye-candy, but it did get to the point where I kind of rolled my eyes every time a new hottie entered the scene. Romance was not the focus of the book at all, or else that might have fit in a little better.
Speaking of eye candy...
I have a new book crush! Rocco Moroni is the hottest single dad I've met on the page. He's an ex-priest and currently a well-muscled glass blower, but he's also a thoughtful, intelligent, caring man with hidden depths. How often do all those adjectives go together? I'm looking forward to seeing more of Rocco.
The mystery and the action kept me turning pages. I didn't know who was responsible until Francesca did, and after that I was concerned that he just might get away with it. Everything fit together well, except for an unlikely escape that I had to brush aside, and I was very pleased with how everything worked out.
When I finished this book, I was left wanting to read more about Francesca and Rocco. I was delighted to see that this is the first in a series! Considering that this book was just published, I'll have to wait a while for the next book, but I will be eagerly awaiting it.
Fans of strong female protagonists in historical fiction will eat this one up. Historical mystery fans will love it too. I highly recommend it.
*Quote is taken from an ARC and may differ from the final version of the book.
Poison."*
What an opening to a page-turner of a book! Especially when the protagonist, Francesca Giordano, immediately admits that she's the one who killed him.
Francesca's father was Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia's poisoner. When he dies, Francesca vows to have her revenge, and the best way to do that is to take over his position. One death later, she does. The role of poisoner isn't just about poisoning others; it's also about keeping your charge safe. There's a power-play for the papacy going on, and Borgia is in the thick of it. Can Francesca protect him and avenge her father?
I loved this book! Francesca was a great character. She's so very earnest in her narration. Her tone actually reminded me a little of Mary Russell, Sherlock Holmes' protegee. She's very confident in her abilities as a poisoner, but she soon realizes that she's up against a very clever opponent. She could have remained over-confident, but she adjusts her thinking. She's also living in a time when anyone outside the "norm" is a heretic and only fit for poverty and starvation at best. She's open-minded enough to learn the lessons that she needs to. She likes to kill and that disturbs her a little. She thinks of herself as a creature of the darkness. She doesn't realize that she's working for the light in a roundabout way. She can only think of her actions and her theological questions and assume that she's probably doomed. But she still continues to do her best.
Francesca's narrative irritated me a little when the author just couldn't let some little bits of trivia go. She'd obviously done a lot of research, and she'd found some interesting things. They didn't have anything to do with the story, but Francesca would all of a sudden bust out with a tidbit about the papacy or something. I've already mailed the book on, so I can't find an example. You'll have to take my word for it. And then there were the times when she'd be all, "Well, to kill a person like that you would mix this with.... Oh, wait. I don't want to teach you how to kill. Moving on." Yes, I'm paraphrasing, but that was the essence of it. Luckily, it didn't happen often enough to ruin the book, but I hope those kinds of things are edited out in the rest of the series.
One thing that was nice, if a little, um, unrealistic, is that every man in Francesca's circle is drop-dead gorgeous. I didn't mind the mental eye-candy, but it did get to the point where I kind of rolled my eyes every time a new hottie entered the scene. Romance was not the focus of the book at all, or else that might have fit in a little better.
Speaking of eye candy...
I have a new book crush! Rocco Moroni is the hottest single dad I've met on the page. He's an ex-priest and currently a well-muscled glass blower, but he's also a thoughtful, intelligent, caring man with hidden depths. How often do all those adjectives go together? I'm looking forward to seeing more of Rocco.
The mystery and the action kept me turning pages. I didn't know who was responsible until Francesca did, and after that I was concerned that he just might get away with it. Everything fit together well, except for an unlikely escape that I had to brush aside, and I was very pleased with how everything worked out.
When I finished this book, I was left wanting to read more about Francesca and Rocco. I was delighted to see that this is the first in a series! Considering that this book was just published, I'll have to wait a while for the next book, but I will be eagerly awaiting it.
Fans of strong female protagonists in historical fiction will eat this one up. Historical mystery fans will love it too. I highly recommend it.
*Quote is taken from an ARC and may differ from the final version of the book.
March 17, 2013
Poison … ivy? ...oak? Poisoner …. Add the word 'Renaissance', and it could only be the Borgias! But there's a twist. The poisoner is not one of the Borgias. Her name is Francesca Giordano. She is the daughter of Rodrigo Borgias' late servant, whose job it was to protect the household from would-be poisoners, as well as to effect, on command, the poisoning of Rodrigo's enemies. The year is 1492 and Francesca has surprised not only Rodrigo Borgia, but the reader as well. She is introduced to us as someone who is sickened by the blood sport of a bull's sacrifice. Turn the page, and she reveals she is the unrepentant poisoner of her father's successor. The story is told in the first person, past tense. The viewpoint allows Francesca to expose her most intimate and conflicted thoughts, and allows the reader to sympathize and even admire her. Substituting a 3rd person narrative, and the cold scrutiny of some of the acts she must contemplate might be less likely to elicit that sympathy. Even as we experience ambivalence about liking her, we are forced to admit that Francesca is interesting. Her apprenticeship to her father's trade was so complete that she is able to create new poisons; her mind runs in relentless rational progression; and, she is patient. She also has a mordant sense of humor. When Lucrezia insists that her brother Cesare has “a good heart,” Francesca thinks to herself, “If she meant a heart that beat strongly and gave its possessor no trouble, she was certainly correct. Apart from that --”
The plot suggests innumerable popular references (the Sopranos and Dexter have been mentioned by other reviewers). I will add that for my part, I could not avoid visualizing Jeremy Irons as the Cardinal during my reading of this book. The supporting characters, likewise, felt quite alive: Impulsive, lascivious, and yet, charismatic, Cesare, gruff, discrete, and pragmatic Vittoro, and the stalwart glassblower and close friend of Francesca's late father, Rocco. Far from being an impediment, the derivative elements lend a modern sensibility to the characters. Their actions, ruled by fear, vengeance, avarice, and ambition, are all too familiar and bridge the gaps of time and place. At the same time, Poole never resorts to over-simplification. To merely dismiss these characters, particularly the Borgias, as hypocrites would be to miss their ambivalent perceptions of a world on the brink of convulsing change.
Poole touches on historic events such as the Inquisition, the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, and the conditions of the Jewish ghetto in Rome. She gives us a unique view of Rome, ancient layer piled upon ancient layer. She also gives us a look at the Vatican politics that elected Pope Innocent the VIII. She even finds occasion to mention the word play of Domini canes (the Dominicans as the Hounds of the Lord). Short chapters, suspenseful situations, frantic races against a ticking clock and vivid writing propel this story. When Francesca and Cesare fall into a sewer-like moat, the slime and stench are visceral sensations. When the fetid summer air is described, its almost enough to make the reader gasp for air. Much to my surprise, Poole has created a fast-paced historical thriller.
NOTE: The publisher has done the book a disservice by featuring a buxom beauty on the cover. I was expecting a romantic pot-boiler. This book is far more interesting than that, and well-written. For those interested in botanical poisons, monkshood is in the section on “Aconite” in Amy Stewart's WICKED PLANTS. The paternoster pea is called the rosary pea in WICKED PLANTS. The Star of Bethlehem is part of the family described in the “dreadful bouquet” section. I mention WICKED PLANTS because of the entertaining anecdotal treatment it gives to various poisonous plants.
The plot suggests innumerable popular references (the Sopranos and Dexter have been mentioned by other reviewers). I will add that for my part, I could not avoid visualizing Jeremy Irons as the Cardinal during my reading of this book. The supporting characters, likewise, felt quite alive: Impulsive, lascivious, and yet, charismatic, Cesare, gruff, discrete, and pragmatic Vittoro, and the stalwart glassblower and close friend of Francesca's late father, Rocco. Far from being an impediment, the derivative elements lend a modern sensibility to the characters. Their actions, ruled by fear, vengeance, avarice, and ambition, are all too familiar and bridge the gaps of time and place. At the same time, Poole never resorts to over-simplification. To merely dismiss these characters, particularly the Borgias, as hypocrites would be to miss their ambivalent perceptions of a world on the brink of convulsing change.
Poole touches on historic events such as the Inquisition, the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, and the conditions of the Jewish ghetto in Rome. She gives us a unique view of Rome, ancient layer piled upon ancient layer. She also gives us a look at the Vatican politics that elected Pope Innocent the VIII. She even finds occasion to mention the word play of Domini canes (the Dominicans as the Hounds of the Lord). Short chapters, suspenseful situations, frantic races against a ticking clock and vivid writing propel this story. When Francesca and Cesare fall into a sewer-like moat, the slime and stench are visceral sensations. When the fetid summer air is described, its almost enough to make the reader gasp for air. Much to my surprise, Poole has created a fast-paced historical thriller.
NOTE: The publisher has done the book a disservice by featuring a buxom beauty on the cover. I was expecting a romantic pot-boiler. This book is far more interesting than that, and well-written. For those interested in botanical poisons, monkshood is in the section on “Aconite” in Amy Stewart's WICKED PLANTS. The paternoster pea is called the rosary pea in WICKED PLANTS. The Star of Bethlehem is part of the family described in the “dreadful bouquet” section. I mention WICKED PLANTS because of the entertaining anecdotal treatment it gives to various poisonous plants.
September 29, 2013
Well damn, that was intense! It certainly helped listening to the epic soundtrack music from Two Steps from Hell to put this novel in proper perspective. Nothing like huge orchestrals and latin chants by massive choirs. Seriously, this book easily lends itself to miniseries material.
Long before Netflix, there was the original BBC version of House of Cards. The reason I mention this is because Francesca, our intrepid poisoner, reminds me a little of the dastardly (yet darkly hilarious) Francis Urqhart. I truly enjoyed the conversational style author Sara Poole used here, a breaking down of that fourth wall. Yes, Francesca is a poisoner. She has already murdered twice, and she makes it perfectly clear that she's more than willing to do it again. Of course she suffers with the occasional pangs of conscience, but those pangs are not enough to get in the way of doing what needs to be done--especially when she comes to realize her actions serve a far higher purpose.
Granted, this is a first book of a series, and while there were times I wanted to smack Francesca for her foolhardiness, I also applauded her fearlessness. For the history buffs who reject the overall premise of women chosing their own destinies, it might behoove them to do a little more reading about women in history. There were indeed women who, either by choice or circumstance, made the decision to live their lives unfettered by gender expectations. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that such as Francesca did in fact, exist.
While the Borgias figure prominently--especially Rodrigo and Cesare--there is also a glimpse of the woman Lucrezia will become. One feels sorry for the poor girl, the pawn of a powerful and ruthless father, not to mention a domineering (and insanely jealous) brother. Still, this is Francesca's tale, and she tells it with a certain wry aplomb.
This novel packs a wallop and then some, though if it were me, I would have made Francesca's background more of a mystery for later books rather than a big reveal. Of course, the real star is the venality of the Church and how ruthless men were willing to sell their souls in order to become Pope. Staunch catholics will more than likely be offended by the lurid (yet true) tales of past pontiff misdeeds; the rest of us fail to be surprised. Like any human organization, the Church has shown itself succeptible to corruption, a corruption that challenges the reader to wonder just who is the bigger sinner--Francesca, out to avenge her father's death, or Rodrigo Borgia, willing to do anything to become Pope, or his adversary della Rovere, willing to insure his enemy does not succeed.
I also give kudos to the author for making Francesca a sexual creature. She has relations with Cesare Borgia, but accepts her desire as a matter of course. There's no slut shaming here, so for those readers hoping for a huge dose of guilt, this book isn't for you.
Lastly, someone paid attention to the correct costume for the period, for which I am totally grateful. Will definitely be reading the second book. Can never have enough of The Borgias. House Barratheon could take lessons from these folks *grin*.
Long before Netflix, there was the original BBC version of House of Cards. The reason I mention this is because Francesca, our intrepid poisoner, reminds me a little of the dastardly (yet darkly hilarious) Francis Urqhart. I truly enjoyed the conversational style author Sara Poole used here, a breaking down of that fourth wall. Yes, Francesca is a poisoner. She has already murdered twice, and she makes it perfectly clear that she's more than willing to do it again. Of course she suffers with the occasional pangs of conscience, but those pangs are not enough to get in the way of doing what needs to be done--especially when she comes to realize her actions serve a far higher purpose.
Granted, this is a first book of a series, and while there were times I wanted to smack Francesca for her foolhardiness, I also applauded her fearlessness. For the history buffs who reject the overall premise of women chosing their own destinies, it might behoove them to do a little more reading about women in history. There were indeed women who, either by choice or circumstance, made the decision to live their lives unfettered by gender expectations. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that such as Francesca did in fact, exist.
While the Borgias figure prominently--especially Rodrigo and Cesare--there is also a glimpse of the woman Lucrezia will become. One feels sorry for the poor girl, the pawn of a powerful and ruthless father, not to mention a domineering (and insanely jealous) brother. Still, this is Francesca's tale, and she tells it with a certain wry aplomb.
This novel packs a wallop and then some, though if it were me, I would have made Francesca's background more of a mystery for later books rather than a big reveal. Of course, the real star is the venality of the Church and how ruthless men were willing to sell their souls in order to become Pope. Staunch catholics will more than likely be offended by the lurid (yet true) tales of past pontiff misdeeds; the rest of us fail to be surprised. Like any human organization, the Church has shown itself succeptible to corruption, a corruption that challenges the reader to wonder just who is the bigger sinner--Francesca, out to avenge her father's death, or Rodrigo Borgia, willing to do anything to become Pope, or his adversary della Rovere, willing to insure his enemy does not succeed.
I also give kudos to the author for making Francesca a sexual creature. She has relations with Cesare Borgia, but accepts her desire as a matter of course. There's no slut shaming here, so for those readers hoping for a huge dose of guilt, this book isn't for you.
Lastly, someone paid attention to the correct costume for the period, for which I am totally grateful. Will definitely be reading the second book. Can never have enough of The Borgias. House Barratheon could take lessons from these folks *grin*.
August 24, 2010
First Line:
The Spaniard died in agony. That much was evident from the contortions of his once handsome face and limbs and the black foam caking his lips. A horrible death to be sure, one only possible from the most feared of weapons: Poison
Favorite Quote:
“Have you noticed that those who murder in the thousands invariably claim divine favor while those who kill on a far more modest scale, myself included, know in our hearts that God weeps for our sins?”
My thoughts:
I know I rarely add quotes or first lines to my reviews. I just had to with this one because I was impressed by much of the writing.
Poison begins with Francesca Giordano confessing to poisoning the Cardinal’s poisoner. A position that belonged to her father before he was brutally beaten to death. She hopes that she’ll be able to take over the job of poisoner, and find the opportunity to avenge her father’s murder. Francesca sets out to discover who ordered her father’s beating, while doing the Cardinal’s bidding. The trail takes her into the Jewish neighborhoods of Rome, and she uncovers secrets that she isn’t sure her father ever wanted her to know.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Francesca is such a troubled soul, but that didn’t prevent me from liking her. There is also an extraordinary cast of secondary characters. I hope we’ll learn more about some of my favorites as this series continues. I was fascinated by the factual historical elements the plot contained. Many characters were based on people that actually did exist during this time period. While Francesca is purely fictional, I’d love to think Rome contained a few women as fierce as her.
This novel also explores the trouble faced by the Jewish population of Europe. Some parts are graphic, and horrifying. I was under the impression this was a young adult novel, but I’m not really sure. I’d say it is definitely suitable for older teens, but keep in mind it does contain violence, sexual situations, and mild language. It was a pretty heavy read.
If you enjoy historical novels that contains fiction with a dash of fact check this one out. I’m looking forward to the next book in this new series.
The Spaniard died in agony. That much was evident from the contortions of his once handsome face and limbs and the black foam caking his lips. A horrible death to be sure, one only possible from the most feared of weapons: Poison
Favorite Quote:
“Have you noticed that those who murder in the thousands invariably claim divine favor while those who kill on a far more modest scale, myself included, know in our hearts that God weeps for our sins?”
My thoughts:
I know I rarely add quotes or first lines to my reviews. I just had to with this one because I was impressed by much of the writing.
Poison begins with Francesca Giordano confessing to poisoning the Cardinal’s poisoner. A position that belonged to her father before he was brutally beaten to death. She hopes that she’ll be able to take over the job of poisoner, and find the opportunity to avenge her father’s murder. Francesca sets out to discover who ordered her father’s beating, while doing the Cardinal’s bidding. The trail takes her into the Jewish neighborhoods of Rome, and she uncovers secrets that she isn’t sure her father ever wanted her to know.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Francesca is such a troubled soul, but that didn’t prevent me from liking her. There is also an extraordinary cast of secondary characters. I hope we’ll learn more about some of my favorites as this series continues. I was fascinated by the factual historical elements the plot contained. Many characters were based on people that actually did exist during this time period. While Francesca is purely fictional, I’d love to think Rome contained a few women as fierce as her.
This novel also explores the trouble faced by the Jewish population of Europe. Some parts are graphic, and horrifying. I was under the impression this was a young adult novel, but I’m not really sure. I’d say it is definitely suitable for older teens, but keep in mind it does contain violence, sexual situations, and mild language. It was a pretty heavy read.
If you enjoy historical novels that contains fiction with a dash of fact check this one out. I’m looking forward to the next book in this new series.
June 8, 2010
"Before the Tudors, there were the Borgias." Um, where are they? They really weren't in this book all that much to make that claim...
Anyways, this novel is about and told from the viewpoint of Francesca. Her father was the Cardinal Borgia's poisoner. Upon her father's death, Francesca not only vows to exact revenge on his murderers but she also kills the competition for the poisoner job and SHE becomes the Cardinal's right hand poisoner and security expert you could say. Very strong heroine. She comes across as a bit cold tho and throughout the novel, she is rather hard to "get to know."
The plot is about Cardinal Borgia wanting to be pope and asking Francesca to err.. speed up the dying process of the current pope so Borgia can take the position. By agreeing to the task, Francesca finds herself thoroughly engrossed in intrigue and secrets regarding the pope, the pope's sinful habits, and also finds herself stuck in the middle of the tension between the Catholic church and the Jews that have come to Rome to escape the Spanish Inquistion (or so they hope).
The Cardinal makes a few brief appearances. His son, Cesare makes about three appearances and Lucrezia is mentioned here and there but she is a child and has no real bearing on the story. I was surprised at how little the Borgias actually pop up. As I mentioned above, I also had a hard time "getting to know" Francesca. Despite the narrative being from her point of view, she manages to reveal very little of herself or her thoughts and feelings. I got that she was having a lot of inner religious questions and guilt issues, but how does she really feel about Rocco?? What's going on there exactly? And if she loves Rocco, why is she in bed with Cesare? Her true thoughts and feelings were very vague.
Not awful, but not great either. However, I did learn a lot about the Roman politics, the dirty deals of the papacy, and the trials the Jews faced during this time. There was also a great "Mission, Impossible" type escape into a moat that was very exciting. Three stars.
Anyways, this novel is about and told from the viewpoint of Francesca. Her father was the Cardinal Borgia's poisoner. Upon her father's death, Francesca not only vows to exact revenge on his murderers but she also kills the competition for the poisoner job and SHE becomes the Cardinal's right hand poisoner and security expert you could say. Very strong heroine. She comes across as a bit cold tho and throughout the novel, she is rather hard to "get to know."
The plot is about Cardinal Borgia wanting to be pope and asking Francesca to err.. speed up the dying process of the current pope so Borgia can take the position. By agreeing to the task, Francesca finds herself thoroughly engrossed in intrigue and secrets regarding the pope, the pope's sinful habits, and also finds herself stuck in the middle of the tension between the Catholic church and the Jews that have come to Rome to escape the Spanish Inquistion (or so they hope).
The Cardinal makes a few brief appearances. His son, Cesare makes about three appearances and Lucrezia is mentioned here and there but she is a child and has no real bearing on the story. I was surprised at how little the Borgias actually pop up. As I mentioned above, I also had a hard time "getting to know" Francesca. Despite the narrative being from her point of view, she manages to reveal very little of herself or her thoughts and feelings. I got that she was having a lot of inner religious questions and guilt issues, but how does she really feel about Rocco?? What's going on there exactly? And if she loves Rocco, why is she in bed with Cesare? Her true thoughts and feelings were very vague.
Not awful, but not great either. However, I did learn a lot about the Roman politics, the dirty deals of the papacy, and the trials the Jews faced during this time. There was also a great "Mission, Impossible" type escape into a moat that was very exciting. Three stars.
January 4, 2011
You know, I'm not the greatest fan of historical fiction. The genre itself always seems sort of dry to me, so I didn't come to this book bearing a lot of expectations. I only picked it out because of its beautiful cover.
The beginning of this book was a bit dry and difficult to read by virtue of the background information and set up that the author was putting into place. But soon enough after the plot began to kick in and I found myself strangely drawn to it. I loved that this novel takes place during the later 1400s, quite a change from the usual Victorian-era or Regency-era historicals I see all the time. And there's a strong mystery plot to keep the pace swift.
For a story surrounding the papacy, I thought this was going to be some dull, preachy material. It's not. There's a whole lot of dark, seedy corruption as the Cardinals play mind games with the other in order to earn the upper hand of the people's vote. There's a lot of intricacies found in the text from the dialogue, inner relationships, and careful unveiling of the plot twists. I like that Francesca actively set out to make things happen. She was the driving force behind the many discoveries surrounding her father's murder which turned out to be on a bigger scope than she could ever have imagined.
It's interesting how Francesca is actually still a teenager but this is classified as adult fiction. Well, I guess I can understand it as the atmosphere and tone of the pieces feels very mature and clearly written in mind for the older reader. There's some casual sex in here. I like how the romance is subtle and a mere blip compared to the overall scheme of things.
I, of course, am not certain if everything is historically accurate but it certainly felt authentic enough for me. This book is one of those novels that creep up on you and have you transfixed by the end of it. I would totally want to read the next book.
The beginning of this book was a bit dry and difficult to read by virtue of the background information and set up that the author was putting into place. But soon enough after the plot began to kick in and I found myself strangely drawn to it. I loved that this novel takes place during the later 1400s, quite a change from the usual Victorian-era or Regency-era historicals I see all the time. And there's a strong mystery plot to keep the pace swift.
For a story surrounding the papacy, I thought this was going to be some dull, preachy material. It's not. There's a whole lot of dark, seedy corruption as the Cardinals play mind games with the other in order to earn the upper hand of the people's vote. There's a lot of intricacies found in the text from the dialogue, inner relationships, and careful unveiling of the plot twists. I like that Francesca actively set out to make things happen. She was the driving force behind the many discoveries surrounding her father's murder which turned out to be on a bigger scope than she could ever have imagined.
It's interesting how Francesca is actually still a teenager but this is classified as adult fiction. Well, I guess I can understand it as the atmosphere and tone of the pieces feels very mature and clearly written in mind for the older reader. There's some casual sex in here. I like how the romance is subtle and a mere blip compared to the overall scheme of things.
I, of course, am not certain if everything is historically accurate but it certainly felt authentic enough for me. This book is one of those novels that creep up on you and have you transfixed by the end of it. I would totally want to read the next book.
July 6, 2016
C’est en me baladant il y a quelques semaines dans les allées du salon Saint Maur en poche que j’ai découvert par hasard ce livre. Attiré par sa couverture et son titre, il n’a pas mis longtemps à rejoindre mon panier.
Dès le début, nous sommes plongés au cœur de la vie à la cour des Borgia. Le père de Francesca a été assassiné et celle-ci n’hésite pas à tout faire pour succéder à son père pour pouvoir découvrir qui est l’identité du meurtrier de son père.
Ce qui m’a le plus plu dans ce roman c’est sans doute le personnage de Francesca. C’est certes une empoisonneuse mais elle n’utilise ses armes que lorsque c’est vraiment nécessaire. Elle aime la vie plus que tout. C’est une jeune femme qui a encore beaucoup à apprendre mais que j’ai trouvé très mature pour son âge.
On suit également toutes les intrigues liées à l’élection d’un nouveau pape lors du conclave. On est plongé au cœur des complots et des manigances avant et pendant le conclave. C’est fou toutes les tractations qu’il y a pu avoir pour l’élection de ce nouveau pape. Les coulisses de la papauté ne sont pas toujours très reluisantes.
J’ai aimé être plongé dans un contexte historique chaotique. J’ai en effet appris qu’à cette époque, les juifs avaient été expulsés d’Espagne et qu’un édit papal les menace d’expulsion de tous les pays chrétiens. J’ignorais complétement ce passage de l’histoire. Bien sûr, ces textes vont avoir une influence sur le cour des aventures de Francesca.
En bref, j’ai adoré être plongé au cœur de la cour des Borgia, ses intrigues politiques et ses complots. La vie de Francesca est loin d’être simple dans un contexte historique loin d’être simple entre élection d’un nouveau pape et sauvetage du peuple juif.
Dès le début, nous sommes plongés au cœur de la vie à la cour des Borgia. Le père de Francesca a été assassiné et celle-ci n’hésite pas à tout faire pour succéder à son père pour pouvoir découvrir qui est l’identité du meurtrier de son père.
Ce qui m’a le plus plu dans ce roman c’est sans doute le personnage de Francesca. C’est certes une empoisonneuse mais elle n’utilise ses armes que lorsque c’est vraiment nécessaire. Elle aime la vie plus que tout. C’est une jeune femme qui a encore beaucoup à apprendre mais que j’ai trouvé très mature pour son âge.
On suit également toutes les intrigues liées à l’élection d’un nouveau pape lors du conclave. On est plongé au cœur des complots et des manigances avant et pendant le conclave. C’est fou toutes les tractations qu’il y a pu avoir pour l’élection de ce nouveau pape. Les coulisses de la papauté ne sont pas toujours très reluisantes.
J’ai aimé être plongé dans un contexte historique chaotique. J’ai en effet appris qu’à cette époque, les juifs avaient été expulsés d’Espagne et qu’un édit papal les menace d’expulsion de tous les pays chrétiens. J’ignorais complétement ce passage de l’histoire. Bien sûr, ces textes vont avoir une influence sur le cour des aventures de Francesca.
En bref, j’ai adoré être plongé au cœur de la cour des Borgia, ses intrigues politiques et ses complots. La vie de Francesca est loin d’être simple dans un contexte historique loin d’être simple entre élection d’un nouveau pape et sauvetage du peuple juif.
August 5, 2011
With the overly crowded sea of Tudor fiction out there, it's refreshing to see something just a little different. Newcomer Sara Poole takes on the deadly Borgias, an Italian Renaissance dynasty that ruled in Rome, primarily through their papal connections. The Borgias, though not often explored in fiction, offer a fertile ground of murder, intrigue, sex, lies, incest and all kinds of juicy things for authors to explore. It's the perfect backdrop for a soap opera complete with cutthroat power games.
In this wonderful debut from newcomer Sara Poole, the reader meets young Francesca, the daughter of an alchemist who makes a living by being the professional poisoner to Rodrigo Borgia. After her father dies, Francesca takes his place, using her knowledge of poisons to do Borgia's dirty work. Things start a little slow, but once Pope Innocent dies, the game is on to put Rodrigo in the Vatican. Of course, it's up to Francesca to see that it happens. Francesca finds herself pulled into a web of lies, murder, mystery and even romance with Rodrgio's son, Cesare Borgia.
Though a little slow at times and somewhat unpolished, Poison is a promising debut that weaves a fascinating and deadly tale of one of the most dangerous families in the history. Francesca, in particular, is a wonderful and unique heroine that pulls readers in. Unfortunately, I found Francesca to be so enjoyable that many of the other characters seemed to be forgotten. I can't complain too much though -Poole constructed a believable version of Renaissance Italian with an unexpected heroine.
Poison ends on an obvious promise for a sequel -can't wait to see it. Things can only get better.
In this wonderful debut from newcomer Sara Poole, the reader meets young Francesca, the daughter of an alchemist who makes a living by being the professional poisoner to Rodrigo Borgia. After her father dies, Francesca takes his place, using her knowledge of poisons to do Borgia's dirty work. Things start a little slow, but once Pope Innocent dies, the game is on to put Rodrigo in the Vatican. Of course, it's up to Francesca to see that it happens. Francesca finds herself pulled into a web of lies, murder, mystery and even romance with Rodrgio's son, Cesare Borgia.
Though a little slow at times and somewhat unpolished, Poison is a promising debut that weaves a fascinating and deadly tale of one of the most dangerous families in the history. Francesca, in particular, is a wonderful and unique heroine that pulls readers in. Unfortunately, I found Francesca to be so enjoyable that many of the other characters seemed to be forgotten. I can't complain too much though -Poole constructed a believable version of Renaissance Italian with an unexpected heroine.
Poison ends on an obvious promise for a sequel -can't wait to see it. Things can only get better.
January 16, 2015
Apparently 1492 was a bad year for trying to live a pious and devout life, at least in Rome. The papacy is rife with corruption and dishonesty as well as criminality and the rule of civil law is ignored, or even nonexistent by the lights of this story. Rodrigo Borgia is a Roman cardinal of wealth and influence maneuvering for a position that will guarantee his selection as pope, upon the death of sickly Pope Innocent VIII but his selection is less than guaranteed. And since murder by poison appears to be the preferred method of homicide it seems necessary that each person of influence employ his own personal poisoner; purely for defensive purposes of course. Borgia has chosen Francesca Giordano, the young daughter of his previous poisoner, who was murdered by street thugs. Francesca pursues her task with zeal and cunning and manages to save her patron more than once but I have a difficult time believing in her characterization or exploits. She seems more twentieth century CIA than fifteen century docent. The historical characters interwoven with the fictional ones is interestingly done but seems far fetched. In addition the plot seems a bit on the thin side, however, for those interested in historical fiction it's worth a quick read.
July 15, 2011
I truly wanted to give this book 5 stars, but it ended up more like 3.5. Poole's writing is both intriguing and annoying. Throughout the book the main character will be describing detail or involved in conversation and then suddenly, there will be a break in the flow during which time the narrator draws attention to the reader. I like to immerse myself and become lost in the world of the story, but could not because of all the interruptions of the narrator.
I also find that Francesca, the title narrator, also has conflicting ideas about herself as a poisoner and woman. At times she sees herself as powerful, confident, and capeable of handling her duties, yet other times she is naieve and stupid, to put it bluntly. If the author had intended a strong female lead, she was 50% correct.
The historical background was believeable and very rich, one of the redeeming facets of the book. The plot was complex and moved at a moderate pace, but would have moved much smoother if the reader was not reminded, time and time again, that they were reading a book. Also, some lines of the story were started and never finished.
I also find that Francesca, the title narrator, also has conflicting ideas about herself as a poisoner and woman. At times she sees herself as powerful, confident, and capeable of handling her duties, yet other times she is naieve and stupid, to put it bluntly. If the author had intended a strong female lead, she was 50% correct.
The historical background was believeable and very rich, one of the redeeming facets of the book. The plot was complex and moved at a moderate pace, but would have moved much smoother if the reader was not reminded, time and time again, that they were reading a book. Also, some lines of the story were started and never finished.
November 26, 2012
Je ne me suis pas du tout ennuyée en lisant ce livre, qui mêle à la fois politique, religion, complot, famille, devoir... Plein de sentiments se mêlent à la lecture et ce n'est pas pour déplaire. Francesca est la nouvelle empoisonneuse de la famille Borgia, elle reprend la place de son père, et tente de venger sa mort et de comprendre qui l'a assassiné. C'est l'intrigue principale du livre, mais d'autres viennent s'ajouter à celle-ci. Le père de la famille Borgia (connue pour être la première famille du crime en Italie), Rodrigo, est Cardinal est à l'ambition de devenir Pape. On en apprend beaucoup sur la religion, sur les conclaves, sur les poisons aussi, qui étaient beaucoup utilisés à l'époque. J'ai beaucoup aimé le fait que Francesca raconte son histoire, elle nous cache des choses parfois, s'arrête au milieu de ses pensées comme si elle avait l'impression d'ennuyer le lecteur, cela nous rapproche de l'histoire et c'était très sympa ! Hpate de découvrir la suite et quels rebondissements attendent Francesca et la famille Borgia !
Le Tome 2 est dans ma PAL, donc je pense que je ne devrais pas tarder à le lire :)
Le Tome 2 est dans ma PAL, donc je pense que je ne devrais pas tarder à le lire :)
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