Blood & Beauty (The Borgias #1) in Around the World in 80 Books

May 10, 2023 Andrea rated it it was amazing

Shelves: renaissance

Lately, if a book doesn’t absolutely seem worth the time I just quit and don’t review it. This book was a slow, engrossing read that took some time but that kept me enthralled, that old fashioned kind of reading where you are immersed in another world. Despite reading some enjoyable books lately, I feel like I haven’t enjoyed a piece of fiction this much since pre Covid. The author recreates the first Borgia pope, Alexander and the lives of his children, particularly Lucrezia and Cesare. The car ...more

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Jul 07, 2014 Nikki rated it really liked it

Not a bad version of the Borgia saga at all - story wise. But I didn't really like her using the present tense. The way she jumped between characters while at the same time keeping a chroniclers' distance made it hard to feel empathy for anyone, even Lucrezia. I hope this is not a bigger trend started by Hilary Mantel and that godawful unreadable style of Wolf Hall (which I gave up on). Much prefered Dunant's earlier books set in Renaissance Italy. ...more

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Jul 06, 2014 Diane rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: hfu2014-masters

The Borgias - Pope Alexander VI and his children. He was Pope from 11 August 1492 to his death on 18 August 1503. His daughter, the beautiful Lucreza, with three politically motivated marriages; and his sons, Juan, Cesere, and Geoffre all were part of the Popes efforts to strengthen the Borgia family. He was known for his nepotism and grabbing power and wealth from the barons.

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Jan 04, 2014 Kristin rated it liked it

An interesting read, but agree with other reviews in that, most of the time, I felt like I was just reading historical information. I enjoyed learning about the Borgia family, but it was tough getting through some of the chapters when there really wasn't much of a plot. ...more

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