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This book is an example of historical fiction; it is focused on the period of 1492 to 1500 in Rome during the Italian Renaissance. What does the word "Borgia" mean to you? Chances are that this word denotes a vague feeling of disgust and horror. Well, there is a reason for that. Rodrigo Borgia was a Spanish Cardinal who became Pope in 1492. He had two relatives, Cesare Borgia and Lucrezia Borgia, believed to be his illegitimate children, who are also in the history books. The family appears to have been pretty devious and violent.
We remember the Italian Renaissance as a time of great artistic achievement and the beginnings of modern science- but this novel explores the less savory side of things. There is a great deal of plotting, corrupt pay-offs, and brutality in the story, as well as a lot more sex than we are used to seeing in the families of Popes (Cesare seems to have been an early victim of the arrival of syphilis in Italy). Reading this novel is a bit like watching reality TV- the audience wonders how evil the characters can be, and each new behavioral low elicits shocked gasps. But it is also true that the Borgias did not behave significantly worse than their political opponents- and brutality was practiced largely because it was the best way to get desired results.
There is a great deal of history in this true story, so much so that people uninterested in the Italian Renaissance should probably look elsewhere for a beach read. But if you have a sincere fascination for the period, and are willing to sit for five hundred pages of People Behaving Badly, this is a great book for you. One last note: Lucrezia may have gotten a bad rap in popular imagination- Dunant portrays her as largely a helpless victim to the plotting of her dad and brother, who seemed willing to marry her off to powerful strangers for even a momentary advantage. It is believable, as Dunant presents an impressive list of historical sources for her novel. NOTE: publish date for this novel is July 16, 2013.
