Helpful Score: 10
Very interesting and dramatic! Tragic and creepy story about the Borgia's and their demise. Was a very fast read and I highly recommend it, but don't start it at bed time - you won't be able to put it down till it's finished!
Helpful Score: 10
Intrigue, scandal, murder, and liasons.... all well-researched and grounded historically. This book made the era vivid while giving interesting, complex characters to love and hate. If you like Phillipa Gregory books ("The Virgin Queen", etc) or historical fiction of any kind, you'll like this.
Helpful Score: 7
I've read several books about Lucrezia and the Borgias, but this one is from a different point of view...that of Sancha of Aragon. Sister to Alfonso (who would marry Lucrezia and be murdered by the order of Cesare) and wife to Jofre (younger brother of Cesare), Sancha learns more than she ever wanted to know about the Borgias.
Absolutely excellent. The simple writing style makes the fact that it's all based on truth even more horrifying
Helpful Score: 5
I became so engrossed with this book I ended up staying up late at night to read it...when I had work the next day! It's Philippa Gregory-esque in style. I liked that the chapters were separated by date so I could follow the historical events better. I never felt myself getting bored with the story...I think Kalogridis did a great job with pacing the plot. Some scenes were graphic, but that's what you get when writing about the Borgias. It's difficult to know sometimes what's fact and fiction b/c so much has been written/rumored about the Borgias, but I think this author did her research. I highly recommend this book...I give it 5 stars. I also recommend The Family by Mario Puzo for more about the Borgias.
Helpful Score: 5
Absolutely great book. Jeanne does an incredible job of retelling the Borgia Dynasty. The characters are very vivid.
Helpful Score: 3
This book starts off slowly and does have some explicit scenes, which were a bit disturbing. It picks up pace when Sancha actually gets to Rome, which isn't for a little while. Characters change wildly and I found some of these extremes to be unsupported rather unapologetically (particularly Lucrezia). I am very interested in the Borgias and found this book to be an interesting story and unique point of view.
Helpful Score: 2
Very interesting historical novel about the Borgias. I rate this book very highly!
Helpful Score: 2
Romance, deception, betrayal, cruelty...this novel has it all. It is chick lit for sure, not normally my cup of tea, but having enjoyed the Showtime series "The Borgias" I decided to give this book a try. It has all the luridness of the Showtime series and while the story is often tragic it is fun to see the characters in a different light. I think the book may be truer to history than the series but both are worth the effort. You ladies will love this one.
Helpful Score: 2
I loved this book! Rich in details. You won't be able to put it down! Wonderful story with historical facts that just make you long to see Rome!
Helpful Score: 1
This novel was hauntingly delicious to read but I doubt the author's knowledge of the field of history. She captures the flavor of the era and I can tell she has her biographical info down but the integration of her fictional story with historical circumstances was far from seamless. There are far too many situations/thoughts/word plays that are a product of modern culture. Nonetheless I loved the read.
Helpful Score: 1
This was my first novel by this author. I am an avid fan of Philippa Gregory and hoped that the writing would be as good as Gregory. I did finish the book, however, there were times when putting it down was no problem and times when I contemplated not finishing the book.
Helpful Score: 1
Well-written historical fiction about the Borgias and Aragons in the late 1400s. I couldn't put it down!
This book was ok but not as good as "I, Mona Lisa" by the same author - and certainly nowhere near as good as Phillipa Gregory's Tudor series. It was slow at the beginning but picks up around the middle and it was interesting. However, I was very turned off by the graphic depictions of child rape, the raping of several women, and the two cases of incest in the book. I realize things like this may have happened but I didn't want to read about it.
Helpful Score: 1
What a great read from the beginning until the end. The description of events relating to a historic content are great. The writer is very vivid in her descriptions of Naples as well as the Vatican you rally feel as if you are there actually looking at the frescos and tapistries on the walls. Great read.
Helpful Score: 1
Would hate to have lived during this century. Everything seemed to be nothing but murder, murder, murder. This book is just as good as those written about the same era by different authors -- recommend it.
Helpful Score: 1
Really great story and pretty true to what historians accept as fact. Wanders a bit at the end, but you just can't go wrong with a good Borgia story!
This was a really good read and kept me turning pages to see what happened. Great story using real people in history. Think this one is a keeper book.
This book was easy to read and kept you interested...
Loved this book!
An intriguing glimpse into a notorious historical family.
It reminded me of a Phillipa Gregory book.
Those Borgia's were bad people....
I really enjoyed this book. It is pretty graphic - several scenes made me cringe, but it is very entertaining.****
Very interesting book, I hadn't read much about the Borgias and I learned much more about them and the Italian history of the times, some of these castles still stand
"The Borgia Bride" by Jeanne Kalogridis effectively tells the story of the infamous family of Pope Alexander VI from the inside viewpoint of one woman inexorably enmeshed into it inevitably becoming not only a witness, but also both subject to and participant in the dreadful abuses of Borgia power.
I've read enough about this era and about this family to know that the events are accurate. However, the sources from which the interpretations of events are drawn, often derive from their enemies who have every reason to blacken this family's name. Keep in mind that many of them were no different themselves. It was a brutal age with politcal power struggles often fraught with fatalities until the outcome is settled, however temporarily.
The picture here is on the dark and nasty side. But for one where the events are equally accurate I suggest you read the two books by Jean Plaidy: "Madonna of the Seven Hills" and "Light on Lucretia" which depicts the life of the Borgias in quite a different aspect.
I've read enough about this era and about this family to know that the events are accurate. However, the sources from which the interpretations of events are drawn, often derive from their enemies who have every reason to blacken this family's name. Keep in mind that many of them were no different themselves. It was a brutal age with politcal power struggles often fraught with fatalities until the outcome is settled, however temporarily.
The picture here is on the dark and nasty side. But for one where the events are equally accurate I suggest you read the two books by Jean Plaidy: "Madonna of the Seven Hills" and "Light on Lucretia" which depicts the life of the Borgias in quite a different aspect.
Every bit as good as The Other Boleyn Girl. Read it in one day, it was so compelling. Will look for more by this author.
