Present Epithetical Books The Family
| Title | : | The Family |
| Author | : | Mario Puzo |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 432 pages |
| Published | : | September 3rd 2002 by Avon (first published October 2nd 2001) |
| Categories | : | Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Cultural. Italy |
Rendition In Favor Of Books The Family
The Barnes & Noble Review After a visit to the Vatican in 1983, Mario Puzo, bestselling author of The Godfather and Omerta , "was so enchanted by the look, the feel and food of Italy, so taken by its history," Carol Gino explains, "that he wanted to write a novel about it." Nearly 20 years in the making, The Family is that novel.Set in Rome in the last years of the 15th century, Puzo's final book (completed by Gino, his companion for many years) is an absorbing, highly entertaining, fictional account of the rise and rule -- and eventual fall -- of that notorious first family of dysfunction during the Renaissance, the Borgias. Fast-paced and well researched, The Family -- in its effort to make such scandalous characters as the Borgias more human -- may well be the most ambitious novel of Puzo's career.
Cardinal Roderigo Borgia is charismatic and handsome, a born leader and a perfidious man of the cloth who ascends to the papacy as Pope Alexander VI in 1492, when Italian city-states are competing for land and the Vatican is competing for souls. He is also the loving father of four children, two of whom become pawns in their father's implacable drive for power. Cesare, Roderigo's oldest son, grows from an insecure cardinal to a fierce military leader; and Lucrezia, Roderigo's beautiful, seductive daughter -- and her father's favorite (not to mention her brother's incestuous bedmate) -- becomes the marriage link that unites nations and divides hearts. Throughout Roderigo's wheeling and dealing, the Renaissance is in full swing as religion competes against humanism and the Church seeks autonomous control of what will one day become a united Italy. As in E. L. Doctrow's Ragtime and Glen David Gold's Carter Beats the Devil, historical figures pepper the narrative. Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Leonardo da Vinci (whose military inventions help Cesare kick some serious tail), and Ferdinand and Isabella all make guest appearances, though at times they seem more like window dressing than actual characters.
While this blood-is-thicker-than-water tale is more summative than explorative (you don't really get into the heads of the Borgias as well as you do the Corleones), Puzo still knows how to tell a good story. The Family is an energetic novel, filled with enthusiasm and affection for the subject matter and the characters. Puzo's swan song may not be his finest work, but it is a robust, passionate love letter to a land, a history, and a culture that defined him as a writer and a man. (Stephen Bloom)
Declare Books Toward The Family
| Original Title: | The Family |
| ISBN: | 0061032425 (ISBN13: 9780061032424) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Cesare Borgia, Niccolò Machiavelli, Lucrezia Borgia, Pope Alexander VI, Gioffre Borgia, Giovanni Borgia, Alfonso of Aragon, Caterina Sforza, Leonardo da Vinci |
Rating Epithetical Books The Family
Ratings: 3.8 From 10595 Users | 520 ReviewsPiece Epithetical Books The Family
A few years ago I read Sarah Dunants Blood & Beauty, which I found to be an engaging read with atmospheric settings. So, going into The Family, I was already familiar with the Borgia family and other historical characters and the Italian Renaissance background.This novel was the authors last piece of fictional work and he died before the manuscript was finished. The book was released posthumously. The manuscript was completed by Carol Gino, the authors companion.The style of writing is downIve read many biographies of Cesare Borgia and family so Im knowledgeable about when novels skewer the history behind repair. While the history in most books is adequate the characterizations are poor, especially since most tend to write Cesare off as a psychopath, something that annoys me given I dont view him in that light. To view Cesare in the morals of our own period, as is often done, is wrong and ignores everything that makes Cesare great and the Prince Niccolo Machiavelli wrote about.
How difficult it is to survive between power, corruption, tyranny and deceive.
Ive read many biographies of Cesare Borgia and family so Im knowledgeable about when novels skewer the history behind repair. While the history in most books is adequate the characterizations are poor, especially since most tend to write Cesare off as a psychopath, something that annoys me given I dont view him in that light. To view Cesare in the morals of our own period, as is often done, is wrong and ignores everything that makes Cesare great and the Prince Niccolo Machiavelli wrote about.
With the start of the new Showtime series The Borgias, I had to read one of the few remaining books on the Borgias that I own but hadn't read. Mario Puzo was fascinated by the Borgias all his life, and this was his chance to show his own interpretations of each Borgia personality, usually different from the standard views. His descriptions didn't give me the feeling of being there or knowing the characters; Puzo looked at the characters from an over-all viewpoint for decades, and didn't seem
where the heck was Jofre at the end???? I HAD A FULL ENDING FOR HIM!! It's a shame. My favorite characters are usually secondaries...
This book is a very different, very intimate, very compelling look at the Borgia family. The unapologetic and sympathetic manner in which the author depicts the passion between Cesare and Lucrezia may horrify some readers, but others will find it moving and tender.
0 Comments:
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.