Sarah was raised by her father david dunant, who was a steward for the welsh airlines and later became a manager at the british airways along with his wife estelle who was of french origin and brought up in bangalore, india. Blood and beauty by sarah dunant in the historical epilogue to this lush novel author sarah dunant says more than many in history, the borgias have suffered from an. Sarah received her education from a local girls school known as godolphin and latymer. Jun 20, 20 in the 1500s, italy was bursting with some of the most influential and vivid figures in history. Sarah dunant is the author of the international bestsellers the birth of venus, in the company of the courtesan, sacred hearts, and blood and beauty, which have received major acclaim on both sides of the atlantic. Eclipsing her earlier period novels in scope, dunants sacred hearts, 2009, etc. In blood and beauty, dunant follows the path set by hilary mantel with wolf hall and bring up the bodies. Oct 29, 20 except from now on, before they do so, they will have to make sure the doors and windows are bolted and that the company around them is either blood or bought. I had been looking forward to the continuation of the borgia story. I am a great fan of historical novelist sarah dunant. In the name of the family by sarah dunant goodreads. Marshaling a mass of material, including contemporary. Domino postiglione dunants 10th novel is about the borgias, the family who dominated rome and much. Its moot how much of the borgia family story i tell.
Sarah dunant born 8 august 1950 is a british novelist, journalist, broadcaster, and critic. She was born on 8 august 1950 in london, england and lived there until she went to college. With the sequel, in the name of the family, hitting the shelves this week, i decided to explore blood and beauty and see how dunants. Here is a thrilling exploration of the house of borgias doomed years. Dunants been a 3starrer for me until her blood and beauty and this sequel. Dunant, in a historical epilogue, explains what is actually known and what is mere speculation about this notorious family. Sarah dunant, lucrezia borgia and niccolo machiavelli gabriele march 2, 2017 the long wait for the sequel to blood and beauty is finally over, and oh my goodness, the wait was worth it. Im happy to say that the author presented us with a strong, balanced look at the borgia family. Aug 29, 20 dunant, in a historical epilogue, explains what is actually known and what is mere speculation about this notorious family.
Sarah dunant a novel of machiavelli and the borgias this is the longawaited sequel to sarah dunant s wonderful blood and beauty, which takes up the story of the borgias once again in the final years of their dominance in italy. I was inspired to download blood and beauty having read dunant s sacred hearts and in the company of the courtesan. As before, her knowledge of the period shows in detail and background, she follows with faith the biographies of the principals. The plots were of course intriguing and characters were fascinating though there were many questions. Another sojourn with the infamous borgias from the author of blood and beauty 20 since the publication of the birth of venus 2003, dunant has built a solid reputation as a practitioner of historical fiction who specializes in the italian renaissance. In her first three she steered clear of famous figures and gave us stories of strong, ordinary women, so an epic novel about the notorious borgia family is something of a departure. Just as mantel humanized and, to an extent, rehabilitated the brilliant, villainous thomas cromwell and the court of henry viii, dunant transforms the blackhearted borgias and the conniving courtiers and cardinals of renaissance europe into fully rounded characters, brimming with life and lust. By taking on the brutal and notorious borgia dynasty, which even 50 years before henry viiis birth had italy by.
Blood and beauty is dunants tenth novel, and her fourth to be set in renaissance italy. This is the longawaited sequel to sarah dunants wonderful blood and beauty, which takes up the story of the borgias once again in the final years of their dominance in italy. I have to admit though that given the emotional high note that blood and beauty concluded on, i was very grateful to have the next book on hand. The borgias capturing an infamous family in the 1500s, italy was bursting with some of the most influential and vivid figures in history. At the beginning of 1502, it seems that nothing can stand in the way of the familys. She has two daughters, and lives in london and florence. Sarahs monthly history program and podcast on history can be found via the bbc website.
This is a wonderful, allconsuming feast of a novel, which id recommend to anyone with an interest in historical fiction. In the name of the family delivers in spades on the promises at the end of the last book for more searching into the motivations that drove the actions of rodrigo pope alexander iii, his brilliant but erratic son cesare, and the much maligned but superbly vindicated lucrezia borgia. Story of italian renaissances most infamous family, the borgias. One of the sunday timess top fifty summer reads extravagant portrait of. In the name of the family as blood and beauty did before holds up a mirror to.
I find the renaissance fascinating and terribly complicated. The close of the novel might feel rather abrupt, but dunant is planning to publish a sequel in a few years time. Blood and beauty is dunants tenth novel, and her fourth to be set in. Her epic breathes life into renaissance italy, challenging what we think we know about this corrupt dynasty good housekeeping blood and beauty establishes her as a topranking novelist of the italian renaissance. A novel about the borgias kindle edition by dunant, sarah. Bbc radio 4 book at bedtime, sarah dunant blood and beauty. Bad writing that screws with the facts and gives readers some very worrying ideas about historical figures.
Blood and beauty by the accomplished sarah dunant is a romp through renaissance rome which provoked much divergent discussion at our book group. Sarah dunant sculpts a historical novel as fine as any marble creation from the renaissance europe in which it takes place. The long wait for the sequel to blood and beauty is finally over, and oh my goodness, the wait was worth it. Sarah dunants blood and beauty, the fourth of her italian historical novels and the initial instalment in what is planned to be a twopart saga, is. I imagine itll be then that we start to see a little more of cesares dark side and, hopefully, we should get cameos from a couple of my favourite. Sarah was raised by her father david dunant, who was a steward for the welsh airlines and later became a manager at the british airways along with his wife estelle who. Alexander vi was a doting father foremost, and a wily politician second.
May 02, 20 blood and beauty by the accomplished sarah dunant is a romp through renaissance rome which provoked much divergent discussion at our book group. Just as mantel humanized and, to an extent, rehabilitated the brilliant, villainous thomas cromwell and the court of henry viii, dunant transforms the blackhearted borgias and the conniving courtiers and cardinals of renaissance europe. Sarah s monthly history program and podcast on history can be found via the bbc website. Like many of those whove written about cesare borgia starting with machiavelli, dunant seems to have fallen half in love with him and who am i to complain. Here is a thrilling exploration of the house of borgias doomed years, in the company of a young diplomat named niccolo machiavelli. May 02, 20 sarah dunant s blood and beauty, the fourth of her italian historical novels and the initial instalment in what is planned to be a twopart saga, is her first since mantels colossal success. Blood and beauty, sarah dunant march 3, 2017 june 19, 2017 girl with her head in a book i have had a few sarah dunant books sitting on the shelf for longer than i care to admit and with the start of my mount tbr challenge, i decided that this really had to be the year when i. The borgias, novelist sarah dunant explores the story of the. Blood and beauty book the kansas city public library. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The plots were of course intriguing and characters were fascinating though there were many questions about their authenticity and the detail of. I was inspired to download blood and beauty having read dunants sacred hearts and in the company of the courtesan. In the name of the family, sarah dunant march 5, 2017 march 14, 2017 girl with her head in a book having moved directly from blood and beauty to in the name of the family, this is not so longawaited a sequel as it will have been for many other readers.
Im not sure if i was spoiled by the miniseries released about the borgias, but i almost gave up on this book because half of it felt like a history lesson, which i had not noticed in the other three books ive read. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading blood and beauty. Sarah dunant has written three acclaimed novels of renaissance italy in which she consciously narrowed her focus to the longconcealed stories of ordinary women on the margins rather than following what she termed the historical celebrity version of life. Even in a period with a surfeit of largerthanlife characters, pope alexander vi and his children, lucrezia and cesare, stand out, so it. Her earlier novels include three hannah wolfe crime thrillers, as well as snowstorms in a hot climate, transgressions, and mapping the edge, all three of which are available in. Bestselling novelist sarah dunant has long been drawn to the high drama of renaissance italy.
Blood and beauty covers almost a decade of the borgias lives, as lucrezia grows up from 12yearold. A novel of machiavelli and the borgias this is the longawaited sequel to sarah dunants wonderful blood and beauty, which takes up the story of the borgias once again in the final years of their dominance in italy. The borgias are arguably the most intriguing and ruthless family in all of history, and dunant brings them ravishingly, bristlingly to life. Review of in the name of the family by sarah dunant posted on 08252017 by rhapsodyinbooks this book is meant to be a sequel to dunants previous book, blood and beauty, a fictionalized account about pope alexander vi who ascended to the papacy in 1492 and his children who included cesare and lucrezia borgia. Sarah dunants most popular book is the birth of venus. Blood and beauty, sarah dunant girl with her head in a. In the name of the family as blood and beauty did before holds up a mirror to a turbulent moment of history, sweeping aside the myths to bring alive the real borgia family. She is married with two daughters, and lives in london and florence. Having moved directly from blood and beauty to in the name of the family, this is not so longawaited a sequel as it will have been for many other readers. However, though readable and informative, it did not measure up to my expectations. This is the sequel which sarah dunant promised to blood and beauty. With in the name of the family, she offers a thrilling exploration of the house of borgias final years, in the company of a young diplomat named niccolo machiavelli.
Mar 07, 2017 this is the sequel which sarah dunant promised to blood and beauty. The big, bad borgia dynasty undergoes modern reconsideration in the bestselling british authors epic new biofiction. Mar 07, 2017 bestselling novelist sarah dunant has long been drawn to the wonders of renaissance italy. In the name of the family sarah dunant 9781844087464. The plots were of course intriguing and characters were fascinating though there were many questions about their authenticity and the detail of their lives. May 02, 20 sarah dunant is one my favourite writers, and i found myself comparing it with her other three books set in the italian renaissance.
Like all gifted historical novelists, sarah dunant wisely abjures idle speculation. Now that ive finished reading the sequel, however, im not as enthusiastic about dunants achievement. Sarah dunant has 24 books on goodreads with 261204 ratings. An epic tale of dynasty, this novel also manages to be an intimate exploration of familial ties and relationships. Sarah dunant has dug deep into history to uncover the real borgias. Sarah dunants blood and beauty, the fourth of her italian historical novels and the initial instalment in what is planned to be a twopart saga, is her first since mantels colossal success. Sarah dunant is a cultural commentator, awardwinning thriller writer and author of five novels set in renaissance italy exploring womens lives through art, sex and religion. Here is a thrilling exploration of the house of borgias doomed years, in the company of a young diplomat named niccolo. Bestselling novelist sarah dunant has long been drawn to the wonders of renaissance italy. Sarah dunant is a highly skilled and compelling author with clear enthusiasm for her subject. At the beginning of 1502, it seems that nothing can stand in the way of the familys influence, which creeps its way across italy, subduing its rivals with a blend of charm and. Review of in the name of the family by sarah dunant. Sarah dunant is a renowned english writer along with being a broadcaster and critic. Her earlier novels include three hannah wolfe crime thrillers, as well as snowstorms in a hot climate, transgressions, and mapping the edge.
165 224 1406 730 1484 747 671 754 1363 1150 595 271 658 593 1514 1409 345 572 1586 455 1515 1042 1551 1188 513 717 15 204 918 143 1054 25 210 1168 611 1470 664 298 1121 1368 1116