Book Review: The Serpent and the Pearl by Kate Quinn

The Serpent and the Pearl by Kate Quinn
Book 1 of A Novel of the Borgia series

Paperback, 432 pages
Berkley Trade
August 6, 2013
★★★★½☆

Genre: Historical fiction

Source: Received from publisher for review

Rome, 1492. The Holy City is drenched with blood and teeming with secrets. A pope lies dying and the throne of God is left vacant, a prize awarded only to the most virtuous--or the most ruthless. The Borgia family begins its legendary rise, chronicled by an innocent girl who finds herself drawn into their dangerous web...

Vivacious Giulia Farnese has floor-length golden hair and the world at her feet: beauty, wealth, and a handsome young husband. But she is stunned to discover that her glittering marriage is a sham, and she is to be given as a concubine to the ruthless, charismatic Cardinal Borgia: Spaniard, sensualist, candidate for Pope--and passionately in love with her.

Two trusted companions will follow her into the Pope's shadowy harem: Leonello, a cynical bodyguard bent on bloody revenge against a mysterious killer, and Carmelina, a fiery cook with a past full of secrets. But as corruption thickens in the Vatican and the enemies begin to circle, Giulia and her friends will need all their wits to survive in the world of the Borgias.

The thing that stands out the most to me when thinking back on my experience with this book is all of the mouthwatering foods that Quinn describes. Even if I just finished dinner, this book made me hungry all over again. I am compelled to look up Renaissance recipes now to try them out.

This was another hit for Kate Quinn – her first step outside the Ancient Romans, but still within the comfort zone of Italy. Her witty style of writing shines through here as I expected; what I didn’t expect was to enjoy the Borgia clan quite so much. When hearing about the Borgia’s we always hear of the poisons, incest allegations, and general debauchery. While we still get a little bit of the debauchery in terms of the Pope’s mistress, the Borgias were relatively real here – and rather mild. I actually liked them!

I was glad that the narrators of this novel were not actually Borgias. The closest we get is Gulia, the Pope’s mistress. We certainly see and hear from Borgia family members, Roderigo, Cesare, Lucrezia and more, but also enjoyed the non-Borgia characters. I loved Leonello, a sort of body-guard for the Borgia ladies. He was so funny and I couldn’t help but picture Peter Dinklage while reading his chapters. Gulia was great – I loved seeing how she dealt with the various hands dealt to her. I started out disliking Roderigo Borgia, but he grew on me as the book wore on.

The book leaves off on a great cliff-hanger and you can’t help but wanting to know what happens next. I have a feeling that the main characters are all going to come out of this a little different than they went into it. I can’t wait for the next book in this duo!

Author Kate Quinn also has written 3 books set in Ancient Rome: Mistress of Rome, Daughters of Rome, and Empress of the Seven Hills. The second book in the Borgia series is expected for release in 2014. You can visit Quinn’s website or blog for additional information about the book. If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book?

My reviews of other books by this author:

• Mistress of Rome
• Daughters of Rome

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Peeking Between the Pages
• My Book Addiction and More!

Here are some choices for purchasing the book: Amazon, B&N, RJ Julia (my fav indie bookstore).

 

Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

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Book Review: The King’s Agent by Donna Russo Morin

The King’s Agent by Donna Russo Morin
ARC, Paperback, 384 pages
Kensington
February 28, 2012
★★★★☆

Genre: Historical fiction

Source: Received from author as part of the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

“To the casual observer, Battista della Palla is an avid art collector, or perhaps a nimble thief. In reality, the cunning Italian is an agent for François, the King of France, for whom he procures the greatest masterpieces of the day by any means necessary. Embroiled in a power struggle with Charles V, the King of Spain, François resolves to rule Europe’s burgeoning cultural world. When he sets his sights on a mysterious sculpture, Battista’s search for the elusive objet d’art leads him to a captivating woman on a mission of her own…

Having spent her life under the controlling eye of her protector, the Marquess of Mantua, Aurelia longs for freedom. And she finds it in Battista. Together, they embark on a journey to find the clues that will lead him to the sculpture—a venture so perilous it might have spilled from the pen of Dante himself. From the smoldering depths of Rome to a castle in the sky, the harrowing quest draws them inextricably together. But Aurelia guards a dark secret that could tear them apart—and chance the course of history…”

What starts out as a seemingly standard historical fiction novel quickly turns into more of an adventure novel in a historical setting. This was a new sort of twist in the HF genre and certainly for Morin’s novels in general – and it was an amazingly fun ride! Our hero and heroine set out on an epic adventure to find a relic of some extraordinary power for the king of France. To ultimately get to this relic they will have to face tests of strength, speed, power, stamina, emotions and many more challenges along the way.

The author points out that two of the inspirations behind this novel are Dante’s The Divine Comedy, which is explicitly known while reading, and the video game series, Zelda. If you are not a video game aficionado you will not recognize any references to the video game, so don’t be concerned that it will cause to you miss out on something or won’t be to your interest. But, for those of us, me included, who are quite familiar with the game series you will notice that the format of the plot very much feels like a video game. There were times while I was reading where I remember thinking, “I remember doing that!” It was quite the multilayered experience and I can certainly understand why this was an inspiration. If you are not familiar with this video game series, I would compare the plot in some ways with The Da Vinci Code in the regard that you are looking for clues that are hidden in plain sight which will lead you to the next item of importance. In regard to The Divine Comedy I do not have much experience, except knowing the general concept of his work, but the novel actually helped me to have a new experience with the work. I have a lifetime goal to eventually read Dante’s work.

There is a requirement at some points where you have to suspend reality in this novel. This is especially true for those of us who read a lot of historical fiction when it tends to follow a set sort of path anchored in historical detail. The novel is certainly historical fiction, as the events that take place are set within the historical events, people, and setting, however there are some elements that sort of defy the historical formula. Again, a good thing, but just a heads up.

Morin chooses to set this novel in various prominent cities in Italy – Florence, Mantua, Rome – however for some reason I expected it to be set in France. I guess with the back cover text referring to King Francois I of France and not specifically stating Italy I got that stuck in my head. That being said, I loved the world created by the author. Everything stood out in vivid detail – and this is especially true of the artworks, which play a prominent role in this novel. If the art was not given a depth of definition I do not think the plot would have come off as well.

Another great outing from Donna Russo Morin – I can’t wait to read more of her work.

Donna Russo Morin also has written The Courtier’s Secret, The Secret of the Glass, and To Serve A King. You can visit Donna’s website for additional information about the books. If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book?

My other reviews of books by this author:

• The Secret of the Glass
• To Serve A King

You can follow the rest of Donna’s blog tour by visiting the Historical Fiction Virtual Blog Tours website.  You can also follow the tour on Twitter with #KingsAgentVirtualBookTour

Other reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Historical Novel Review
• Jenny Loves to Read

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

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Book Review: His Last Duchess by Gabrielle Kimm

His Last Duchess by Gabrielle Kimm

ARC, Paperback, 416 pages

Sourcebooks Landmark

October 1, 2011

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received from the publisher for review

“The chilling story of Lucrezia de Medici, duchess to Alfonso d'Este, His Last Duchess paints a portrait of a lonely young girl and her marriage to an inscrutable duke. Lucrezia longs for love, Alfonso desperately needs an heir, and in a true story of lust and dark decadence, the dramatic fireworks the marriage kindles threaten to destroy the duke's entire inheritance–and Lucrezia's future. His Last Duchess gorgeously brings to life the passions and people of sixteenth-century Tuscany and Ferrara.”

The famous Robert Browning poem is getting quite the novel treatment these days – his first duchess, Lucrezia de Medici, and star of the poem, is featured in His Last Duchess by Gabrielle Kimm while his second duchess, Barbara of Austria, is featured in His Second Duchess by Elizabeth Loupas. His Last Duchess by Kimm does a wonderful job of taking what is given in the poem and building an entire world around it. Almost every detail that is given in the poem is integrated in some way. Even if you know the poem quite well you are still surprised at the twists and turns that are made throughout the novel. I loved the ending – you were not really sure what they were going to do next – the writing really kept you on the edge of your seat.

There is a small secondary storyline about a young girl that occasionally runs through the first half of the novel and then ties into the second half and becomes very important. I wish that during the first half it had been given a feel of some importance because I honestly had no idea of the point of this plot and blew it off to some extent. Another storyline that was added into the novel is the addition of the artists who create a fresco for Alfonso as well as the portrait of Lucrezia featured in the poem. I thought that this really helped to connect the actual portrait to the story from the poem. I also subsequently learned a lot about frescoes. Kimm provides vivid descriptions of the world around the characters so that you can see everything, including the artwork, in great detail.

A word of warning – there are many discussions of sex throughout the novel – between Alfonso and his wife as well as with his whore. Sometimes these can be somewhat graphic and very dark. I understand that this was to create the dark and twisted nature of Alfonso so that we can understand the decisions that he makes – however, I wouldn’t recommend this book to a young teen reader. I would say for those 16 and older.

There is an upcoming spin-off novel coming out based on Franchesca – Alfonso’s whore. While she was a well developed character in the novel, I don’t know that I felt enough about her to care to read her own novel

Gabrielle Kimm has a spin-off book coming out soon (releasing in the UK November 24, 2011) – The Courtesan’s Lover. You can visit Kimm’s website or blog for additional information about the book. If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book?

4 out of 5 stars.

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

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