NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY "KIRKUS REVIEWS" The "New York Times" bestselling author of the acclaimed Italian Renaissance novels--"The Birth of Venus, In the Company of the Courtesan, "and" Sacred Hearts"--has an exceptional talent for breathing life into history. Now Sarah Dunant turns her discerning eye to one of the world's most intriguing and infamous families--the Borgias--in an engrossing work of literary fiction. By the end of the fifteenth century, the beauty and creativity of Italy is matched by ...
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NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY "KIRKUS REVIEWS" The "New York Times" bestselling author of the acclaimed Italian Renaissance novels--"The Birth of Venus, In the Company of the Courtesan, "and" Sacred Hearts"--has an exceptional talent for breathing life into history. Now Sarah Dunant turns her discerning eye to one of the world's most intriguing and infamous families--the Borgias--in an engrossing work of literary fiction. By the end of the fifteenth century, the beauty and creativity of Italy is matched by its brutality and corruption, nowhere more than in Rome and inside the Church. When Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia buys his way into the papacy as Alexander VI, he is defined not just by his wealth or his passionate love for his illegitimate children, but by his blood: He is a Spanish Pope in a city run by Italians. If the Borgias are to triumph, this charismatic, consummate politician with a huge appetite for life, women, and power must use papacy and family--in particular, his eldest son, Cesare, and his daughter Lucrezia--in order to succeed. Cesare, with a dazzlingly cold intelligence and an even colder soul, is his greatest--though increasingly unstable--weapon. Later immortalized in Machiavelli's "The Prince, "he provides the energy and the muscle. Lucrezia, beloved by both men, is the prime dynastic tool. Twelve years old when the novel opens, hers is a journey through three marriages, and from childish innocence to painful experience, from pawn to political player. Stripping away the myths around the Borgias, "Blood & Beauty" is a majestic novel that breathes life into this astonishing family and celebrates the raw power of history itself: compelling, complex and relentless. Praise for "Blood & Beauty" "The Machiavellian atmosphere--hedonism, lust, political intrigue--is magnetic. . . . Readers won't want the era of Borgia rule to end." --"People" (four stars) "Dunant transforms the blackhearted Borgias and the conniving courtiers and cardinals of Renaissance Europe into fully rounded characters, brimming with life and lust." "--The New York Times Book Review" " " "Like Hilary Mantel with her Cromwell trilogy, [Sarah] Dunant has scaled new heights by refashioning mythic figures according to contemporary literary taste. This intellectually satisfying historical saga, which offers blood and beauty certainly, but brains too, is surely the best thing she has done to date." "--The Miami Herald" "Compelling female players have been a characteristic of Dunant's earlier novels, and this new offering is no exception. . . . The members of this close-knit family emerge as dynamic characters, flawed but sympathetic, filled with fear and longing." "--The Seattle Times" "Dazzling . . . a triumph on an epic scale . . . filled with rich detail and page-turning drama." --"BookPage"
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Excellent condition. Interior is tight, bright and clean. Complete with original paper dust cover and archival quality clear plastic cover. Minor scuffing on the plastic dust cover. Ex-library book with the usual markings. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed. All items are carefully enclosed with bubble wrap. We ship promptly and worldwide via US Post and will email you a tracking number.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Very Good condition. Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp. Bundled media such as CDs, DVDs, floppy disks or access codes may not be included.
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Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. Remainder dot on bottom of text block. Protected in a removable Brodart archival cover. Pale turquoise boards and pale turquoise spine imprinted in gold with title and author. Deckle-edged pages. Full number line 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1. Genealogical table. Map of Italy. 506 pages. By the end of the fifteenth century, the beauty and creativity of Italy is matched by its brutality and corruption, nowhere more than in Rome and inside the Church. When Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia buys his way into the papacy as Alexander VI, he is defined not just by his wealth or his passionate love for his illegitimate children, but by his blood: He is a Spanish Pope in a city run by Italians. If the Borgias are to triumph, this charismatic, consummate politician with a huge appetite for life, women, and power must use papacy and family--in particular, his eldest son, Cesare, and his daughter Lucrezia--in order to succeed. Cesare, with a dazzlingly cold intelligence and an even colder soul, is his greatest--though increasingly unstable--weapon. Later immortalized in Machiavelli's "The Prince, "he provides the energy and the muscle. Lucrezia, beloved by both men, is the prime dynastic tool. Twelve years old when the novel opens, hers is a journey through three marriages, and from childish innocence to painful experience, from pawn to political player. Stripping away the myths around the Borgias, "Blood & Beauty" is a majestic novel that breathes life into this astonishing family and celebrates the raw power of history itself: compelling, complex and relentless.
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Seller's Description:
Stated First U.S. Edition, first printing with full number line in near fine/ very good condition. The pages are clean and crisp, in like new condition, with no bent corners. Boards are solid, and the spine is square and tight. The dust jacket has minor shelf wearm but otherwise the book is in excellent condition with an unclipped DJ, and no remainder mark. All items guaranteed, and a portion of each sale supports social programs in Los Angeles. Ships from CA.
