Tagged: rodrigo borgia

The Lion and the Rose by Kate Quinn

The Lion and the Rose by Kate Quinn(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

As the cherished concubine of the Borgia Pope Alexander VI, Giulia Farnese has Rome at her feet. But after narrowly escaping a sinister captor, she realizes that the danger she faces is far from over—and now, it threatens from within. The Holy City of Rome is still under Alexander’s thrall, but enemies of the Borgias are starting to circle. In need of trusted allies, Giulia turns to her sharp-tongued bodyguard, Leonello, and her fiery cook and confidante, Carmelina.

Caught in the deadly world of the Renaissance’s most notorious family, Giulia, Leonello, and Carmelina must decide if they will flee the dangerous dream of power. But as the shadows of murder and corruption rise through the Vatican, they must learn who to trust when every face wears a mask . . .

I had my doubts about The Lion and the Rose but in the end it exceeded my expectations.  Kate Quinn captures a time of change and uncertainty perfectly while having her beloved characters navigate through the vicious politics of Rome.

Kate Quinn’s characters are great.  Giulia is finally a mature woman who starts to realize that maybe her beloved Pope isn’t all that he seems to be.  His personality is changing and Giulia now has the maturity and insight to see and acknowledge some of his failings as a person.  I don’t want to add in too many spoilers, but this new knowledge drastically changes their relationship as well as both parties involved.  Leonello was the character that surprised me the most in this book, however.  He’s finally trying to be just a little bit nicer to everyone but he still has that biting wit that makes me love him.  Where his character goes toward the end of the book was a total shock but in hindsight I should have seen it coming.  Carmelina also has quite the interesting character arc, but I was definitely more interested in Giulia’s and Leonello’s.

I can’t vouch for the historical accuracy of this novel because my knowledge of the era is woefully inadequate, but Kate Quinn included a nice historical note talking about the very few things she did change.  She seamlessly wove history and invention together to tell a great story while remaining true to the tiny details and broader strokes of the period.  For example, all of the recipes mentioned in the book are authentic as well as the religious unrest in Florence.  This is how historical fiction should be written.

By most standards the plot is not fast-paced but this is more of a character driven novel.  There are still some very surprising plot twists, particularly the ones involving Leonello, so you’ll never be bored.  And of course Kate Quinn’s writing style is excellent, as always.  Historical fiction doesn’t get much better than this.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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The Serpent and the Pearl by Kate Quinn

SerpentPearl_CV.indd(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

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.

This could have quite easily strayed into cliché territory the whole time.  At times, it was a little cliché but nothing on the level I expected it to be.  I’ll explain a little bit.

Leonello is sort of Kate Quinn’s answer to George R. R. Martin’s Tyrion.  He’s quick-thinking, uses his wits to keep alive and gets quite a few women (considering the views of the time).  He always seems to find himself in the centre of intrigue.  For those of you that have read the series A Song of Ice and Fire you know full well this could be applied to Tyrion just the same as it could be applied to Leonello.  There are a few differences between the characters but I was sort of disappointed in how similar the two were, even if they are both awesome in their own right.

The thing that I liked most about The Serpent and the Pearl is the characters.  Carmelina has a fascinating backstory and makes her way into a world traditionally inhabited by men only—being the master chef to powerful men.  She’s not your typical Feisty Female that seems to be the requirement in fiction these days so I actually quite enjoyed her point of view.  The character that I liked most was, surprisingly, Giulia Farnese.  She can be quite a vain, indolent sort of creature but there’s no denying that as the story goes on and she grows up a bit she becomes a force to be reckoned with in Rome.  Unlike a lot of heroines she is capable of acting and lying but never really loses her temper with anyone.  Considering how she grew up, this is far more believable than the ridiculous obvious Girl Power characters that historical fiction writers try to transform every woman into.  Some women are not obviously girl power figures, but Giulia sort of becomes one in a quiet, unique kind of way that fits with her personality.

The plot dragged a little bit in a couple of places, but there weren’t any major slow downs.  I did enjoy all of the little historical details Kate Quinn put into her novel, including all the recipes Carmelina used.  Some historical figures were portrayed very differently than I was used to (Sancha of Aragon most notably) but others were pleasantly surprising, like Giulia and the Borgia Pope himself.  I can’t speak to how historically accurate this novel is, but I definitely felt immersed in the world of Renaissance Italy and the intrigues of Rome.

If you like historical fiction that has a little bit of a different take on traditionally maligned characters, I’d have to recommend The Serpent and the Pearl.  It certainly isn’t for everyone but I personally enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading The Lion and the Rose.  Especially since Kate Quinn ended the book on such a horrible cliffhanger.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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