Helpful Score: 3
I discovered this book as a throw in when I had made a purchase of other historical fiction. What wonderful luck for me! This was also my first foray into Renaissance Italy and a what an introduction to the wonderful Beatrice d'Este! I read this years ago but it still remains as one of my favorites, maybe that is in part because it brought a section of history to life for me I knew little about. For me the measure of a favorite read is that it gives me an insatiable appetite, well after finishing it, to make me want to read more about the people, places and time.
This book centers on Beatrice and her contentious relationship with her cousin Isabella (not to be confused with her sister Isabella) of Aragon, who both vie for the title of Duchess of Milan. Beatrice's husband Lodovico Sforza, is uncle and regent to Isabella's husband Gian Galeazzo Sforza. The machinations between these people amidst a fractured Italy leaves one never knowing what the next page will bring. I also liked the touch of using actual correspondence from Leonardo da Vinci as engineer to the court of Milan. All this along with the minutia of everyday life captured by the author are why this book has stayed with me. For others these details may drag down the story but stay with it, for me it added depth and further understanding of these incredible times.
These names may sound familiar to those who enjoyed Karen Essex's wonderful novel Leonardo's Swans. Duchess, the better of the two novels, further enriched my reading pleasure of Swans. If you love reading books that transport you to a different land like Leonardo's Swans, The Last Queen, The Twentieth Wife and Memoirs of a Geisha you will enjoy this book! Although this book is out of print it is well worth the search. You will be happy you picked up this hidden gem.
I just found out that C.W. Gortner (after I wrote my original review) picks this as one of his favorite all time reads. Now you know you can't go wrong.
This book centers on Beatrice and her contentious relationship with her cousin Isabella (not to be confused with her sister Isabella) of Aragon, who both vie for the title of Duchess of Milan. Beatrice's husband Lodovico Sforza, is uncle and regent to Isabella's husband Gian Galeazzo Sforza. The machinations between these people amidst a fractured Italy leaves one never knowing what the next page will bring. I also liked the touch of using actual correspondence from Leonardo da Vinci as engineer to the court of Milan. All this along with the minutia of everyday life captured by the author are why this book has stayed with me. For others these details may drag down the story but stay with it, for me it added depth and further understanding of these incredible times.
These names may sound familiar to those who enjoyed Karen Essex's wonderful novel Leonardo's Swans. Duchess, the better of the two novels, further enriched my reading pleasure of Swans. If you love reading books that transport you to a different land like Leonardo's Swans, The Last Queen, The Twentieth Wife and Memoirs of a Geisha you will enjoy this book! Although this book is out of print it is well worth the search. You will be happy you picked up this hidden gem.
I just found out that C.W. Gortner (after I wrote my original review) picks this as one of his favorite all time reads. Now you know you can't go wrong.
