About the Book: Florence, the 1560s. Lucrezia, third daughter of Cosimo de' Medici, is free to wander the palazzo at will, wondering at its treasures and observing its clandestine workings. But when her older sister dies on the eve of marriage to Alfonso d'Este, ruler of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, Lucrezia is thrust unwittingly into … Continue reading Book Review: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
Renaissance
Book Review: The Brightest Star by Emma Harcourt
About the Book: 1496 It is the height of the Renaissance and its flowering of intellectual and artistic endeavour, but the city state of Florence is in the grip of fundamentalist preacher Friar Girolamo Savonarola. Its good people believe the Lord speaks through him, just as certainly as the Sun circles the Earth. For Leonarda … Continue reading Book Review: The Brightest Star by Emma Harcourt
Book Review: The Borgias by Paul Strathern
The Borgias… About the Book: The sensational story of the rise and fall of one of the most notorious families in history, by the author of The Medici. The Borgia family have become a byword for evil. Corruption, incest, ruthless megalomania, avarice and vicious cruelty - all have been associated with their name. But the … Continue reading Book Review: The Borgias by Paul Strathern
Theresa Smith Writes 