Blood & Beauty: The Borgias

Sarah Dunant's historical novel follows the Borgia family as Rodrigo Borgia becomes Pope Alexander VI in 1492. The story centers on his children, especially the ambitious Cesare and the young Lucrezia, whose marriages become tools of her father's politics. Set amid war, corruption and Renaissance splendor in Rome, the novel brings to life a family famous for scandal and shows them as complex people.

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Shane Parrish: “Author Sarah Dunant has an exceptional talent for breathing life into history. From the jacket “Rooted in the brutal and corrupt world of 15th-century Italy, Blood & Beauty opens with Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, clever and charismatic, buying his way to the Papal crown.”