The Borgia family has always held an allure for me since I lived on a street named after them when I was a child. In addition, I was raised a Catholic, so the Popes are intriguing to me, especially those during the period where the church was more of a political entity. When I heard that Showtime was doing a show about this family this spring, I decided now was the time to do some background reading and get the real story about the family.
I had never read any books by Christopher Hibbert, but had heard from people in my history groups that he was a good read. I have to agree. Although this book is non-fiction, Hibbert has a very pleasing writing style. Couple that with the subject matter of the book, and you have a book that was not at all dry. These people make the modern day Organized Crime families and groups look like amateurs. Hibbert's book is filled with excellent descriptions and engrossing narratives interspersed with numerous quotes from written sources, many of which were alive at the time and knew the Borgias.
I found this book an excellent starting place for my delve into the lives and times of the Borgia family. Although Hibbert's coverage of Pope Alexander VI and his son Cesare is extensive, his discussions about Lucrezia were few and far between, and he barely mentioned Jofre at all. I will look forward to doing more research to find out about them. All in all, though, this was an excellent read.
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