'In the Name of the Family' by Sarah Dunant
Historical fiction isn't really my genre of choice. Firstly, I'm not overly interested in history; what can I tell you it's in the past. And secondly, as my historical knowledge is consequently a bit vague, I worry slightly about the relationship between fact and fiction. How much is absolutely true, how much is individual interpretation of the facts and how much of it is blatantly untrue but makes a good story?
It won't surprise you to hear that In the Name of the Family by Sarah Dunant, was a book group choice by one of our number who not only likes that genre, but also writes it herself. However, as is often the way when you are forced out of your readerly comfort zone, the book was better than I'd imagined.
The characters are well defined and even the less likeable ones are sufficiently rounded for you to care about their fates. The writing is good; here's a writer who knows her craft which isn't always the case in any genre. The narrative voice slips seamlessly between the various strands of the story keeping all of the plates spinning in an effective balancing act. The Italian settings are also vividly depicted and the names of Renaissance Italy: Alexander, Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia together with Niccolo Machiavelli are enticingly familiar to most if not all.
My criticisms are limited to the fact that there are too many minor characters to keep track of, always slightly annoying, and the first section of the book is a little slow, but otherwise this is a good read that keeps the pages turning. The 'Afterword' clears up my initial concerns, as it is clear that Sarah Durant is an enthusiastic and faithful researcher and her deviations from fact rare and carefully specified.
I still can't get particularly enthusiastic about a book set in times when women were commodities to be traded as part of the male battle for power, and where the most significant thing they could do was produce a male heir. And although I enjoyed the book, it didn't really provoke thought or fresh insights, so, whilst it is good it fails my test for greatness. However, if you like historical fiction you'll definitely enjoy this, and if you don't, you might be pleasantly surprised, so give it a go.
Verdict: Read
It won't surprise you to hear that In the Name of the Family by Sarah Dunant, was a book group choice by one of our number who not only likes that genre, but also writes it herself. However, as is often the way when you are forced out of your readerly comfort zone, the book was better than I'd imagined.
The characters are well defined and even the less likeable ones are sufficiently rounded for you to care about their fates. The writing is good; here's a writer who knows her craft which isn't always the case in any genre. The narrative voice slips seamlessly between the various strands of the story keeping all of the plates spinning in an effective balancing act. The Italian settings are also vividly depicted and the names of Renaissance Italy: Alexander, Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia together with Niccolo Machiavelli are enticingly familiar to most if not all.
My criticisms are limited to the fact that there are too many minor characters to keep track of, always slightly annoying, and the first section of the book is a little slow, but otherwise this is a good read that keeps the pages turning. The 'Afterword' clears up my initial concerns, as it is clear that Sarah Durant is an enthusiastic and faithful researcher and her deviations from fact rare and carefully specified.
Verdict: Read
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