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I admit that I confused this family with the Borgia family. They were very similar, in fact, so I don't feel too foolish. They started as bankers in Florence. It seemed to me that every other generation was patrons to the arts, while the other generations were lazy and/or violent. The family was often fighting the papacy except when they had a son or nephew as a pope. I'm glad I read it. I learned more about Italy's history before unification.

I couldn't finish it. Too many characters to remember. The narration was at times fluid: Dante Alighieri's adventures occasionally stopped for explanations, descriptions of the places, the landscapes that surrounded him, the customs and traditions. After that the story returned to Dante Alighieri and I was so lost with all those useless explanations, that every time I had to go back several pages to understand where I had left off.

#Read2025 #Wardens2025

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There is no proof that I didn't need this book.

Pretty good.

We're all enjoying a quiet morning of reading before I have to get ready for work. Almost finished with this #historicalfiction that I read for my LIS course this week.

#medici #arthistory #class #scandal #thievery #Italy #florence

I enjoyed this crime novel about a serial killer in Florence. The police aspects feel authentic (the author draws from his own experience) and I liked the Florence setting & some of the characters. The theme of homophobia troubled me although I read it as a reflection of society rather than the author‘s own views. His wife was one-dimensional. So it lacked the interest & banter that enrich Donna Leon‘s or Louise Penny‘s books for example.

I‘m learning Penelope Fitzgerald was a special writer. Fell in love with The Blue Flower earlier this year, and have now read this one - a bad good marriage in 1950‘s Florence with a doctor too rational to acknowledge his emotions. Ok, that‘s humble. Now hand it over to Penelope and her backhanded, almost absurd, striking lines. 🥰

August 1963.Florence,Italy,a deserted city. Searing heat. Bleary-eyed,sleep deprived Inspector Bordella,a chain-smoker in his mid-50s.Biting hordes of mosquitoes torment him at night.Flashbacks to his years as a soldier in WWII are interspersed throughout.His new police protégé is coincidentally the son of his soldier partner.A highly unusual,deviously clever murder of a wealthy, elderly Signora.A wonderful,eclectic cast characters:semi-retired?

It‘s only Monday, but what a day at work! Popcorn, Sam Adams October Fest (split with my husband), & a book. He is making dinner.🧡