Book Summary and Reviews of The Vatican Princess by C. W. Gortner

Book Summary

For fans of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir, bestselling author C. W. Gortner effortlessly weaves history and drama in this captivating novel about one of the world's most notorious families.

Glamorous and predatory, the Borgias fascinated and terrorized fifteenth-century Renaissance Italy, and Lucrezia Borgia, beloved daughter of the pope, was at the center of the dynasty's ambitions. Slandered as a heartless seductress who lured men to their doom, was she in fact the villainess of legend, or was she trapped in a familial web, forced to choose between loyalty and survival?

With the ascension of the Spaniard Rodrigo Borgia as Pope Alexander VI, a new era has dawned in Rome. Benefitting from their father's elevation are the new pope's illegitimate children - his rival sons, Cesare and Juan, and beautiful young daughter Lucrezia - each of whom assumes an exalted position in the papal court. Privileged and adored, Lucrezia yearns to escape her childhood and play a part in her family's fortunes. But Rome is seductive and dangerous: Alliances shift at a moment's notice as Italy's ruling dynasties strive to keep rivals at bay. As Lucrezia's father faces challenges from all sides, the threat of a French invasion forces him to marry her off to a powerful adversary. But when she discovers the brutal truth behind her alliance, Lucrezia is plunged into a perilous gambit that will require all her wits, cunning, and guile. Escaping her marriage offers the chance of happiness with a passionate prince of Naples, yet as scandalous accusations of murder and incest build against her, menacing those she loves, Lucrezia must risk everything to overcome the lethal fate imposed upon her by her Borgia blood.

Beautifully wrought, rich with fascinating historical detail, The Vatican Princess is the first novel to describe Lucrezia's coming-of-age in her own voice. What results is a dramatic, vivid tale set in an era of savagery and unparalleled splendor, where enemies and allies can be one and the same, and where loyalty to family can ultimately be a curse.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. In The Vatican Princess, C. W. Gortner's goal was to portray Lucrezia Borgia, one of history's most infamous and maligned personages, as a multifaceted human being, beholden to the strictures of her era and her family. Does he succeed? Is Lucrezia sympathetic to you? If so, why? If not, why not?
2. History has condemned Lucrezia as a poisoner and incestuous with both her brother and her father. New research, however, challenges this centuries-long perception of her. How much of her reputation do you think she deserves? Why do you think history blackened her reputation?
3. Lucrezia opens the novel by saying that "Infamy is merely an accident of fate." What does she mean? Discuss how she reaches this conclusion. What does it say ...