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This is the story of one of the most (in)famous families of all times - the Borgias.
The father of the family, Rodrigo Borgia, the Spaniard who has become a Pope of Rome, wants nothing more than to glorify Rome and arrange the future of his 3 favourite children - the smart and cunning Cesare; the impressionable Juan, who have always needed protection; and Lucrezia, beautiful, clever and vulnerable.
His children, though he loves them, are but a tool in his justified quest for power, for the much diminished glory of Rome and united Italy. He makes friends of enemies and enemies of friends, with his children unwilling but cooperative accomplices.

This book was a huge disappointment. After enjoying the TV series "The Borgias" I wanted to read a novel about them and this was the only one in my local library. I should have been more discerning...
It's just that after watching "Rome" and getting interested in Caesar the first book I read was "Masters of Rome" series, and after watching "The Tudors" and looking for a novel about the period, the first one I read was [book:Wolf Hall|6101138]. And after watching "Game of Thrones" and wanting to read a book about the War of the Roses, the first one I read was [book:The Sunne in Splendour|119829]. I was hoping this lucky streak will continue with "The Family" and remembered, 20 pages into it, what should have been obvious after reading "The Godfather" all those years ago - Mario Puzo cannot write. No, that's harsh. He can write - an encyclopedia entry, not a novel that should, theoretically, have a plot and dialogues.
Because nothing happens. The book just drags on and on, with whole pages going by without a single conversaion, just an endless parade of facts. One can't even tell how much time passes, it might be a single year or twenty.
Even the characters, those larger than life figures that history remembers, are nothing more than Mar(t)y S(t)ues and caricatures.
I'm sure that somewhere out there is a great novel about the Borgia family. I'm sure to find it someday.

If you spend your free time reading Wikipedia articles and a nice plot is enough to sell a book to you, then this might be the novel for you. But if you are spoiled by brilliant writing of, say, [author:Hilary Mantel|58851], [author:Robert Harris|575], [author:Steven Saylor|42919], [author:George R.R. Martin|346732], then "as you value your life or your reason keep away from" books written by Mario Puzo.

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