Esther was effectively cut off from her family, traditions, and way of life. Although the sins of the Borgia family were titillating to read about, I really was intrigued with the struggle of being a Jewish convert in the early sixteenth century. I really liked that Bower wrote the novel through the eyes of Esther/Violante. This novel reminded me of the style of a Philippa Gregory historical fiction novel – the kind of novel that gives you the juicy side of history that you weren’t taught at school and that is immensely fun to read.

Unlike some historical fiction novels where character development suffers after the story gets bogged down in the details, Sins of the House of Borgia had the details included in a great plot and riveting characters. It was very readable book and was hard for me to put down. I really enjoyed Sins of the House of Borgia. Violante finds her fortunes tied to that of the Borgia family and is swept away in the rise and fall of their ever changing fates. After Esther is unable to meet Cesare for a horse race, he renames her “Violante” or breaker of promises.Īfter Lucrezia’s third marriage to Duke Alfonso, Violante moves with Lucrezia to the Estense Territories and pines for Cesare to visit. Cesare is a ruthless man of mystery that women across Italy and Europe are swooning over. While serving as one of Lucrezia’s ladies in waiting, Esther falls in love with Cesare. Pope Alexander VI lived in a decadent Vatican court and had numerous illegitimate children including Lucrezia and her older brother Cesare. Lucrezia is the daughter of Pope Alexander VI. Her father decides to use her as a pawn to advance his standing by arranging to have her baptized as a Christian and placed in the household of Lucrezia Borgia. After her mother dies during the flight, Esther is raised by her father in Italy. Sins of the House of Borgia is exactly as the title sounds – a juicy historical fiction novel that explores the naughty lives of the infamous Borgia family in sixteenth century Italy.Īs a young Jewish girl in Spain, Esther is forced to flee the country with her mother after the Jewish people are expelled by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella (I felt like this was part two of the great historical fiction novel about this period of trial in Spain By Fire, By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan).

The Needle in the Blood by Sarah Bower