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courtneydoss's review
2.0
My sister got me this book for my birthday, and I was psyched to read it. I was expecting something epic and feminist, showcasing the strength of these women and their roles in the huge cluster that was Italian politics at the time. Some of these women, I already knew a lot about (Lucrezia Borgia, Caterina Sforza, Giulia Farnese), others I had a basic knowledge of (Lucrezia Tornabuoni) and the rest I knew pretty much nothing about. Given the length of this book, I wasn't expecting some epic analysis of all of the women. I know that usually in group biographies things get glossed over or edited out to make room for everyone's stories. But this book was just bad.
First of all, the title is confusing. This book isn't about any sort of "sisterhood" between the women involved. In fact, some of them outright hated each other. Neither were any of them particularly deadly. Caterina Sforza was the only one with any real independent power that would have put her in the position to kill anybody, and she did have plenty of people executed after plots against her loved ones, but other than that none of the other women were involved in any sort of violence. Most of them were just married to powerful men, who were deadly, sure, but that definitely doesn't fit in with the Deadly Sisterhood motif.
Also, this book claims to be the story of women. And yeah, it does have sections that focus on the women themselves, but a lot of this book is reiterating history of the time period. That is necessary in a book about the shifting politics in the Renaissance, but again it doesn't do what it promises in the title. If you're writing a book about politics in the Renaissance, say it. Don't go after the readers of history who are dying for some female centric nonfiction and then not deliver what is promised.
I wanted to learn about the women in this book that I didn't know much about; Isabella d'Este, Beatrice d'Este, Isabella d'Aragona, Clarice Orsini, and to a lesser extent, Lucrezia Tornabuoni. Honestly, after reading this entire book, I feel like I still don't really know much about them. I learned that Lucrezia Tornabuoni couldn't smell despite having a big nose. I learned that Isabella d'Este was petty and jealous and did nothing really important on her own (or more likely Leonie Frieda just doesn't like her). I learned that Isabella d'Aragona was sad. And that's about it. I think the most valuable thing I got from this was a firmer understanding of who all these women were married to, names that I recognize from all the other books I've read recently, and so connections in the convoluted world of Renaissance Italy were more easily understood. The family trees at the front of the book were good, but even they were lacking because when I wanted to see how Giovanni Sforza, Lucrezia Borgia's first husband, was related to Caterina Sforza, it wasn't even on the tree.
Overall, this was one of the most disappointing books I've read lately.
First of all, the title is confusing. This book isn't about any sort of "sisterhood" between the women involved. In fact, some of them outright hated each other. Neither were any of them particularly deadly. Caterina Sforza was the only one with any real independent power that would have put her in the position to kill anybody, and she did have plenty of people executed after plots against her loved ones, but other than that none of the other women were involved in any sort of violence. Most of them were just married to powerful men, who were deadly, sure, but that definitely doesn't fit in with the Deadly Sisterhood motif.
Also, this book claims to be the story of women. And yeah, it does have sections that focus on the women themselves, but a lot of this book is reiterating history of the time period. That is necessary in a book about the shifting politics in the Renaissance, but again it doesn't do what it promises in the title. If you're writing a book about politics in the Renaissance, say it. Don't go after the readers of history who are dying for some female centric nonfiction and then not deliver what is promised.
I wanted to learn about the women in this book that I didn't know much about; Isabella d'Este, Beatrice d'Este, Isabella d'Aragona, Clarice Orsini, and to a lesser extent, Lucrezia Tornabuoni. Honestly, after reading this entire book, I feel like I still don't really know much about them. I learned that Lucrezia Tornabuoni couldn't smell despite having a big nose. I learned that Isabella d'Este was petty and jealous and did nothing really important on her own (or more likely Leonie Frieda just doesn't like her). I learned that Isabella d'Aragona was sad. And that's about it. I think the most valuable thing I got from this was a firmer understanding of who all these women were married to, names that I recognize from all the other books I've read recently, and so connections in the convoluted world of Renaissance Italy were more easily understood. The family trees at the front of the book were good, but even they were lacking because when I wanted to see how Giovanni Sforza, Lucrezia Borgia's first husband, was related to Caterina Sforza, it wasn't even on the tree.
Overall, this was one of the most disappointing books I've read lately.
whatsheread's review
On the surface, The Deadly Sisterhood: A Story of Women, Power, and Intrigue in the Italian Renaissance, 1427-1527 has all the hallmarks of a stellar non-fiction novel – infamous subjects, fascinating time period, biographer with experience. Unfortunately, the execution of the book leaves much to be desired, and it is difficult to figure out where the fault lies. The women’s stories are fascinating, but it takes too long for Ms. Frieda to get to them. What’s worse, the promise of a biography about these eight women is not 100 percent correct, as most of the tales are spent weeding through the machinations of the men in their lives rather than specifically about the women. This is the biggest disappointment, as there are other biographies written about one or another of the women mentioned that do concentrate solely on the women and their actions. In these more engaging biographies, the men in their lives are relegated to supporting roles or the stepladders used by the women to reach their powerful goals.
The writing itself fails to grab a reader’s attention. Again, while politics during the Italian Renaissance are extremely convoluted and do require some element of explanation, too many words are devoted to these explanations and not enough to the women’s lives. The details are methodical and frankly quite boring, while the constant intermarriages between families and almost nonstop warring, switching of allegiance, and failed partnerships muddy further complicate them. Ms. Frieda is never fully able to clearly explain politics in Renaissance Italy, and as a result is forever referencing or clarifying certain situations. This creates an unsteady pace, one in which the narrative falters and stops every time Ms. Frieda must back up the action and explain a situation in greater detail. In other words, just when the stories get good, the reader is forced to plod through yet another mind-numbing explanation of various family politics, feuds, and/or power grabs.
The problem lies not in the fact that detailed explanations are required in order for a reader to understand the mindset and power struggles of these women. Rather, the fault lies in the scope of the book’s subject. Including the stories of all eight women requires even more details and descriptions than would be necessary if only one or two were discussed and seriously detracts from the amount of words devoted to the subjects themselves. Had Ms. Frieda only focused on one or two of the women, the entire narrative would have been vastly improved because the focus would not be so large. Simply put, Ms. Frieda was too ambitious in choosing to write about eight amazing women, and she does each of them a disservice because she does not spend enough time focused on any particular one.
In general, The Deadly Sisterhood fails to live up to its promise. It is not so much a story about these eight fascinating and powerful women of Italy but rather a story about Renaissance Italy in which these eight women have a minor part. To add insult to injury, Ms. Frieda’s research appears rather questionable, as she uses as legitimate sources legends and urban myths of the kind that people love to share but have little to no basis in fact. In actuality, some of the rumors and myths she touts as fact are negated as falsehoods in other, similar biographies. In the end, it feels that Ms. Frieda wrote The Deadly Sisterhood to confirm such rumors and to titillate rather than to break new ground in biographical research. As such, the entire novel is a severe disappointment. Readers would be better off checking out some of the many other biographies about the Medici, Orsini, d’Este, Sforza, and Borgia ladies.
The writing itself fails to grab a reader’s attention. Again, while politics during the Italian Renaissance are extremely convoluted and do require some element of explanation, too many words are devoted to these explanations and not enough to the women’s lives. The details are methodical and frankly quite boring, while the constant intermarriages between families and almost nonstop warring, switching of allegiance, and failed partnerships muddy further complicate them. Ms. Frieda is never fully able to clearly explain politics in Renaissance Italy, and as a result is forever referencing or clarifying certain situations. This creates an unsteady pace, one in which the narrative falters and stops every time Ms. Frieda must back up the action and explain a situation in greater detail. In other words, just when the stories get good, the reader is forced to plod through yet another mind-numbing explanation of various family politics, feuds, and/or power grabs.
The problem lies not in the fact that detailed explanations are required in order for a reader to understand the mindset and power struggles of these women. Rather, the fault lies in the scope of the book’s subject. Including the stories of all eight women requires even more details and descriptions than would be necessary if only one or two were discussed and seriously detracts from the amount of words devoted to the subjects themselves. Had Ms. Frieda only focused on one or two of the women, the entire narrative would have been vastly improved because the focus would not be so large. Simply put, Ms. Frieda was too ambitious in choosing to write about eight amazing women, and she does each of them a disservice because she does not spend enough time focused on any particular one.
In general, The Deadly Sisterhood fails to live up to its promise. It is not so much a story about these eight fascinating and powerful women of Italy but rather a story about Renaissance Italy in which these eight women have a minor part. To add insult to injury, Ms. Frieda’s research appears rather questionable, as she uses as legitimate sources legends and urban myths of the kind that people love to share but have little to no basis in fact. In actuality, some of the rumors and myths she touts as fact are negated as falsehoods in other, similar biographies. In the end, it feels that Ms. Frieda wrote The Deadly Sisterhood to confirm such rumors and to titillate rather than to break new ground in biographical research. As such, the entire novel is a severe disappointment. Readers would be better off checking out some of the many other biographies about the Medici, Orsini, d’Este, Sforza, and Borgia ladies.
ladyhighwayman's review
4.0
There is nothing I like better than reading about empowered women who fought against the restrictions of their time. So, when I heard about The Deadly Sisterhood more than a year ago, I immediately put it on my wish list. And I was thrilled when I was able to read an advance copy.
The Deadly Sisterhood is mainly about eight women from the Italian Renaissance. And while the focus is on these eight women, we do hear about others.
The main point of this book was to see the lasting legacies the women of this time left: whether it was from their own extreme or lesser actions, or through their descendants.
The boldness of these women showed. When the last of the eight women featured here died - Isabella d'Este - with her died an end of an era. An era where women where able to take control, and even manipulate to gain power and status. After the death of Isabella, the world in which she lived changed, and became a place she and her contemporary women would have felt stifled in.
One of the women featured in this book is Caterina Sforza. I had read a fantastic biography about her last year, but was still thrilled that she was included here. I actually learned a bit more about her, not surprisingly considering the depths of this woman’s amazingness could not all be included in one book.
The Deadly Sisterhood is highly recommended to those interested in the Italian Renaissance and women's history. How appropriate that I finish it during Women's History Month.
The Deadly Sisterhood is mainly about eight women from the Italian Renaissance. And while the focus is on these eight women, we do hear about others.
The main point of this book was to see the lasting legacies the women of this time left: whether it was from their own extreme or lesser actions, or through their descendants.
The boldness of these women showed. When the last of the eight women featured here died - Isabella d'Este - with her died an end of an era. An era where women where able to take control, and even manipulate to gain power and status. After the death of Isabella, the world in which she lived changed, and became a place she and her contemporary women would have felt stifled in.
One of the women featured in this book is Caterina Sforza. I had read a fantastic biography about her last year, but was still thrilled that she was included here. I actually learned a bit more about her, not surprisingly considering the depths of this woman’s amazingness could not all be included in one book.
The Deadly Sisterhood is highly recommended to those interested in the Italian Renaissance and women's history. How appropriate that I finish it during Women's History Month.
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