A review by mamabee77
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The Agony and the Ecstasy is perhaps the most aptly named title I've ever read.   I did this one as an audiobook, and it took me a long time to listen to.  Partly because I felt the need to go over certain chapters more than once.  I didn't mind the repetition, as it allowed me to linger in the world of Michelangelo as he meticulously chipped away, literally, at the many masterpieces he created during his long and industrious life. In this book, Irving Stone described in intimate detail the inner world of Michelangelo, as well as the exterior works of art, sculpture, and architecture he left for the world to marvel at for centuries.  He carefully examines the roots, conceptualization, planning, execution, and final result and influence of each exquisite piece.  We are privy to the details of his closest relationships, both loving and tempestuous, and the impact he had on everyone he met or who even heard about him.   He lived his life in complete surrender to the work that he felt he was meant to do, regardless of the cost.  The book is a history lesson, as Michelangelo worked through the reigns of nine different popes, beholden to each one of them.  Yet, he persisted, at times daunted, tormented, by the impossibility of the monumental tasks before him, and at other times spurred on by sheer devotion and all-consuming love of his craft. The descriptions of the act of sculpture are so tangible that I felt the need to dust off the fine white marble dust from my skin several times throughout this beautiful tribute to the Master.