The Artist, The Philosopher, And The Warrior: The Intersecting Lives Of Da Vinci, Machiavelli, And Borgia And The World They Shaped (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
Strathern's narrative is as thorough as non-academic historical non-fiction can and should get, which suits perfectly for all the war, intrigue, art, and power plays that comprised the spirit of the era in which Borgia, Machiavelli, and Da Vinci lived and thrived. At its core, the book does provide an accurate portrayal not only of the lead men, but of the creative destruction and chaos that ruled Italy and that represented the whole of the Renaissance. Ultimately, Strathern's work will hit the right chords for those deeply interested not only in the Renaissance era, but also in what makes us artists, philosophers, warriors - and oh so human. This book was awesome. A good overview of Renaissance Florence and the intersection of the lives of DaVinci, Machiavelli and the Borgia's: Rodrigo, Cesare and Lucrezia from 1498 to 1512-ish. I would recommend this book 110%. I did feel like I wanted to know more about Machiavelli and/or DaVinci as a result of reading this book. Please note that this book has an extensive character list and very good maps. I learned that Machiavelli survived torture, strappado. Amazing. I never knew that.This book spurred me to read Machiavelli A Biography by Miles Unger and I would like to read Leonardo: The Artist and The Man by Serge Bramly. (First I have to read my two book club books by next week - Eek!) Sorry Leo!
What do You think about The Artist, The Philosopher, And The Warrior: The Intersecting Lives Of Da Vinci, Machiavelli, And Borgia And The World They Shaped (2009)?
I liked the focus on Leonardo da Vinci. But way to much about war and battles for my taste.
—Soph
awesome book! great portraits of three diverse contemporaries in Renaissance Italy!
—shalom7
Lawyers, guns and money in Renaissance Florence.
—Agent_Grime
pop history. pretty much an unnecessary book!
—AkeishaDiamond
