Rating: 
Summary: A FAMILY WITH A QUIRK OR TWO
Review: According to Carol Gino's afterword, prior to Puzo's death, she and Puzo had discussed his unfinished manuscript of this book, and she, with his blessings, was able to fulfill his wishes and complete it. In my opinion, her efforts were successful, as I detect no stylistic differences or breaks in the continuity of the book. I feel that we, as readers, owe her our thanks for bringing his last dream to fruition. Before going into the body of the review, it should be noted that THE FAMILY is based on extensive research by Puzo, and the facts of the following are either historically accurate, or can be reasonably assumed from the facts available. In THE FAMILY, Puzo has gotten away from his usual theme of 20th century Mafia families and, instead, has built this narrative around an ordinary Renaissance era family who resided in Rome. Well, maybe not exactly ordinary. They did have a quirk or two, and, after all, daddy was the Pope. That's right, daddy was the Pope, so maybe they're not exactly an ordinary family after all. Daddy, Pope Alexander VI, was Rodrigo Borgia, the father of the Borgia clan. You know the Borgias, those playful youngsters; Cesare, Lucrezia, Juan, and Jofre. In those far off days, the Catholic clergy couldn't marry, but a great many of them had mistresses and openly acknowledged their offspring. Alexander was a truly kind-hearted man. An example of this kind-heartedness was in the way he handled a politically necessary assassination of someone he truly liked. He made sure that the assassination was carried out in the most humane, pain free way possible. A true humanitarian! Alexander might well have been called the "Education Pope." He strongly believed in education. As an example, he made sure that an enemy or traitor was tortured and maimed before being allowed to die a slow and painful death. The mutilated body was publicly displayed as an act of public education. The lesson to be learned here was that you shouldn't make Pope Alexander angry. A truly effective educational display by a believer in the power of education. Alexander also loved his children and did everything in his power to assure their future happiness. To show this concern, he would arrange marriages for them with appropriate mates who just happened to come from rich and powerful families. That these marriages usually served to enhance his power base was merely a fortunate by-product. Out of love, he also did his best to insure the success of these marriages. For instance, to make sure that his 13 year old daughter, Lucrezia, was properly prepared for her wedding night, he arranged for her older, and sexually experienced brother, Cesare, to "bed" her in advance of her marriage -- supervised by himself, or course. What greater love and concern could a father have for his children? And of his four children, it could be said that a more loving group couldn't be found. First of all, there was Cesare who fell in love with his sister, Lucrezia, when he "bedded" her, and who could never bear the thought of her in some stranger's arms. (This love was not unrequited.) This feeling of brotherly love led to the violent death of Lucrezia's 2nd husband, Alphonso, who was the only man she ever loved more than her brother. Then there were the other two brothers, the cruel and arrogant Juan, and the rather simple Jofre. Juan made a habit of sleeping with Jofre's wife and flaunting it. Jofre was less than thrilled about this and, one day, Juan was mysteriously murdered. The perpetrator was never found. Ah, yes, fraternal love. Did I mention that Lucretia's first child was Cesares? The pregnancy couldn't have come at a worse time. It seems that just at that time the Pope was having Lucrezia's first marriage annulled on the basis that the groom was impotent. The supposed impotency made any rational excuse for the pregnancy a bit of a problem. Things were worked out, and only one innocent man lost his life. Just one more example of Alexander's love for his children. When a political alliance changed, as they often did, Jofre's wife, whom Jofre had come to truly love, became a problem to the Pope, as she was now associated with a potential ex-alliance. Alexander, without consulting Jofre, had Jofre's wife imprisoned in a dungeon where she was repeatedly raped by the guards, subsequently losing her sanity and eventually dying. Needless to say, Jofre, once again, was less than pleased about this new development. Soon thereafter, Pope Alexander contracted a strange malaria-like illness and died. As I stated in the opening, THE FAMILY is about an ordinary, loving Renaissance family with a quirk or two.
Rating: 
Summary: Not by any means the equal to "The Godfather."
Review: Although "The Family" is worth reading for its depiction of historical events that took place during the late 15th century, with cameos by esteemed philosopher Machiavelli, Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci, and painter Michelangelo, it is poorly written. Which comes as an unexpected shock since the late Mario Puzo has gained a reputation for penning some of the greatest literature that has ever been written. The characters lack personality, are one-dimensional, and wooden. The dialogue seems contrived and without much emotion. "The Family" fails to invoke feelings for each character and seems to place historical accuracy above the author's propensity for sketching memorable characters that the reader can identify with. This flaw in most cases could be overlooked, but not in an author who has contributed so much to the world's literature.
A must read for anyone who have found the Borgia and Medici families, as well as the Renaissance of interest.
Rating: 
Summary: Thank you, other reviewer
Review: for pointing out that this is an historical NOVEL, not a biography. And in that context, it's an excellent read. Not The Godfather, of course, but then, what is? If you like Puzo, you'll like this. Worth the bucks for sure.
And if it gets you interested enough to read a biography of the Borgias, there are lots of 'em out there
Rating:
Summary: THE BANALITY OF CHURCH CORRUPTION
Review: I don't know how much value to place on a negative review written by someone who couldn't write a book a tenth this good in an entire lifetime. What I do know is that Puzo wrote a historical FICTION. This is not to be confused with a history or even a biography. IT IS FICTION! As fiction Puzo has left us with another gift that can be enjoyed by those who like good storytelling because that is what THE FAMILY is. Puzo tells a story of what it MAY have been like for Pope Alexander and his family during a time when the church was clearly seen first as a political power and only secondarily as a spiritual institution. He takes us back to the 15th century with its church corruption that was so commonly known that the people didn't even care if their popes and cardinals had children just as long as they protected them from invasion. The selling of indulgences and other religious corruption is told of in a matter of fact manner. This is precisely the manner in which it was indulged in during this particularly transparent time of the church's corruption. Luther came about in part due to the excesses of this most corrupt example of papal power.
Puzo paints the Borgia as no better but no worse than others of their time. He seems to remind us that most if not all of the church was corrupt. As an ex-Catholic it simply confirms the foundation for today's still corrupt church with it practice of hiding child molesters. No wonder! If Pope Alexander had several mistresses and bastard children and, as history seems to indicate, probably had sex with his own daughter, (we are almost certain that his son, Cesare had sex with his sister, Lucrezia), is it any wonder that the church today hid their child molesting monsters for decades until the evidence became overwhelming? History will be hard pressed to downplay this page in the Catholic Church's protection of perverts. THE FAMILY's greatest value is in offering an explanation by example of church corruption. Puzo's portrayal of his Borgias is kind simply because they were only products of a more visibly corrupt age where everyone plotted against everyone else and it was UNDERSTOOD EVEN BY THE COMMON PEOPLE. And in demonstrating this with his usual great storytelling expertise Puzo has left the world with a final gift and a way to understand the continuing nonchalant corruption of the church even if our dumbed down sheep can't see past the papal bull. Thank you, Mario and Carol
Joseph Francione, author, HOW TO SAVE AMERICA AND THE WORLD
Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: I really enjoyed reading "The Family". Some things in the book are pretty shocking, such as the sexual deviencies practiced by Pope's children and Pope himself. The story is very involving and historically accurate (to the best of my knowledge. Carol Gino diod an excellent job in finishing the work and one can't feel a differnce in her writting from Puzo's. If you like Mario's previous works this book is certainly something you don't want to miss.
Rating:
Summary: * * * * * !
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book from beginning to end in every way. This book tells the story of the powerful Borgia family, some believe this was the first mafia family in history. I loved the characters especially the fierce, courageous Cesare, the powerful and honorable Pope Alexander and the lovely, innocent Lucrezia.
This is a must read for any Mario Puzo, and lovers of good literature. The book deals with everything from treachery, to loyalty, to true honor, 15th century wars, etc. Not a book for the religious extremists as this book makes no effort to hide the true facade of the church at that point in time.
The book was an easy read and if you're the type of person who prefers straight-to-the point- books instead of long descriptive page after page type of book, then this book is a good read. Overall I give "The Family" 5 stars for being entertaining, hard-to-put-down, concise, and at the same time narrative without overdoing it.
Rating: 
Summary: BIODEGRADABLE
Review: I was compelled to finish this book!
Two chapters into "The Family" it occurred to me that it was in fact the worst thing I had ever read! And so, I simply had to get to the end to enable me to declare with veracity how appalling it is. I don't know how old Mario Puzo was when he worked on this book but it reads as though it was written by a 12 year old of average ability - for the palate of peers. Cardboard characters, adolescent intrigue, a plodding and disjointed plot.
The best thing about this book I discovered, is that the paperback is biodegradable, and so I had no qualms in hurling it into the Irish Sea from a ferry...an act which gave me considerably more pleasure than reading the thing...
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Story, Poorly Told
Review: It would be very difficult to make the story of the family Borgia dull, but Mario Puzo and Carol Gino do their best. Pope Alexander VI, nee Rodrigo Borgia, manipulated his and his illegitimate brood's way to the top of the European food chain using whatever means necessary, and their rise to power makes for interesting reading. However, Mr. Puzo, and Ms. Gino tell the story in a style that never seems to fit history, historical fiction, or romance, and so becomes a hodge-podge of what may be the worst of all three. The history is incomplete, the fiction is plodding, and the romance is overblown. I finished the book because I love Vatican skullduggery, and it served as airplane and hotel reading, but as much as I'd recommend someone read about the Borgia's, I'd never recommend anyone do it with this book.
Rating:
Summary: Lackluster Book
Review: The story of The Family takes place in the 15th Century of Italy and its surrounding areas. We are quickly introduced to the Borgia Family, and immediately recognize that they are the protagonists of this story. Like in Godfather, the story is told in the different perspectives of each character. Through the course of this novel, we are shown a perspective of society and the inner workings of the corrupt churches in the 15th Century. We are given an insight of the political struggles throughout Italy and its surrounding areas. While the characters of The Family are beautifully crafted and unique, they don't contain the spark or the fire that the characters in The Godfather had. It is hard to relate to them because they are from different time periods and have different problems. Somehow, Puzo manages to include cameos by Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Leonardo Da Vinci into this story. This is the second novel that I have read by Mario Puzo. I am pretty disappointed by the novel because it didn't live up to my expectations and I don't think it lived up to the standards of the esteemed writer Mario Puzo. The plot and the characters are not that bad, but his execution is rather dull and boring. It seemed as if there were never really any exciting moments. I was never really drawn into or hooked to the plot of the story. The novel read more like a history lesson, and contained some weird themes that normal modern day people would not approve of. I do not recommend this book and it gets a 2 stars out of 5 from me.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: This book was an OK read. The writing was stiff, but the story was interesting, if somewhat historically inaccurate. It was good bedtime reading and maybe something I would take with me on a vacation when I want to read something but I don't want to think about it too hard. Lots of gore and weird sex and who doesn't enjoy that? However, if you want the real story, there are tons of well written, colourful and accurate biographies.
|
