Customer Reviews

The Agony and the Ecstasy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Irving Stone had the ability to do for a single person what James Michener had the ability to do for an entire country. Stone gives us biography on a large scale and it is impossible to read him without learning something or coming away from the novel a better person.

The Agony and the Ecstacy is the "biographical novel" of Michelangelo but much more than that it is the story of the Italian Renaissance in all its glory. Through Michelangelo's eyes one gets a full feeling for Florence and Rome at the time. Stone paints with a broad brush the stories of wars, feuding princes, religious machinations, and the wonderful art that the Renaissance produced.

This novel is however much more than that. It is an analysis of the struggle that is necessary to create. We experience the creation of just about every major work of art of Michelangelo and the personal struggles that went into the creative process. We see the artist as he struggles with family, princes, popes and other artists to get his designs accepted.And finally we see the glory of a life well lived as the artist dies leaving a truly monumental body of work behind.

I don't know how much of this work was novel and how much was pure biography but I do know that the result was one of the most enjoyable reading experiences that I've had for many years. The reader need not worry that he or she is not an expert on Renaissance art when this work is read. Supplemental material and photographs of the works discussed may be found on several web sites. Jump in and enjoy.

Stone took 6 years to research on his biography of Michelangelo. By the end of the book one can only marvel at the tremendous effort Stone undertook. "Agony and Ecstasy" is truly an absorbing and inspiring tale of the greatest genius in art history. Michelangelo's magnificence in sculpture, painting, architecture and poems is compellingly told. The best parts of the novel are the creations of each sculpture, Michelangelo's greatest love. Michelangelo's intensity and passion as he chisels and hammers away on his beloved marbles is vividly written and deeply moving. His rivalry with Raphael and Da Vinci, his struggles with his family, the Popes, the Medici family, his contemporaries and the tumultuous era he lived in are convincing and underlay with sadness. Certain aspects of his life are poignant and heart wrenching - the years wasted quarrying marbles never used, his unsavoury father who only wants money from him and of course the uncompleted Julius II Tomb which haunts him till the later years of his life. By the end of the book, one can only love this titanic genius for his awesome and fearsome talents, which could only be God given, his perseverance, his obsession and passion. The three Pietas, The David, the Madonna and Child in Bruges, Sistine Chapel Vault, Night, Day, Dusk, Dawn, The Last Judgement, St Peter's Dome....Michelangelo is no longer just the creator of these soul stirring, colossal and exalted art works. Stone has given this great genius who lived 500 years ago flesh and blood. Michelangelo is a man driven by his transcendent powers in art, evoking awe, reverence, love and sympathy from us.

As one of Michelangelo's biggest fans, I can truly say that Irving Stone did an incredible job on this biographical novel. Although Michelangelo was known as a sculptor, painter and architect, his greatest love was the marble, and this book shows it.

I just returned from a two week vacation through Italy where I stayed in Florence for about a week. The streets and piazzas where Michelangelo and Granacci walked has been captured by Stone in true detail. San Marco and Santa Maria Novella are extactly as Stone describes. I have also seen most of Michelangelo's works and it is wonderful to see the personal "story" behind each of the works. Not only does this book walk with you though Michelangelo's life, but it also gives the reader a piece of Italian history with the Medici family and the Pope. This book gives me another justification why Michelangelo is God sent. No one should judge his work until they have stood in front of David and the Pieta or looked up at the Sistine Chapel. It is one of the most incredible experiences of my life.

This book may not be an easy read to some because the Italian names may be hard to follow. Some of the historical conflicts among the Medici family, the Pope and Savonarola may be a bit confusing if the reader is not familiar with the attitudes of that time. There are also a minutia of Italian phrases which may be confusing to those who do not understand Italian. But if you are looking for a great book that not only gives you the history, but the emotion, then this is for you.

I am only 14 years old and I read this book for two reasons. One-my Mom made me, and Two-my big trip to Italy was coming up. After the first chapter, you FELT like you were Michelangelo himself as you flipped through the pages. I found myself more and more interested to read the book rather than just reading it because my Mom wanted me to. I definitely reccomend this book to anyone who loves the arts, history, Italy-especially Tuscany and Florence, and even geology to some extent. This novel fascinated me. You are taken from about the time Michelangelo Buonarroti was nine to the day he died. You learn SO MUCH about the sculptures he did-a whole chapter is dedicated to his beloved David. You are taken through Michelangelo's mind and life. From this book, I learned a ton about sculpting, frescoing, and much about the history of Italy. So by the time I got there-to Italy-I knew more than anyone in my family about everything I saw by Michelangelo. He was a genius. Please read this book. You will be inspired and fascinated as I was and you will learn SO much. You will laugh and cry and by the last page, you are craving to read more. I promise you will not regret flipping through those pages and taking a journey through Michelangelo Buonarroti's mind! :)

This book was amazing. Besides the fact that it does a great job of describing in detail Michelangelo's life and his love affair with marble, it also gives the reader a good understanding of Renaissance Italy in general. Prior to reading it, I knew nothing about Michelangelo or about politics and the Medici family; I learned a lot about the volatile political environment of the time period.

Michelangelo is often misunderstood. He had a quick temper and many thought he was differcult to work with. Stone does a great job of explaining Michelangelo's behavior. I came away from this book feeling as if I really understood Michelangelo and his desire to create beautiful works of art. If you have any interest in Michelangelo or Renaissance Italy, I recommend this book; you will not be dissapointed!

I wonder if Stone would feel honoured or slighted at my brash theft of HIS title "The Agony and the Ecstasy", as the basis for my review of his wonderful work!

Irving Stone's "The Agony and the Ecstasy" is an enormous, comprehensive re-creation of the life and death of Michelangelo Buonarroti, one of the acknowledged world giants of art. Not only has he allowed us to share Michelangelo's triumphs as a sculptor, painter, architect and poet but he has also compelled us to weep as we suffer with Michelangelo through his struggles with a petulant and greedy family, exile, political and artistic disgrace, chronic financial difficulties and the loss of love made even more poignant by its never having truly been experienced in the first place!

Were the events of this man's life not breathtaking or compelling enough on their own, Stone has also provided us with a lushly detailed portrait of the immensely complicated background of Renaissance Europe - the madness of Savonarola's puritanical tyranny over Florence and his fanatical revolt against the Roman Catholic church; the Medici family's reign over Florence and virtual stranglehold on the papacy and the church bureaucracy; the turbulent camaraderie (or was that spiteful, ruthless competition?) with other artistic greats of the same period such as da Vinci and Raphael; and the political machinations of the ruthless Borgia family.

That Stone can create magnificent prose, the "ecstasy" as it were, is beyond question! Time and again I was awestruck at Stone's creative abilities as a wordsmith. Witness this brilliant re-working of an often used metaphor for time which, in the hands of a less talented writer, may have become merely hackneyed:

"Time was not a mountain but a river; it changed its rate of flow as well as its course. It could become swollen, overflow its banks, or dry to a trickle; it could run clean and pure along its bed or become laden with silt and throw up debris along the shore."

On the other hand, the novel's "agony" was its intimidating length and Stone's absolute refusal to be anything less than comprehensive, scholarly and absolutely accurate in the tiniest detail. While Stone ultimately avoided the fatal trap, this compulsively detailed chronology constantly threatened to push the novel from entertaining and informative into the realm of list-making tedium.

That said, "The Agony and the Ecstasy" is an extraordinary piece of literature and any patient reader will come to its conclusion feeling uplifted, more knowledgeable and well repaid for the effort!

Paul Weiss

I purchased this book at a used book store in Florence, and found it to be the highlight of my 3 month stay in this city. The Renaissance up to that time always seemed so remote, but Stone builds such a convincing sense of time and place with this book, that the legendary artistic genius of Michaelangelo finally becomes real. The book actually brought me to tears as Stone portrays the loneliness of the obsessed artist.

The Agony and the Ectasy is one of those books that is difficult to put down...reminds me of the narrative writing style of Aynn Rand in the Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged. This is one of the few historic novels that I would read again.

As a portrait artist trained in the Renaissance techniques of painting, this book is literally a Bible for me. To wrestle along with Il Divino as he chooses theme, composition, presentation, gives an insight into what we artists go through daily in our work. Whenever I need a boost, I always turn to this book for inspiration. For the non-artist, this novel is not only a peek into the mind of a working artist but also a realistic look at the lives and times of the greatest artists humankind has produced. To understand the politics of Italy, the Church, and how both affected an artist's work is to understand that art does indeed reflect life. Thank you, Signor Stone, for giving us this look into the working methods of The Master of Masters.

I was in Italy in May on vacation and fell in love with the entire country. When I came home and got myself back to reality, I decided to check out this book. I know it has been around for thirty years, but wow!!!!!!!!!!! The historical aspects along with the fiction that is entwined into it is amazing. Iloved how when I was reading it, I could picture certain buildings and could find a certain revelance to the story. I am currently reading a book on the de Medici family to tie some of the Florentine history together. I would give this book 10 stars if I could. I am looking for the movie also.

After spending 3 weeks with Michelangelo, I was really relieved to be finished with this book. Although it was a very enjoyable piece of art history, it often times got bogged down with politics. Stone's incredible detail of Michelangelo's art, the political upheaval in Florence and Rome, and the Vatican's role in his life really made me feel 16th century Italy, but by the end, Stone seemed to rush through the last 2 decades of Michelangelo's life.

The first quarter of the book and the beginning of Michelangelo's career under Lorenzo Medici was a true gem. Michelangelo's self-discovery, love of sculpture, and love of Lorenzo's daughter Contessina felt youthful and fresh, especially his discovery of human anatomy and the scenes of dissection. However, the political intrigue and the battles with the Church in a post-Lorenzo world were cumbersome.

I still highly recommend this book as a great story about Michelangelo as it enhanced my appreciation for his work. Just be prepared to spend a good deal of time trudging through this lengthy tome.