Customer Reviews

The Scarlet Contessa: A Novel of the Italian Renaissance

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Historical fiction is my genre of choice, and lately I've found myself in historical England --- a lot. So it was refreshing to pick up Jeanne Kalogridis's THE SCARLET CONTESSA and be transplanted to Renaissance Italy, an Italy full of intrigue, cruel individuals and ruthless royals.

Caterina Sforza is the daughter of the Duke of Milan, a man not known for his tempered tastes or actions. The Duke is mean, cruel and superstitious, and the only one he seems to like is his daughter, Caterina. She takes after him in many ways, including his sometimes cruel behavior and love of wonton actions and excesses. In her later years, this inherited personality trait will serve her well. A fiercely brave person, she always manages to get her way, either by direct action or coercion --- a tactic learned from her father. When Caterina is married off to Count Girolamo Riario, a man like her father in ways, she forces her way to Rome to meet him, even though he has warned her off due to reports of plague. Interested more in her husband's wealth and what he can get her than the actual man, Caterina, knowing exactly how to deal with men, makes herself at home in her new city, anxious for riches and power.

Dea, Caterina's lady-in-waiting, is the one telling Caterina's story. She has a true fondness for Caterina and only wants to protect her, which also means putting herself in danger to do just that. She has the ability to read the triumph cards --- what we would think of as modern-day tarot cards --- and Caterina keeps Dea close, always wanting to know what her future holds. Grieving the loss of her husband, Dea finds it difficult to look at the cards, knowing they hold a future neither she nor her lady wants to see emerge.

Unconcerned with making friends in her bid for power, Caterina makes an enemy out of the most powerful family at the time --- the Borgias. Known for their cruelty, willingness to poison enemies, and need for power, they are not the people to cross, yet Caterina feels she can outmaneuver them all. In an act that shows not only her bravery and intelligence but also a rather conniving nature, she refuses to concede power or land, even knowing her small forces will not keep the Borgias at bay very long.

Kalogridis weaves a tale that's fascinating and full of great characters. While Dea, who is telling the story, is fictional, the other players here aren't, which is what makes this one so good. Their deeds and insidious actions make these characters jump off the page, and I was thoroughly immersed in the story. I will admit to not knowing much about Italian history and the Italian Renaissance in general, at least no more than I remember from high school and college history classes, but once I put this book down, I wanted to know more. My knowledge of the Italian Renaissance was quenched by several Internet searches that only makes me more astounded by the world created here.

Yes, there are a few rough moments in the book --- for example, the Duke of Milan likes to have women around to rape for fun. And it's not only the Duke who finds pleasure in these deplorable acts, as the Borgias are in no way innocent characters either. It's not meant as a turnoff, just a warning. I appreciate the fact that the treacherous and disturbing acts of the real-life people these characters are based upon were not overlooked, making it a richer story for the sordid details.

I've read a few of Kalogridis's novels, and for me she is a great writer of historical fiction. She pulls you into a world full of drama, contemptuous characters and unforgettable settings that I find it hard to close this book. She's good with the details and the big picture, making a story about an Italian Duke's daughter a fabulous read.

With "The Scarlet Contessa", Jeanne Kalogridis returns to the intrigue-filled era of the Italian Renaissance that she so skillfully brought to life in "The Devil's Queen", "I, Mona Lisa", and "The Borgia Bride". "Scarlet Contessa" tells the story of the headstrong Caterina Sforza, Countess of Imola and Forli, who famously faced off against Cesare Borgia at the fortress of Ravinaldo in Forli in 1499.

Rather than having her main character tell the tale, however, Kalogridis instead tells Caterina's story with the voice of her lady-in-waiting and chief companion, the orphaned Dea. Dea has a gift for seeing the future, especially through the use of "triumph cards" (the predecessor to the modern-day tarot). Through Dea's eyes, we watch Caterina go from a spoiled and somewhat unlikeable girl favored by her libertine father, the Duke of Milan, to an iron-willed, sexually rapacious, and politically astute woman who commands armies and defies the Pope himself, culminating in the disastrous siege at Ravinaldo. We also meet some of the best-known names of the Renaissance along the way: Lorenzo de Medici, occultist Marsilio Ficino, and the scheming Rodrigo Borgia (later Alexander VI) and his ruthless son Cesare.

I was expecting "Scarlet Contessa" to be as rich and full as "Devil's Queen", but the former falls kind of flat. This, in my opinion, is because the story is told from Dea's point of view rather than Caterina's. Instead of getting a glimpse into the heart and mind of such a fascinating and indomitable woman, we only see her from the outside; while the reader learns more about Dea's emotions and experiences than perhaps we needed to, Caterina remains disappointingly opaque, pushing us away rather than inviting us in. The book lacks the intimate air of "Devil's Queen" and "Mona Lisa", and I just wasn't swept into it the way I was with "Devil's Queen" - toward its end, "Scarlet Contessa" reads more like a history book than a novel.

That's not to say that "Scarlet Contessa" isn't worth a read, particularly for fans of the Italian Renaissance. Kalogridis is a skilled storyteller, and there are moments of opulence and glitter here as well as a sense of the treacherous political landscape of 15th-century Italy. But we never really get to know any of "Scarlet Contessa"'s characters (excepting, of course, Dea) the way we do in her other books, and as a result the whole seems flatter and more one-dimensional than its predecessors.

Bottom line: if you're a die-hard Jeanne Kalogridis fan or Renaissance buff, go ahead and get the book now. If you're only mildly interested, get the book at the library or wait for the paperback.

One of my new favorite authors! Jeanne Kalogridis drops us into the intrigues of the Italian Renaissance - which is great for historic fiction fanatics who are getting a bit tired of the English Tudor Court. I didn't put this book down until I finished it!!! Excellent!

I have been a fan of Jeanne Kalogridis for a long time, since I first read her Family Dracul books. She was an amazing author then, and she has done nothing but honed her talent ever since.

She has been staying in the tremendously interestingly interesting era of the Italian Renaissance. So many amazing personalities, aside from the artists that changed the way we view art, but the characters that gave flesh and blood to the Italian Renaissance. The English Renaissance came later, but just studying the Italian Renaissance would seem like fiction if we didn't know these characters truly lived and made history that affected many lives and royalty, as well as clergy.

The Scarlet Contessa deals with one of the most fascinating characters of the era, Caterina Sforza. She was the daughter of the Duke of Milan. Known for her beauty, she didn't hesitate to use that beauty to her and her city-state's advantage.

Each city state in this period was like a kingdom in itself, much like ancient Greece.

Caterina was married to Count Girolamo Riario, who was boarish at best. It was a political match and soon Caterina came to have extra marital affairs where she finds that sex was pleasurable as well as politically advantageous.

The book is told by the perspective of the fictional 'sister and lady in waiting' Dea. Dea is knowledgeable in the 'Triumph' cards, which we know today as Tarot cards. It is through her eyes the book is written.

Caterina uses her charms to not only protect what is hers, but shows she can command any army as well, no, better than a man.

The papacy of this time was a joke. Most popes of the time had illegitimate children they publically acknowledged, and one of the cardinals we meet is Roderigo Borgia. Borgia?? Oh yeah!

He eventually became Pope Alexander VI, and the public is probably familiar with two of his children - Lucrezia and Cesare. It was said that the then Roderigo Borgia found recipes and methods of getting rid of his enemies with various poisons. His children were also students of this subtle, but effective means of vengeance.

It is well known that there was some sort of incest in the Borgia family - It is pretty much a good assumption that Roderigo was intimate with his daughter Lucrezia. It was also rumored that Cesare also 'familiar' with his gorgeous sister. Lucrezia gave birth to the 'Infanta of Rome', whose paternity was never made clear. What is clear Cesare was devoted of his sister always.

He was also one of the best fighters and strategist of his time in war, and he loved to conquer women as much as he loved fighting.

The fighting between the forces of Caterina Sforza and Cesare Borgia is legendary. She tried valiantly to fight off Cesare's armies, but was not able to for long.

It is said that Cesare raped Caterina; however, it has also been intimated they were lovers as well as adversaries.

If you are interested in women being powerful and in power in history, a great place to start is in the Italian Renaisssance. It was not only artwork, but political intruige and a time of such colorful characters you could spend much time learning about these fabulous characters.

It also sets the backdrop for the English Renaissance - which features my personal favorite historical character Elizabeth I who was strong like Caterina Sforza.

Cesare Borgia is one of the most amazing characters in history, at least to me. Indicative of the time, he was gorgeous, politically untouchable, and insatiable in womanizing, as well as a genius in warfare. He was also a member of the clergy!

This book is not a fast read, but it is an amazingly interesting read.

I sent Ms. Kalogridis some interesting information regarding Pope Alexander VI and one of daVinci's inventions, that in itself would be an amazing read. Hopefully one day it will be used.

Or after I finish my vampire novel THIRST, I will write a novel on the Borgias.

There were so many deliciously evil and entertaining characters in the Italian Renaissance, and no one writes better or more colorfully about the era than Jeanne Kalogridis.

Yia sou, Jeanne! Keep them coming!

I have been a big fan of Jeanne Kalogridis ever since I read The Borgia Bride. I have read nearly all of her books and have never been disappointed once! This book is no exception. It grabs you from the beginning and never lets go. I love the action and the historical detail she gives her books. The characters are amazingly well developed and you are completely sympathetic to most of them. Of course, there are others you simply hate.

Each of Jeanne's books are filled with a wealth of emotion. The storylines are well thought out and brilliantly executed. I highly recommend any of them.

With the new Showtime series The Borgias, publishers and authors have begun the cascade of Borgia-era novels. I've seen no fewer than five new Borgia-inspired novels being published (or republished) this year. I'm sure that's only the beginning. With the increased interest in the Borgias and all things Renaissance Italy has come a a resurgence in older Borgia novels, including Jeanne Kalogridis' The Borgia Bride and her 2010 novel, The Scarlet Contessa. But Kalogridis has been painting the world of Renaissance Italy on the page for years with the most vivid and well-trained hand out there.

In The Scarlet Contessa, Kalogridis takes on Caterina Sforza, the daughter of the Duke of Milan, a fascinating and strong Renaissance woman who dared to defy Cesare Borgia, son of the notorious Pope Alexander VI (aka Rodrigo Borgia). Told through the eyes of Caterina's servant, Dea, who possesses the unique ability to read Tarot cards and foretell Caterina's future, Scarlet Contessa tells a strange and dangerous tale made even more colorful by Caterina's dark past and desperate need to continue fighting to protect her lands and live the life she wants.

I had somewhat mixed feelings about this one -and they aren't all bad. Let's start the bad...just to get it over with. Dea isn't a bad character -far from it, she's a fairly a interesting woman who offers interesting commentary on Caterina's life and lives a dangerous and romantic life of her own. However, Caterina was a considerably more interesting character who openly defied the social conventions of the times. She ended up being more interesting than the narrator of the story, and whenever the narrative shifted more to focus on Dea, I wanted it to get back to Caterina because I just wasn't as interested in Dea.

That aside, Scarlet Contessa is an incredibly well-written, well-plotted novel that I was able to get completely invested in from the very beginning and kept with it up until the end. Kalogridis' attention to detail and excellent eye for historical accuracy shone through in every sentence and the characters where fascinating to read about, but most importantly, I couldn't put the book down.

Well, I am interested in the period and Caterina Sforza and the Borgia history but I found the sexual content of it unnecessary and rather grubby really and I don't enjoy imagined conversations with a 3 year old Cesare Borgia, etc. etc. To me it is 2 books combined in one - one totally fictional and tarot card mystical - one based on decorated fact and innuendo. I did finish it because I thought perhaps I was missing something that would become apparent by the end but there would possibly be almost enough facts in a page of wikipedia. If someone is inclined to romantic history novels it might be a good read but not for me.

I am a fan of Jeanne Kalogridis' novels, and generally enjoyed this one. It's a vivid depiction of a fascinating time in Italian history, and Caterina Sforza sounds like a really interesting woman. Kalogridis has a lovely writing style and a talent for bringing the period to life. I don't know enough about the era or the personalities to comment on the accuracy, or whether any liberties were taken (except for the obvious fictional characters), but it seemed plausible, at any rate.

I do question the choice of telling Caterina's story through the eyes of that hist-fic staple, the Made Up Lady-in-Waiting Who's Close To The Major Players (And Has Special Powers). Kalogridis gives Dea a level of complexity and nuance which helps retain the reader's interest, but this still doesn't overcome the central issue: this novel is not so much about Caterina Sforza but about Made Up Dea, her family background, her special talents(in this case, reading the cards) and her relatively uninspiring romance. The choice to use the first person narrative voice is also inherently limiting, and means that inevitably, we never get to really find out what Caterina is like - as a previous reviewer has touched on, she is always viewed from the outside. I emphasise that this is an example of where a historical fiction cliche is done quite well, yet the Fictional Character as our narrator is a cliche nonetheless. I just can't help thinking that the novel would have been so much better had the story been told through Caterina's eyes.

There is also a level of cardboard cutout villain in the characterisation of Rodrigo Borgia in particular - admittedly, a hard character to render likeable, but I would have liked to have seen a bit more complexity there.

Overall this was an entertaining and well-written novel, but not quite up to the standard of The Borgia Bride : A Novel. Still, it has made me want to find out more about this brave and intelligent woman. Three and a half stars.

I liked this book better than the Devil's Queen easily, but I still prefer I, Mona Lisa and the Borgia Bride insofar as her works of historical fiction.

The novel follows the trials and journeys of Caterina Sforza from her childhood as the daughter of a powerful yet woman abusing Duke of Milan to her later years as the Contessa of Forli after becoming the wife of one of Pope Sixtus's less than lovable sons and everything between including shifting loyalties and dealings with the Borgias and Medicis. . What makes it interesting is that it's told through her servant and sometime friend's voice, Dea. What's interesting about this? Dea is a fictional character! So while the book is really the chronicle of Caterina's life, it's all told through her servant's perspective, so it's hard to get inside the head of Caterina. As a result, Caterina's thoughts and motivations aren't always totally clear because they're clouded by however Dea chooses to perceive them.

The book covers a good chunk of years, several decades in fact and I admit that I found it a little hard to keep track of all the shifting players over the years at times. Some are pretty memorable while some are bit players who can come into the story only once or twice.

I also felt a little lukewarm towards Caterina. Sometimes I find it hard to relate to 'people of high birth' as it were. Some I have genuinely liked but most I find just to be spoiled and completely self centered, doing nothing if it doesn't benefit their own personal gain. It's difficult to feel for someone born into such a position when they run into hardships. I didn't overtly hate Caterina, but I didn't like her much either. I also didn't love to hate her, thus the lukewarm response. I think the telling of the tale through the voice of her servant had alot to do with that as well. It's pretty ironic that the character we come to know and like best in the novel never existed!

I have read all of the other books this author has written on historical figures that lived during the Renaissance. This one is undoubtedly the one that concentrates more on the politics of the era, with good reason. Caterina Sforza is in the midst of this. In the book she interacts with historical figures such as Lorenzo di Medici, Machiavelli, Il Moro, and several popes. Ms. Kalogridis makes these characters interesting, and made me google them to find out how much was true about what she wrote on them. However, I would have preferred that the book be narrated by Caterina herself rather than Dea. Caterina was the more interesting figure by far, while Dea is always in the background. I find that the heroines in The Borgia Bride and I, Mona Lisa, Ms. Kalogridis previous works, are more interesting protagonists.