In the Name of the Family

“[Sarah Dunant] has made completely her own the story of Italy’s most infamous ruling family. Retaining the knack for plotting and pacing from the crime novels that began her career, she depicts history in a way that we can see, hear and smell. The aging pope on his boat worries that ‘his grasp of history is becoming blurred inside the accelerated creation of his own myth.’ Identifying historical blurrings and myths about the period, Dunant’s Italian novels are an enthralling education. Her status as a writer needs no reputation management.”—The Guardian “[Dunant] has an enviable command of this complex political scene, with its shifting alliances and subtle betrayals… . [She] has a special gift for attending to her female characters.”—The New York Times “An intimate knowledge of Renaissance history powers a story cracking with energy.”—The Daily Mail “What distinguishes and elevates to the first order Sarah Dunant … is that she combines flawless historical scholarship with beguiling storytelling.”—The Guardian “A thrilling period vividly brought to life.”—Woman and Home“With a vibrant cast of characters both iconic, including the vastly influential Niccolò Machiavelli, and rarely highlighted, Dunant’s captivating Renaissance Italian saga will thrill her fans and bring more into the fold.”—Booklist“Beyond the attraction of the characters and the history, [Sarah] Dunant has a great immersive style. Her hallmark is the penetrating detail… . In the end, what’s a historical novelist’s obligation to the dead? Accuracy? Empathy? Justice? Or is it only to make them live again? Dunant pays these debts with a passion that makes me want to go straight out and read all her other books.”—Diana Gabaldon, The Washington Post “Reading In the Name of the Family, I began to smell the scent of oranges and wood smoke on the Ferrara breeze. Such Renaissance-rich details fill out the humanity of the Borgias, rendering them into the kind of relatable figures whom we would hope to discover behind the cold brilliance of The Prince.”—NPR “Dunant has a storyteller’s instincts for thrilling detail and the broad sweep of history. This, and her glorious prose, make Dunant’s version irresistible.”—The Times (UK)“Skillfully drawn characters and an excellent sense of place will entice readers of historicals, especially those interested in the Italian Renaissance.”—Library Journal “One of Dunant’s great strengths as a writer is illuminating the lives of women who were able to amass and wield power despite having no authority.”—Kirkus Reviews

Sarah Dunant is the author of the international bestsellers The Birth of Venus, In the Company of the Courtesan, Sacred Hearts, and Blood and Beauty, which have received major acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. Her earlier novels include three Hannah Wolfe crime thrillers, as well as Snowstorms in a Hot Climate, Transgressions, and Mapping the Edge, all three of which are available in paperback from Random House. She has two daughters and lives in London and Florence.

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