The Medici (Italian Histories) Hardcover – March 7, 2016

Bought this after watching Lorenzo the Magnificent on TV. It’s fabulous!!!! Highly recommend!

Well. written it takes you deep inside the world of the reinascese and Medici family. This includes both the well known and lesser known menders. You will learn about their relationships with well known artists of the day and Popes. All in all a good read and a must for Italian history buffs.

Written like a text book, but easy to read. The lineage chart in the front was extremely helpful as I constantly referred to it to understand who belonged to whom. I had seen the Netflix series and became intrigued with the family...that is why I chose to read this book. As someone who loves and admires art, I learned so much more about the Renaissance and how this family's wealth and power influenced that time period. The electing of a pope was extremely eye opening as well. Now I want to visit Florence and Milan to witness what I read.

This book was an excellent introduction not only to the Medici family, but to Italy during the Renaissance. In an easily readable style the author illuminated the political, social and cultural conditions that led to the rise of the Medici family. And unlike many other histories of this period, the author covered the art, literature, and philosophy that the Medici family both encouraged and enjoyed.

I loved the information in the book. I had watched the Medici on Netflix, and wanted to learn more. This book became a History text for me. Loved it and all the information it gave. It has inspired me to learn more about the Renaissance period. Some parts were a bit repetitious, but not enough for me to quit it!! Enjoy

Well-written, spell-binding account of this era. It's the only book I've ever immediately started re-reading upon finishing it!

Well written and easy to ready. Provides sufficient backstory of tangential characters to properly show the impact of the Medici across numerous aspects of European history and culture.

In my opinion, the Medici were one of the most interesting families of history. Banking and trading, arts and science patronage throughout the Renaissance, Vatican politics... they did it all. This book not only tells this story of the Medici, but zooms out enough to give you a sense of the world at the time so that you can better understand how they so profoundly affected it. The author has a great writing style, too. It’s intelligent, but also sports a novelist’s flare that pulls you along with its imagery and frequent wit.

I decided to read this book after watching the TV series on Netflix - Masters of Florence.The book is a gem. Paul's writing style is so engaging that it feels like you are reading fiction. Almost every chapter ends with something that makes you think "Uh what happens next?". And the amount of fascinating information in there is mind blowing, from how Florence rose to be one of the powerful cities in Italy, to how it went down, to Galileo Galilei, to Michelangelo, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and many other. Italics was born in Florence. How the Catasto was used as a political instrument. It is really a must read!At first I was a bit worried about the reviews saying that the author was homophobic but after reading it I can tell he is perfectly balanced and neutral when talking about people's sexual inclinations. There is absolutely nothing wrong with his writing.

Bought as part of a Christmas present following a visit to Florence in 2017. The recipient indicated they wanted to learn more of the history of the richest family in Florence at the time...the Medici's. I'm reliably told this is an addictive read and together with knowledge of the sights of the city it has brought the history to life. Not overly academic in style, but a well written, valuable read.

Well written and comprehensive account of not just the Medici but other major figures of the Renaissance. My only quibble is that the font/print size seems to change line by line, hence only 4 stars.

Having watched "Medici" series on Netflix I was able to put a face on all the characters and places which made the reading come to life - only 4 stars because font and print size constant variation made my eyes water - pity !!

The historical research that went into the writing of this book is impressive, and overall the author has an engaging style. The problem, however, lies with the publisher. The book needed the services of a good copy editor. Increasingly, in an effort to combat rising production and marketing costs, publishers cut corners by engaging sub-par copy editors, or by relying solely upon tools such as spell-check. Such would appear to be the case here. The book, and its author, deserved better from the publisher. As did its readers.