The Serpent and the Pearl

Borgias, Book 1

By: Kate Quinn

Narrated by: Leila Birch, Maria Elena Infantino, Ronan Vibert

Length: 16 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Rome, 1492: The Holy City is drenched with blood and teeming with secrets. A pope lies dying and the throne of God is left vacant, a prize awarded only to the most virtuous - or the most ruthless. The Borgia family begins its legendary rise, chronicled by an innocent girl who finds herself drawn into their dangerous web....

Vivacious Giulia Farnese has floor-length golden hair and the world at her feet: beauty, wealth, and a handsome young husband. But she is stunned to discover that her glittering marriage is a sham, and she is to be given as a concubine to the ruthless, charismatic Cardinal Borgia: Spaniard, sensualist, candidate for Pope - and passionately in love with her.

Two trusted companions will follow her into the Pope's shadowy harem: Leonello, a cynical bodyguard bent on bloody revenge against a mysterious killer, and Carmelina, a fiery cook with a past full of secrets. But as corruption thickens in the Vatican and the enemies begin to circle, Giulia and her friends will need all their wits to survive in the world of the Borgias.

©2013 Kate Quinn (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Epic, sexy.” (Publishers Weekly starred review)

“Deeply passionate.” (Kate Furnivall, New York Times best-selling author)

“A riveting plunge into an ancient world.” (C. W. Gortner, author of The Vatican Princess)

A totally different view of the Borgia Family

I've read several historical novels (and watched a video series) about the Borgia family. This book takes a totally different point of view and made the family seem totally different. Plus Kate Quinn gives a very different view of what life was like at that point in time for both the overwhelmingly rich as well those who come from more meager circumstances. Quinn's attention to history as well as her richness of descriptions made listening to this book a wonderful experience.

One horrible narrator

One of the three narrators is so awful that I almost returned the book. I stuck it out though and the story was mostly worth it. Except for the nasal monotone female reader. The other female reader was very good and the male was very good also.

Bad narrator spoils the book

I enjoyed the story but the person who narrated Julia is terrible. I felt she was just reading the words but doesn't understand what she is saying. Her phrasing is terrible. All the other narrators are great
I enjoyed the other Kate Quinn book 'The Alice Circle 'much more

ME-LO-DRAMA

Am into the book enough to realize I have to trade off with other books. It could be a great
listen but for the constant - and I mean constant - literally non-stop drama. I think, but am not certain, that the narrator might have spoken less emotionally more of the time to lessen
this affect.

The content itself is interesting and informative about those who went to Iraq to fight.

Interesting Take on the Borgias

While there are some glaring historical inaccuracies, the overall story was entertaining enough that it didn't really matter. The author knew she was taking liberties and just went with it. The three separate characters each had their own unique quirks and a good storyline that wove together enough to make me want to keep listening. It was unbelievable at times, and not exactly great literature, but I can't say that I didn't enjoy listening. I even bought the second book to continue the story. I will agree with some people's comments that the narrator for Gulia was awkward with her pauses and pronunciation. The two other narrators were perfect.

A very good listen

I was surprised by the format of a play about the Borgia, I didn't expect that. I thought it would be another dry book about the Borgia's. It was not only fun to listen to but left you sitting on the edge of your seat wondering what would happen next. If your looking for something different this is it. I really enjoyed listening to this book and suspect you will also. Happy listening!!

excellent historical fiction

A fine book in a great historical setting. Three interesting characters, a talented cook, a savvy dwarf, and vivacious concubine, are placed in the midst of the most openly venal and corrupt papacy in the last millennium. The lead characters are likeable and believable; the Borgia papacy is anything but .... The combination makes for consistently good listening.

Narrator for Giulia sounds like she needs a nap

Any additional comments?

I think the story content is fascinating, and 2/3 of the narrators are wonderful. However, the narrator for Giulia seriously sounded like Ben Stein running on 2 hours of sleep. I'm gathering she's not a native English speaker, but the prosody was horrible. She'd pause mid sentence and it would be confusing as to the emotional content of the message. I tried listening for 2 days then couldn't do it anymore. Guess I'll read this on my Kindle!

ehhh

Very slow start almost turned me away. It did get interesting and then the author must have gotten bored and just ended it.

Not boring, just too slow.

If you are looking for a book to just pass the time and not interested in action and suspense, this book is right for you. It just did not go forward as I expected. I liked the fact that there were different voices for each principal character. Having said that, still not my cup of tea.