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)

Some glitches

The book skipped in many places and at one point, they clearly edited and the voices sounded noticeably different and there are no chapter titles- the ending was unfulfilling - in that it left so many things hanging. The woman who read the part of julia had a strange pace and paused the sentences in weird places. Her voice was beautiful (albeit her “T’s and S’ drove me a little batty) overall a good story, well written and captivating. My problems were more with the production.

Another masterful tale by Kate Quinn

Would you listen to The Serpent and the Pearl again? Why?

I would certainly listen to this again. While the narrator had a pronounced accent, it served only to enhance the flow of the story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Serpent and the Pearl?

The most memorable moment is when Leonello steps fully into his role of the hero of this tale.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Leonello takes on the French army by himself.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were many moments in this book that moved me however the moment when Angelina decides to take on her new apprentice and the moment when the broken body of Leonello is taken to the French Camp were my favorites.

Any additional comments?

I really have to say it's refreshing to hear a book where a dwarf is a protagonist hero. It happens only rarely. It's great to hear a book where a member of this typically maligned community triumphs.

Historic, romance and intrigue...perfect balance

This was the second novel I have read by Ms. Quinn. The first was the Alice Network. Completely different genre, but equally as wonderful.

I have never been a fan of the type of period piece. That has changed. I was completely captivated with this novel. The characters - their dialogue and their stories. I cannot wait to begin another book by Ms Quinn!!

Carried me away - great escape. The performances were equally as compelling! Excellent!!

Great Historical Fiction Novel

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. I loved it! The cover is misleading and the fictional characters added so much to the story. They give a perspective of the time period you rarely read. I’m about to start the next novel. When this novel ended, I wasn’t ready for it to end, and I want more.

Great take on historic events

The only distraction is all the British slang. It confuses a historic style story bringing to current language style. The rest is fabulous.

Nothing Happened til the end

I dont understand the great reviews of this book. it was pleasant enough and the narration from three different narrators and description of the food kept me listening but actually nothing much happens in this book til the end and then they leave you hanging. It wasnt awful as I did finish but not great. Certainly not a best seller. Read The Alice Network by this author a far superior book. couldn't put that one down. As some other reviews have stated the narration of Julia ( not spelled that way) was not a problem for me.

Great story!

What made the experience of listening to The Serpent and the Pearl the most enjoyable?

I loved the change in narrators and enjoyed the pace of the story

Who was your favorite character and why?

It's a tie between Carmalena and Lionello...theyre both wonderfully complex and I loved the way they played off of each other.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

I thought the performers who were Carmalena and Lionello had great emotion and were easy to listen to. Guilia was a little harder to follow as she spoke very slow, but I still enjoyed it.

Who was the most memorable character of The Serpent and the Pearl and why?

Probably Lionello, as his character was really fun to follow

great story - not so great narration

I found all three narrators jarring to listen to, but not so bad that I didn't get wrapped up in the plot. simply turning the speed to 1.3x helped with the slow narrators, and the strange pauses didn't bother me--it added to the idea that English isn't the primary language. wonderful story, cliff hanger!!!

Great Story

Interesting take on the Borgia's. have lists ed to it more than ten times and will listen to it even more times!

Entertaining. Did not like the ending.

Did not like the narration of Gulia, but the narration.of the other characters was excellent.