The Borgia Betrayal: A Novel (45 page)

Christopher Columbus

Recommended Reading

Sarah Bradford

Lucrezia Borgia: Life, Love, and Death in Renaissance Italy

Cesare Borgia: His Life and Times

Johann Burchard

At the Court of the Borgia

E. R. Chamberlain

The Fall of the House of Borgia

Ivan Cloulas

The Borgias

Sarah Dunant

The Birth of Venus

Sacred Hearts

In the Company of the Courtesan

Clemente Fusero

The Borgias

C. W. Gortner

The Confessions of Catherine de Medici: A Novel

Christopher Hibbert

The Borgias and Their Enemies

Marion Johnson

The Borgias

Jeanne Kalogridis

The Borgia Bride: A Novel

The Devil’s Queen: A Novel of Catherine de Medici

Michael Edward Mallett

The Borgias: The Rise and Fall of a Renaissance Dynasty

Reading Group Questions

  1. Francesca Giordano lives at a time when civilization is being revitalized by new perceptions and ideas that threaten the existing power structure. How does the struggle between the two shape this story and the challenges that Francesca faces?

  2. As official poisoner serving the House of Borgia, Francesca has saved Rodrigo Borgia, Pope Alexander VI, from numerous attempts on his life, but the threat against him continues to grow. What are the consequences of living in such an intense, high-stress situation where life and death constantly hang in the balance?

  3. In the course of this story, Francesca takes a desperate gamble with her own life. What does her willingness to do so say about her mental state? Is she genuinely tempted by suicidal thoughts?

  4. While she yearns for the glassmaker, Rocco, and the life she could have had with him, Francesca does not hesitate to pursue a relationship with Cesare Borgia that is sexual and more. Why is she unable to give up her feelings for Rocco even as she tells herself that there is no possibility of a future with him? What continues to draw her to Cesare?

  5. In modern terms, Francesca suffers from post-traumatic shock related to an event early in her life. In a time before psychoanalysis, she can understand her condition only as the act of a supernatural agent, either God or the Devil. What factors in her life may prompt her to look elsewhere for the true cause of her distress as well as the path to resolving it?

  6. Francesca belongs to a secret group of scholars and alchemists known as Lux. Like other such groups of the time, they are forced to work in secret. Why did the Catholic Church—which had nurtured such scholars as Thomas Aquinas, William of Occam, and Roger Bacon—resist new scientific discoveries? Was the new learning really a threat to the authority of Rome, or could the Church have chosen to embrace it?

  7. Francesca regards the priest Bernando Morozzi as the embodiment of evil, yet she also fears that they are alike in some ways. Is she right in either regard? In both? What does this story reveal about how far each is willing to go in order to stop the other? Can conclusions be drawn about which of them is ultimately more dangerous?

  8. Lucrezia Borgia claims to be resigned to being used by her father as a pawn to further his ambitions. Yet she also seeks ways to have at least some control over her own life. Is she deluded in thinking that is possible, or did women of her time find means to circumvent the oppressive traditions under which they lived?

  9. As Rodrigo’s son, Cesare Borgia has access to great power, yet he cannot use it to claim the life he truly wants. Instead, his younger brother, Juan, receives all that Cesare believes should be his. How dangerous is the rivalry between the brothers likely to become? How far may Cesare go to supplant Juan in their father’s love and trust?

10. Throughout this story, poison appears as a metaphor for the stain of corruption running through the highest levels of society. Is a similar metaphor appropriate in our own time, and if so, where?

11. What role do you think the corruption of the popes and other high-ranking prelates of this time played in triggering the rebellion against Catholicism that we know as the Reformation? Were there internal reforms the Catholic leadership could have taken that might have prevented the Reformation from happening?

12. If Rodrigo Borgia’s dream of a papal dynasty controlled by his family had succeeded, what would have been the implications for his time? For ours?

ALSO BY SARA POOLE

Poison

Praise for Sara Poole’s
Poison

“A fascinating page-turner as delicious and deadly as the poisons brewed up by its heroine.”

—Lauren Willig, bestselling author of
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation

“A riveting historical thriller … Sara Poole’s brilliant debut novel presents a race to the finish between good and evil that will leave you breathlessly awaiting what is surely the birth of a series.”

—Sandra Worth, award-winning author of
The King’s Daughter

“Five hundred years before the Sopranos and their hit men, there were the Borgias and their poisoners.… The heroine Francesca may be the mistress of poisoning, but in my book, Sara Poole is the new queen of historical suspense.”

—Robin Maxwell, author of the award-winning
The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn

“
Poison
presents the most unique heroine I have ever seen in a mystery series (a complex, angst-filled Renaissance Dexter).… The plot is as much a fast-paced thriller as a compelling mystery.”

—Karen Harper,
New York Times
bestselling author of
The Last Boleyn

“
Poison
delivers a fast-paced, gripping look at the wages of sin under the Borgias, as seen through the eyes of a troubled female poisoner. The seductive danger of Rome, lethal sanctity of the Vatican, and bitter taste for revenge all combine to produce an intoxicating brew that keeps us turning the pages, even as we glance fearfully at our fingertips for signs of residue.”

—C. W. Gortner, author of
The Last Queen

“An engrossing journey through the darker side of Renaissance Rome,
Poison
creates an elegant tapestry of mysteries and deceit and a resourceful, original heroine in Francesca Giordano.”

—Susan Holloway Scott, author of
The French Mistress

“
Poison
is an irresistible concoction of danger, mystery, and romance—a fast-paced thrill ride through the darkest intrigues of Renaissance Rome. I could not put this book down!”

—Jeanne Kalogridis, author of
The Borgia Bride

“An impressive blend of story and history!… A complex and compelling heroine led me through the crooked streets of Rome—and of the human heart—into the bowels of a decaying St. Peter’s Basilica to watch the struggle for ultimate power play out in an unforgettable climax.”

—Brenda Rickman Vantrease, bestselling author of
The Illuminator

“With a unique heroine, a tumultuous historical era, intrigue, suspense, a vibrant backdrop, and a nonstop plotline, Poole’s debut delivers a historical mystery to savor.”

—
RT Book Reviews
(four stars)

“This story of a determined poisoner delivers history, intrigue, and suspense. Poole juggles many themes, but the characters, plot, and historical setting will keep readers interested, especially fans of Renaissance-era novels.”

—
Library Journal

“Sara Poole, in her new novel,
Poison,
captures the color and pace of the best contemporary thrillers. With a style similar to James Patterson, the chapters are short and action filled. The plot is tight, each character clearly drawn … a page-turner.”

—
Historical Novel Society
(Editor’s choice)

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

THE BORGIA BETRAYAL.
Copyright © 2011 by Sara Poole. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

www.stmartins.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Poole, Sara, 1951–

The Borgia betrayal : a novel / Sara Poole.—1st ed.

        p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-312-60453-0 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-0-312-60984-9 (trade paperback)

  1.  Women poisoners—Fiction.   2.  Alexander VI, Pope, 1431–1503—Fiction.   3.  Borgia family—Fiction.   4.  Intrigue—Fiction.   5.  Conspiracies—Fiction.   6.  Church and state—Fiction.   7.  Renaissance—Italy—Rome—Fiction.   8.  Rome (Italy)—Fiction.   I.  Title.

PS3569.E43B67 2011

813'.54—dc22

2011000008

First Edition: June 2011

eISBN 978-1-4299-7918-4

First St. Martin’s Griffin eBook Edition: June 2011