City of God (Holland novel)

City of God: A Novel of the Borgias is a 1979 historical novel by Cecelia Holland. Set in 15th-century Rome during the Borgia period, it follows Nicholas Dawson, ambitious secretary to the Florentine ambassador, as he becomes embroiled in dangerous political intrigue.[1][2]

City of God: A Novel of the Borgias
US first edition
AuthorCecelia Holland
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreHistorical fiction
Published1979
PublisherAlfred A. Knopf
Media typePrint (Hardcover, Paperback)
Pages273
ISBN0-394-41277-X
OCLC3845422

Plot

Nicholas Dawson is the secretary to the ambassador of Florence in Rome; clever and ambitious, he is homosexual and a highly educated commoner born in Spain to English parents. Soon Nicholas is enlisted as a double agent for the ruthless Cesare Borgia, and his contact in Florence is none other than Niccolò Machiavelli himself.[1]

Critical reception

David Maclaine called City of God a "gripping" novel of "slowly mounting tension leading to an intense pay-off. It is a brilliant introduction to the people and events that gave us the word 'Machiavellian.'"[1] According to Library Review, "Holland attributes to Nicholas a keenly analytical mind, a self-serving nature, and a penchant for other men, facets which blend well with her representation of this unsettled time."[3]

References
  1. Maclaine, David. "City of God by Cecelia Holland". Historicalnovels.info. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  2. "Library Notes". The Sylva Herald and Ruralite: 9. August 23, 1979. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  3. Earle, Kathy Weeks (March 1979). "City of God: A Novel of the Borgias by Cecelia Holland". Library Review. Greeley, Colorado: University of Northern Colorado Library. 104 (5): 648.

Further reading
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