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Title: Fortune Is a River : Leonardo Da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli's Magnificent Dream to Change the Course of Florentine History by Roger D. Masters ISBN: 0-452-28090-7 Publisher: Plume Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.93 (14 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Oddly Uneven, But Worth A Look
Comment: After reading this book I felt that to a degree its central thesis barely held together. The title implies that there was a fascinating collaboration between the two men. Upon completing the book, I came away with the feeling that that was hardly the case. The connection between Da Vinci and Machiavelli seems tenuous. They hardly seemed to have met or talked to each other very much. It almost made me feel like the author was looking for a "hook" that would make the book more appealing. There was also an anecdote thrown in about a sexual liaison that Machiavelli had and a few ribald comments from the correspondence of his contemporaries which to me seemed unnecessary to include. There was no point being made by all this except, I guess, to show that Machiavelli and his mates were just as human as you or I. I kind of knew that anyway..... However, don't let me give you the impression that the book has nothing to offer. I found the material on Leonardo very interesting. People do tend to think of him only as an artist and Mr. Masters does an admirable job of also showing us the scientist, inventor, military engineer, etc. We also get to see the constant struggle Leonardo had to go through just to make a living. His patrons would be annoyed by his perfectionism and would threaten to cancel contracts and would be slow to hand over money. The author also puts a human face on Machiavelli and shows his efforts to keep his head above water in the treacherous and constantly shifting political landscape of Renaissance Florence. Some readers may find the book worth buying just for the many interesting sketches and drawings by Leonardo which are included. But if you are a lot more interested in Machiavelli than you are in Leonardo, or if you are looking for that quirky partnership promised in the title, you might be disappointed.
Rating: 5
Summary: Funny and interesting
Comment: This book was recommended for me by some friends that enjoyed it very much. So, I accepted the suggestion and bought it. And I don't regret it for a minute.
The book tells us about the encounter of two great figures (Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli) that are trying to put togheter a plan to change the course of the Arno River, near Florence and Piza. The story, however is merely a pretext to present us these two great characters and to make us wonder how two completely different people could have meant so much to western history.
The writing never bores us and even if you don't know much about this period or Leonardo and Machiavelli, you will have a great time reading this book. This is what I call intelligent fun.
Rating: 5
Summary: A fascinating collaboration
Comment: I have for some time been interested in the relationships between Leonardo Da Vinci, Machiavelli and Ceasare Borgia, and this work brings those characters to life in an enlightening and interesting interpretation of an historical event that resulted in a monumental failure. It illustrates the human side to genius and is a fascinating look at the politics of Florence and surrounding environs during the early 16th century. It is considerably more fun to read than most history books I have encountered. Thank you Dr. Masters.
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Title: Mandragola by Niccolo Machiavelli, Mera J. Flaumenhaft ISBN: 0917974573 Publisher: Waveland Pr Inc Pub. Date: 01 February, 1981 List Price(USD): $6.95 |
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Title: Leonardo's Incessant Last Supper by Leo Steinberg ISBN: 1890951188 Publisher: Zone Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $46.00 |
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Title: The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli, Daniel Donno ISBN: 0553212788 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 September, 1984 List Price(USD): $4.50 |
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Title: Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture by Ross King ISBN: 0142000159 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 30 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall by Christopher Hibbert ISBN: 0688053394 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 02 June, 1999 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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