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If you enjoy a bit of history with a bit of smut, this may well be the book for you. No story is covered with great depth but there is a nice trip across time to see how the more famous have misbehaved.
Rarely we do see such analytical depth in books written for the general populace. Exciting stories and lots of scandals, the general public was not aware of.
5 STARS ALL THE WAY. WONDERFUL BOOK.
They have delivered what they have promised. YES.I am crazy about 2 books I bought the last week, [A Treasury of Royal Scandals: The Shocking True Stories History's Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, Queens, Tsars, Popes, and Emperors] by Micharl Farguhar, and the second one is [Hollywood Earth Shattering Scandals: The Infamous, Vilains, Nymphomaniacs and Shady Characters in Motion Pictures] by Maximillien de Lafayette.
Both books are more than I have expected. Despite some bitter passages in both books, I found sincerity and accuracy in the way both authors presented their facts, and elaborated on details that made all the difference in the world.
I strongly recommend both books.
For the most part, I found this book sensationalist and shallow, but then I guess I should have figured that out from the cover - notice the location of the man's hand. I make it a habit to finish a book once I start, so I was very happy to get to the end of this one. The book might also lead some people to some false generalities like say that all the popes were lecherous murderers given how the book went on and on about some who were.Maybe the author intended it all to be taken lightly, so no harm no foul you might say, but then so much of it was about deadly serious stuff.
Some people are thus mentioned more than once which got a little confusing.It all seemed so out of context as well. So much like the usual fare on TV and in many mass type publications today.There are also some clear errors - like on page 314 where the books tells readers that Cortes conquered the Incas in Mexico in 1521; the Incas were from Peru and never in Mexico to any extent that I ever heard, and I think it was Pizarro who did them in, while Cortes fought the Aztecs in Mexico. That being said, I did learn a few non-sordid facts here and there.I did not like the way the book is organized - more by subject than person or time period.
It all seemed depressing at best. As the British would say, "just the nasty bits" were covered without more for the most part. Some of the people covered were truly awful or had very bad luck generally, but for some this was only true a few times, yet the book might lead one to think this is all there was to their lives.
This is more than a mere typo. I would skip it if I were you.
I haven't got to read all of the book yet, but what I have read has been excellent.
It's like, you think you really want to know something, only to find out about it and wish you were still ignorant to what you now know. I found myself, not so much dreading picking this up, but certainly not excited about it.It's strange, because the author delivers exactly what he promises, and he executes it in a very clean and easy-to-follow manner, so in that sense, the book is very good.
I can't exactly pin-point why, but it may be just the overall feeling of disgust I had while reading many of these stories (especially the section about Ancient Rome and the Popes). I knew going into this just what to expect.
I was really looking forward to reading this, but while doing so, I felt a bit let down. However, to just read chapter after chapter of the disgusting and unforgivable things these people did to one another (like, their subjects, or members of their own families) really left a bad taste in my mouth.
A kind of 'Star Magazine' of royal scandals, and that's exactly what I got. I know a decent amount on the subject of royal history, and many of the stories I read here, I've come across in other novels.
I guess my issue with it is how I felt while reading it. I recommend it if you're already interested in reading it, but this isn't a book I'd tell my friends about.
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