Rating: 
Summary: An exciting journey into the past
Review: A brilliant rise and very long, sad fall - where did it all go wrong? With the papacy, I think. Hibbert again shows why he is such a beloved biographer and historian, as he imbues these long dead Florentines with understandable humanity combined with a destructive ambition.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Medici Primer
Review: A popular overview of the Medici dynasty. It's readable, and serves well as a starting point for learning about the Medicis.
There is an index, but no bibliography, and the Notes section deals almost exclusively with buildings and artworks associated with the Medicis. The Medici entry in the Encyclopaedia Britannica is as complete as Hibbert's book, and I would recommend it as strongly as I would Hibbert.
Rating: 
Summary: Like Italian Renaissance history? This book is for you.
Review: A very well-contructed, detail-oriented essay on the most powerful ruling class family during the explosive period Giorgio Vasari called the Renaissance, meaning "re-birth". Whether you are an in-depth Renaissance enthusiast or are just interested in learning more about the Medici family, this book is a wise investment. You will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: The House of Medici
Review: A well-written, level look at a fascinating historical dynasty, whose early members knew and supported some of the shining lights of western civilization (or maybe any civilization):
Brunelleschi, Michelozzo, Donatello, Fra Filippo Lippi, Fra Angelico, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Pico della Mirandola, and Leonardo da Vinci. Whew! Course, one could ask, "If it hadn't been for the Catholic Church, what would these people have done?" It was a decadent society, suffering from too much inbreeding and its attendant fertility problems, and too many arranged marriages with partners whose faces looked like shovels and whose personalities were dug out of the Staten Island landfill. The mendacity of the Church simply amazes. One can easily understand why the Reformation spread like wildfire. How the Catholic Church survived is less obvious. ...Hibbert says on p.122 that Lorenzo de' Medici commissioned Andrea del Sarto to paint frescoes. Lorenzo died in 1492. Del Sarto was born in 1486 (The Reader's Encyclopedia).
How could this be?
Rating:
Summary: Great read, but a couple of flaws reduce its value.
Review: A wonderful story, fascinating and well written, the tale of the founders, insofar as any one family can be so called, of the Renaissence. The Medici have fascinated me ~ as no doubt many others ~ for a long time; i am interested to learn as much of them as i can. This book has arranged that. I do have a few quibbles with it, though, which detracted from my enjoyment of it. First, it really ought to come equipped with a family tree, chart, some kind of description to show the various relations between the family members. I was reduced to flipping back and forth, at times, to try and remember who a certain person was. Even Hibbert himself is not entirely certain, it would seem, as he confuses Lorenzaccio di Pierfrancesco and Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco, who have to be of separate generations, if the rest of the line is to make sense. Secondly, the notes, while interesting, are also frustrating, as they give information about the various palazzi and artworks of Florence; the information is really intrusive in this manner: It would have been better if integrated into the text ~ though this would be a different, lesser, book ~ or left out entirely; Hibbert at times seems not to know if he is writing a history or a guidebook to Firenze -- the latter i didn't need. In the main, however, i really enjoyed this book, and would have liked it even a little longer, had Hibbert given more information about the later generations it would have been better (he doesn't even mention Leo XI, who was a Medici, for example).
Rating:
Summary: Very Readable
Review: After being to Florence, I've become very interested in its art and history. One day at the bookstore I decided to pick up a book on the Medici, who are an extremely important part of Florentine and also European history. I then purchased this book by Christopher Hibbert. From start to finish I was hooked. I would recommend this book especially to people, like myself, who are not at all familiar with Italian history. Its a great start for those who are interested in learning about the renaissance. I've already lent it to a few of my friends and they all loved it. I your looking to purchase a great read let this book be it. You wont regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Very Readable
Review: After being to Florence, I've become very interested in its art and history. One day at the bookstore I decided to pick up a book on the Medici, who are an extremely important part of Florentine and also European history. I then purchased this book by Christopher Hibbert. From start to finish I was hooked. I would recommend this book especially to people, like myself, who are not at all familiar with Italian history. Its a great start for those who are interested in learning about the renaissance. I've already lent it to a few of my friends and they all loved it. I your looking to purchase a great read let this book be it. You wont regret it.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT READ ON THE MOST INFLUENTIAL FLORENTINE FAMILY
Review: AN EXCELLENT READ ON THE HISTORY OF ONE OF THE MOST
INFLUENTIAL CONTRIBUTING FAMILES OF ITALY. IF YOU ARE
GOING TO FLORENCE YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK FIRST. IT TELLS MANY
HISTORIC FACTS ABOUT CASTLES, FORTRESSES, CATHEDRALS AND BANKS THAT ARE STILL STANDING IN FLORENCE.YOU'LL LOVE LORENZO
THE MAGNIFICENT FOR HIRING THE MASTERS TO CREATE ART THAT IS
STILL ALIVE IN FLORENCE DUE TO THE LAST MEDICI THAT WILLED
ALL THAT WAS MEDICI TO FLORENCE WITH THE STIPULATION THAT IT
STAYED IN FLORENCE. THIS IS WHY WE CAN VIEW PAINTINGS AND STATUES BY MICHAELANGELO IN FLORENCE THAT ARE 500 YEARS OLD.
THIS BOOK ALSO CONTAINS HISTORY ON SOME OF THE PRACTICES OF
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH THAT WERE VERY INTERESTING.
Rating:
Summary: The House of Medici
Review: An interesting 400+ years of Medici family and Florentine history. The book is easy reading with good descriptions of the papal politics of this era. The intrigues of power and dynasty-building highlight each chapter while the strengths and weaknesses of the Medicis explain the fortunes of both the family and the city-state. Even though there are two maps in the book, some knowledge of the geography of Italy would be helpful. The artists patronized by the Medicis are mentioned briefly, but the book focuses more on the interactions with the European leaders than with those who worked for the family. The palaces that were built by family members are identified and many of the works they commissioned are mentioned.
Rating:
Summary: Long on Information, Short on Plot
Review: Anyone who is interested in Florence or the Italian Renaissance would enjoy reading this book about the family that ruled Florence for so many centuries. From the famous artists they patronized (including Botticelli and Michelangelo) to the corrupt Popes they sent to Rome (Leo X and Clement VII) to their complicated relationships with foreign rulers (Henry VIII, Francis I, Charles V, etc.), this book covers all aspects of the Medici life in intricate detail.
However, with the notable exception of the brutal Pazzi Conspiracy, the book is a bit dry and slow. As a historical account, it is very factual and unbiased, but it would have been more interesting to see the author take a stand and present his views on the family that are at times heroic (in the case of Lorenzo the Magnificent) and sometimes deplorable and inexcusable (most notably in the behavior of the two Popes themselves).
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