Review: The Agony and the Ecstasy

I've wanted to read something by Irving Stone for a while, but put it off because most of his books are long and are not available as e-books (which surprises me as his books seem pretty popular), which is my preferred reading method. I finally inter-library loaned (if you don't know what inter-library loan is, ask your library if they offer it - it's an awesome service) The Agony and the Ecstasy, his historical fiction biography of Michelangelo. I was excited enough that I posted in a Facebook group for historical fiction fans the day I picked it up, and many people told me it was great - and they were right!

This book follows Michelangelo from he start of his career through the end of his life in his late 80s, with all the triumphs and failures (in his eyes) that this entails. It covers the creation of many of his greatest works, from the famous statue of David and paintings of the Sistine Chapel to other lesser known works.

The book is heavily focused on Michelangelo's life, but also incorporates some external events as well, particularly where they impact his life and art work. I would have liked to see some of this a little more fleshed out for my own personal preferences, but this is already a hefty read at 758 pages, so the average reader would probably disagree with me. It did make me want to pick up some other books on this era. (I already have some in mind, thanks to research I did after enjoying CW Gortner's The Vatican Princess.)

Michelangelo was very prolific and crossed mediums, which I find interesting. Stone did a great job of capturing Michelangelo's passion for his art (indeed, I've seen others poke fun at the overtly sexual way he describes carving marble, which is fair). Stone portrays him as willing to make himself ill in service to his art, and willing to stand up to popes - a dangerous proposition at the time. I particularly found his discussion fascinating regarding the lengths to which Michelangelo had to go to dissect cadavers, something he felt was necessary to be able to properly sculpt and draw the human form. This is one of the details I am hoping to confirm by reading a biography at some point.

Overall, Stone evokes a very interesting but somewhat tragic figure; Michelangelo never marries, and his great loves are generally denied to him, and he is often at the mercy of circumstances and powerful people around him.  He even sees some of his greatest loves - his artworks - damaged or destroyed by events.

Overall, I am very glad I picked this one up, and I plan to check out some of this other books in the future. I can recommend this one to anyone interested in historical fiction about Italian history or art history.

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Keep an eye out for upcoming reviews of: 

1. The Seven Wonders of the World
2. Phedre's Trilogy, the first three in the Kushiel's Legacy series
3. The Perfect Horse: The Daring US Mission to Rescue the Priceless Stallions Kidnapped by the 
     Nazis
4. Red Poppies: A Novel of Tibet