I picked this 1937 edition up while in New Orleans (where they still have real book stores loaded with second hand treasures).  Cellini, soldier, adventurer, sculptor, and murderer, who lived from 1500-1571, wrote an autobiography which reflects the time in which he lived; corrupt Popes, nobles who loved art but who refused to pay for the work, grudges and slights which lead to public duels and back street murders and more. 

This book is built around the fortunes of one family with two branches; the Brunis and Brutis.  It traces their beginnings, rise, fall and fortunes over the course of the 16^th century. I was looking forward to reading this book after a good series of reviews, but, unfortunately, I found the book to be ponderous reading, full of minute information (someone’s mother’s maiden name, or the name of a village, once in Italian, then Albanian and also Turkish) that clogged up the flow of the narrative. It is also a difficult book for anyone who does not have a good overview of the locations and history as some events (which I consider to be key) are reviewed in a very short manner (such as the battle of Lepanto).