Perspective

Mary McCarthy is a well known writer who has written both fiction and non-fiction. She has worked as an academic and a literary critic. She has written other travel guides, mostly one on Venice as well as books on Viet Nam and other areas. McCarthy is well established as a writer in different areas so it is no surprise that she would take on a subject like Florence and a study of the arts and the de Medici patronage. It is obviously a subject that the author herself is interested in.

McCarthy discusses many of the great works of art in the Stones of Florence. This includes not only the architecture and the buildings, but also the sculpture and paintings. She mentions many of the famous names in the world of art and makes them human characters for the reader. The author explores the history and culture of...