Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling

The story of Michelangelo's struggle to obey a pope and paint a fresco on a ceiling though he always considered himself a sculptor makes for a dramatic book. The author shares the story sequentially, as Michelangelo slowly makes his way across the ceiling, over a four year period, and intertwines this story with the story of the pope and his desire to keep France out of his realm.