Primavera

by Mary Jane Beaufrand

The youngest of the Pazzi children, and a girl without beauty, Flora is the forgotten one in the family. But she gardens and helps her Nonna in the kitchen and doesn’t mind. Too much. Being out of the way of politics, it’s not until the Pazzi fortune starts to dwindle that Flora begins to open her eyes to the issues around her, such as the Medici, an extremely ambitious rival family. Flora’s passage from innocent girl to indomitable young woman may be filled with danger, mystery, and murder, but small, insignificant people sometimes turn out to be the strongest and make the biggest difference. Flora—with the help of her friend Emilio—is determined to survive no matter what it takes.

I don’t feel like I can give a very accurate report because I think I would have enjoyed Primavera a lot more if I’d been in a different mood or state of mind when I began reading. It was good and entertaining, but I didn’t especially love it, and I’d definitely like to read more by Mary Jane Beaufrand, but I really don’t know what else to say; Nothing made it stand out in my mind, possibly because it had similarities to Daughter of Venice and The Falconer’s Knot and so wasn’t a hugely original setting in my mind.
Although a lot of places are rating this book for ages 9-12, I definitely would not suggest it to any nine-year-olds; there are several horrifying and bloody scenes that Flora witnesses.
For an interesting contrast, read Carolyn Meyer’s Duchessina.

Read and for my Royalty Rules Reading Challenge.

Leonardo’s Shadow

Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci’s Servant
by Christopher Grey

A boy runs from an angry crowd—through the streets, into a cathedral, up, up, up the stairs to the roof—where he falls. Not down to the cobblestones far below and death, but nearly on top of Leonardo da Vinci.
He wakes from a fever several days later in Master da Vinci’s house, and receives an offer to become the already well-known gentleman’s servant. Not really having another choice, the boy accepts and from then on is called Giacomo. His new life is good, but a little harsh; Giacomo hardly seems to do anything up to his master’s expectations. And though Giacomo spends a lot of his free time drawing with scraps of paper and longs to have lessons from his Master, Leonardo refuses for an unknown reason.
Part way through the story, Mr. da Vinci is commissioned to paint “The Last Supper” for Duke Ludovico Sforza, but for some reason will not finish what he begins. It is only Giacomo’s smart thinking that might save them from financial ruin.
To add to all that, Giacomo wishes he could remember his parents, as his memory was erased with the fever. But all the signs point to a possibility so great Giacomo can hardly dare hope it is possible. Will his dreams prove true?

The story of Leonardo’s Shadow is entertaining and well written, but there was a sort of mysterious build up with no big bang of a revelation, leaving me slightly disappointed. Still, it gives a new interest to the famous painting, and tells a tale of events that could have happened during the creation of the masterpiece. Watch a trailer for the book, and visit the official site at LeonardosShadow.com.