DEBUT Melanson offers a dreamlike and reflective look at three well-known figures in Renaissance Florence before they were famous: a 12-year-old Leonardo da Vinci; wealthy Lorenzo de’ Medici, who is about to join the family business; and novice Francesco Salviati (who would later become the archbishop of Pisa and attempt to overthrow the Medicis). As the deeply ambitious young men cross paths in Florence, their motives clash, and blood is shed. The slice-of-life narrative aims to accurately characterize these men and their thoughts on the nature of life, art, and power. He depicts 15th-century Florence as a city of innovation but also inequality, focusing especially on its status as Europe’s top destination for gay men, among whom young Leonardo soon discovers he fits in. In this respect, the novel invites favorable comparisons to other queer historical fiction like
The Song of Achilles and
Memoirs of Hadrian. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the three protagonists’ points of view, and readers should note that the novel doesn’t show the men’s full lives, so they may be disappointed if they wanted to see Leonardo go on to paint his masterpieces or Lorenzo become the master of Florence.
VERDICT A unique and well-written addition depicting lesser-known details about the lives of three pivotal Renaissance figures.
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