Author: Dick Franklin
Plagues have taken the lives of many people of Little Ariccia, Italy, including the lives of six of the nine people in the Giordano family. Shortly thereafter, the oldest living Giordano boy along with his father burn the chaff to clear the fields. When the winds pick up and the fire grows and becomes uncontrollable, the two living boys are orphaned.
The teenage Giordano boys take different paths for their futures.
Nicolo, the younger brother, is accepted into the music conservatoire, but only after being castrated, a medical procedure that has taken the lives of many other young boys seeking to join the music conservatoire. Luca, the older brother, is nursed back to health after the wildfire by a band of Roma (Gypsies). Luca is captivated by Donka, the Roma chieftain’s daughter, and struggles with whether to leave the band or remain with those who are persecuted.
The characters of the two boys were well developed, and the scenes were well described. It was easy to immerse oneself in the scenes and visualize what was happening. Shortly before the wildfire, Nicolo was taken from his father to be part of the music conservatoire; there are extensive pages on Nicolo and his castration process (and fears of seeing the boys before him die due to the castration) and being brought to the actual music conservatoire (and being forced to beg with the orphans). It was so detailed and lengthy that it was easy to almost forget about Luca.
However, when the chapters returned to Luca, the scenes and the characters were again well developed, and it was easy to feel his pain and struggles. Because of the wildfire, half of Luca’s face was disfigured. Luca’s feelings about this (and possible self-consciousness) could have been emphasized more. Even so, he was a well-developed and believable character who has great courage in trying to help the Roma to prevent persecution and death.
Overall, we enjoyed this novel. The author has a skill for writing and capturing the audience. At 800 pages, this is a long book. Chapters were short. Print was large. And the writing was so good that it was difficult to put down.
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