Leonardo's Shadow
Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci's Servant
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- 10,99 €
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- 10,99 €
Description de l’éditeur
Milan, 1497. The height of the Renaissance. And for Giacomo, servant of the famous painter Leonardo da Vinci, it's the most difficult time of all. His Master has been working on the Last Supper, his greatest painting ever, for nearly two years. But has he finished it? He's barely started! The all-powerful Duke of Milan is demanding that it be completed by the time the Pope visits at Easter. And Giacomo knows that if Leonardo doesn't pick up his pace, the Duke may invite a young genius -- Michelangelo -- to finish the painting instead. Which means that Leonardo won't be paid, which means that Milan's shopkeepers (to whom he owes massive amounts) will take drastic measures against him.
It's all down to Giacomo, and whether he can come up with a brilliant solution. And if he does, will his Master go for it? After all, Leonardo still doesn't seem to trust him. He refuses to teach Giacomo how to paint; he won't help him find his parents; nor will he discuss the significance of the medallion, ring, and cross that Giacomo was carrying when Leonardo found him. But with the secret arrival of a powerful stranger, Giacomo is about to discover much more than the answers he has been looking for. And he will also receive an invitation to help arrange a meeting that could change his life. . . and the future course of history.
With more twists and turns than a spiral staircase, this thriller is as unique as its two heroes -- the most celebrated artist who ever lived, and a young man without a past, who will stop at nothing to find the truth about his life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This exciting first novel, set in 1497 Milan, Italy, revolves around Leonardo da Vinci and the painting of his masterpiece, The Last Supper. "It's not an easy life, a servant's. You'll see," promises teenage narrator Giacomo, who knows whereof he speaks, as a servant to the Renaissance master himself. Shopkeepers continually demand payment for goods and the Duke of Milan insists that da Vinci finish the painting he's been working on for the past two years-until then he goes unpaid. Da Vinci, however, seems more interested in his notebooks and secret experiments than in painting ("Days will pass and the Master is nowhere to be found!"). Through Giacomo's often comical narrative, first-time author Grey relates the ups and downs of looking after a genius. Giacomo (who suffered a memory loss in a serious fall) does not know anything about his life before coming to reside with da Vinci. As Giacomo struggles to help the Master finish the painting, he tries to find answers to his own past (which he hopes will connect him to da Vinci) while striving to one day apprentice to the Master. Filled with humor, readers will enjoy the many descriptions of the painting of The Last Supper and of da Vinci's eccentricity. Ages 12-up.
