Synopsis
In Renaissance Florence, thirteen-year-old apprentice Arduino's dreams of being a painter are challenged after he discovers the extreme measures the Maestro Cosimo di Forlc will take in the name of jealousy. Arduino faces a decision that could cost him his only chance to realize his life's dream.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Spanish
From Kirkus Reviews
Originally published in Spain in 1989, a story that begins as an instructive look at apprenticeship in Renaissance Florence (no particular century or historical characters) and ends as a melodrama about a mysterious prisoner in a master painter's attic. Narrator Arduino is a prosperous tailor's son who prevails on his reluctant father to apprentice him to Cosimo di Forl , an accomplished but mean-spirited painter who starves his young helpers and secretly keeps one in chains because the boy's ability outshines his own. Arduino discovers and befriends the talented Donato; and, when Cosimo falls ill midway through a major commission, he reminds him of the prisoner, who emerges to save the day and succeed his dying master. This predictable, old- fashioned tale, hinging on Donato's unlikely incarceration and told without subtlety, is a far cry from Johnny Tremain. Still, it's a slim, fast-paced read--and a rare translation of Spanish fiction. (Fiction. 9-12) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
