LitPick Review
Nicolo was a normal teenager, until his family died of malaria. After they died, Nicolo had to go from his family's home into the streets of Venice. He has only one possession: a magical clarinet. Nicolo plays it in the street and is one day noticed by Luce, a manager for an orphanage of the musically gifted. There is one problem though: the orphanage is an all girls orphanage, where no boys are permitted. Nicolo decides that rather than living in the streets of Venice playing his clarinet for money that he will suck up his pride and pose as a girl. Soon after he arrives his new friend, Julia, disappears. Her best friend, Adriana, knows something is up. Will Nicolo solve this mystery before it's too late? Will he ever become the clarinet star he dreams to be?
Opinion:
I normally don't enjoy historical novel, but this was an exception that I really enjoyed. This novel is rich in the European history of the 1700s. Nicholas Christopher did an amazing job describing the setting of the story. He wrote with skill that made you seem that you were next to Nicolo in the streets of Venice listening to him play the clarinet. Mr. Christopher also described the characters making it feels like Nicolo and Adriana are real people. I also don't normally enjoy romance novels, but the book had enough action and mystery that it made reading it worthwhile. The only bad part of the book was that it started out fast-paced, but slowed down near the middle.
