This richly-detailed historical novel from master storyteller Nicholas Christopher features an unforgettable hero: Nicolo Zen is all alone in 1700s Venice, save for his clarinet, which a mysterious magician had magicked, allowing its first player to perform expertly. Soon Nicolo is a famous virtuoso, wealthy beyond his dreams. But he can't stop wondering if he earned the success or if it's due to the magician's spell. So he has the spell removed to test his own talents and capabilities. And throughout it all, he continues to think about the girl he met in Venice, what she might be doing and if she's safe from harm.
With a guest appearance by composer Vivaldi, and brimming with fascinating period details, this is a compelling coming-of-age story full of universal themes teens will instantly recognize. The love story will conjure memories of Romeo and Juliet, perfect for teens who love stories set in other times, but without a paranormal storyline (as long as you don't count a magician who dresses all in white and can be in two places on once . . . ).
With a guest appearance by composer Vivaldi, and brimming with fascinating period details, this is a compelling coming-of-age story full of universal themes teens will instantly recognize. The love story will conjure memories of Romeo and Juliet, perfect for teens who love stories set in other times, but without a paranormal storyline (as long as you don't count a magician who dresses all in white and can be in two places on once . . . ).
★★★1/2
In 1700s Italy, young Nicolo Zen is left orphaned and homeless after his family is wiped out in a malaria outbreak. Before his father died, Nicolo was gifted a clarinet. The clarinet came to Nicolo's father, a mason, as a form of payment for a fireplace he built. Made of ivory and gold, the clarinet turns out to be enchanted, giving Nicolo the ability to play perfectly virtually from the first note.
In 1700s Italy, young Nicolo Zen is left orphaned and homeless after his family is wiped out in a malaria outbreak. Before his father died, Nicolo was gifted a clarinet. The clarinet came to Nicolo's father, a mason, as a form of payment for a fireplace he built. Made of ivory and gold, the clarinet turns out to be enchanted, giving Nicolo the ability to play perfectly virtually from the first note.
Nicolo travels to Venice to start his life over, but is soon forced into a life of begging. In time, he notices that female orphans tend to fare better, many of them taken in as students at the Ospedale school, where they are taught history, music, math, Latin and catechism. Conversely, many of the city's young male orphans take up lives of crime or hard labor. So Nicolo makes the decision to start presenting himself as Nicola, a young orphaned girl who just happens to be a clarinet virtuoso. Also in his favor, Nicolo is blessed with perfect pitch / musical memory.
Nicolo(a) quickly rises through the ranks in the Ospedale orchestra, guided by the famous composer Vivaldi. But this also means that it takes no time for our protagonist to develop enemies among some of the more jealous females. As "Nicola" navigates all this, another part of the story suggests that Aldo, a blind man working at the school, is secretly trafficking girls who have "disappeared" from the Ospedale roster. When this comes to Nicolo's attention, Aldo threatens to reveal the cross-dressing secret if Nicolo doesn't turn over his friend Adriana to Aldo.
Nicolo is able to temporarily thwart Aldo's criminal behavior, but it then means Nicolo is forced to flee the city. Luckily, he is given an opportunity to perform as a solo artist across Vienna and Austria. Within two years, he's found fame and fortune but his past is never far from him. Not only does he constantly wonder what happened to the girls victimized by Aldo, but Aldo himself makes a reappearance in Nicolo's life. Over the course of those two years, Nicolo does everything in his power to track down any information regarding his old friends Adriana and Julietta. When his digging brings Aldo back around, he realizes he has to put an end to this dark part of his story once and for all.
Abuse, murder, human trafficking .... the themes certainly ran darker than I was anticipating for this YA novel, especially considering the cover art! Even so, the touch of magic and mystery Christopher weaves in certainly kept the pages turning for me. While the historical setting was fun, I craved just a little more of it all around. I also would've liked to know more of the story behind the mysterious Mossimo, maybe even a more expansive history on the clarinet and the various owners it has had... might've been a pretty neat story to work with there. There were just a number of things in the plot that ended up feeling a little too rushed in the explanation.
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