I found myself engrossed and moved by this book. It was told from the point of view of Amerigo who was a child of seven or eight for most of the book, and it was so well done. I was made to see things as Amerigo did and to feel his fear, pain, and confusion. There was some humor for the reader too, though it was sometimes lost on young Amerigo.
There were certainly sad an bittersweet moments as well. I can't imagine how hard it would have been for Amerigo's mother, Antonietta, to make the decision to send him away, even if it seemed to be for his own good. Initially, I don't know that there was a right or wrong decision for her to make, so it was sad to see the way she acted after making her choice. It seemed that guilt, pride, and jealousy affected many of her words and actions.
It was also sad to see the way Amerigo, years later, still felt pain and regret about choices he made as a child and even about choices that were made for him. Even so, this wasn't a depressing book.
It was interesting to read about this segment of history, and I really felt myself drawn into Amerigo's story. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or books that explore themes of family and identity.
Thank you BookishFirst for the early read.
There were certainly sad an bittersweet moments as well. I can't imagine how hard it would have been for Amerigo's mother, Antonietta, to make the decision to send him away, even if it seemed to be for his own good. Initially, I don't know that there was a right or wrong decision for her to make, so it was sad to see the way she acted after making her choice. It seemed that guilt, pride, and jealousy affected many of her words and actions.
It was also sad to see the way Amerigo, years later, still felt pain and regret about choices he made as a child and even about choices that were made for him. Even so, this wasn't a depressing book.
It was interesting to read about this segment of history, and I really felt myself drawn into Amerigo's story. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or books that explore themes of family and identity.
Thank you BookishFirst for the early read.