The Forsaken World

Sandro #1

by V.F. Porzio

Sandro is the sweeping tale of the artist Sandro Botticelli and Ernesto, the orphaned boy he rescues. It is a tale of friendship, of fathers and sons, and of love and betrayal. Their story begins in the basement of the famous Paris library Bibliotheque de Paris then moves to Florence during the Renaissance, when great masters wielded their art in astonishing ways. In 1938, the Parisian art critic Jacques Mesnil is assigned to uncover a secret about one of the greatest artists who ever lived…Sandro Botticelli. During Botticelli's time, Florence was ruled by the wealthy and powerful Medici family who bore a dark secret. The corrupt Pope Alexander VI, who wanted to wrestle control from the Medici family, decried that all power in Italy should be for himself…and he vowed to get it anyway he could. Standing in his way was Florence's crazed priest Giralamo Savonarola with his forceful, non-religious ways, even going as far as to have a mass burning of art. In an age when conspirators, betrayers and assassins wove their ways through the lives of common people, Sandro and Ernesto are thrown into a family's dark secret, resulting in jealousy, mystery, adventure and death. Sandro Botticelli left his mark on the world…this is his life.

360 pages, Paperback

First published March 9, 2012

Reviews

[Marian Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written.