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Da Vinci's Last Supper - The Forgotten Tale
When Leonardo da Vinci is commissioned to paint ‘The Last Supper’ , he believes it will seal his reputation as the finest artist in Italy.
Yet all does not go as planned. The notorious Papal emissary, Father Rodrigo of Salamanca accuses him of blasphemy over his decision to choose a lowly peasant, Alessandro, to be his model for Jesus.
To Leonardo’s horror, Alessandro takes on quasi-religious significance for the populace of Milan, dragging both into a journey of political and religious upheaval, violence and scandal, which eventually leads to their climactic confrontation.
Yet all does not go as planned. The notorious Papal emissary, Father Rodrigo of Salamanca accuses him of blasphemy over his decision to choose a lowly peasant, Alessandro, to be his model for Jesus.
To Leonardo’s horror, Alessandro takes on quasi-religious significance for the populace of Milan, dragging both into a journey of political and religious upheaval, violence and scandal, which eventually leads to their climactic confrontation.
486 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 18, 2020
33 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 24, 2021
Making a man human after so much myth.
DISCLAIMER: The author of this book, Paul Arrowsmith is a good friend of mine. I have tried to review this book as I would any other, but the facts should be known.
Firstly I want to get the negatives out of the way. The reason for this is that my two main gripes have nothing to do with the text or the prose, and these ultimately are the most important things. My first gripe is the cover art. Though it's now a tired phrase 'Don't judge a book by its cover' people do, especially in a world where flicking through the pages of a book is no longer common. If I had been going into reading this book without the prior knowledge I did, I doubt I would have even picked it up or clicked on it. For me it screams that within the covers lies a lesser version of another book with Da Vinci at its centre. This book is far far far from that, and so the cover does it a major disservice. The other thing that does this tale a disservice is the audio narration. The best audiobook artists are artistes, bringing the characters, setting and atmosphere to life. This is why a lot of avid readers also listen to the audio books on repeat reading. Sadly, the man who did the audio narration for this work isn't one of them. He was practically monotone, putting no energy or enthusiasm into his work. It was only through the quality of the words he was reading that kept me going. This is very unusual for me, as I use normally use audiobooks to encourage me forward.
With all that said, how was the actual book itself. Thankfully it was as good as I was hoping it was going to be. Ever since the book alluded to earlier was published there has been almost a mysticism about Leonardo Da Vinci that has depressed me. Sure, he was a genius, especially fire his day but he was also just a human being. What was so nice about reading this work was that the author made him human again. But not only that, he made the world around him tangible and real, and in so doing increased the humanity of all the characters in the story. Im no Da Vinci historian, and I am sure there were embellishments here and there, but I like knowing that an author of historical fiction has done enough research to flesh out the world they are transporting us back to with enough fact the fiction doesn't matter, and just doing some surface level research of my own I know this to be true here.
This book feels like someone restoring a recently discovered work of Da Vinci's to its former glory, and about time too!
DISCLAIMER: The author of this book, Paul Arrowsmith is a good friend of mine. I have tried to review this book as I would any other, but the facts should be known.
Firstly I want to get the negatives out of the way. The reason for this is that my two main gripes have nothing to do with the text or the prose, and these ultimately are the most important things. My first gripe is the cover art. Though it's now a tired phrase 'Don't judge a book by its cover' people do, especially in a world where flicking through the pages of a book is no longer common. If I had been going into reading this book without the prior knowledge I did, I doubt I would have even picked it up or clicked on it. For me it screams that within the covers lies a lesser version of another book with Da Vinci at its centre. This book is far far far from that, and so the cover does it a major disservice. The other thing that does this tale a disservice is the audio narration. The best audiobook artists are artistes, bringing the characters, setting and atmosphere to life. This is why a lot of avid readers also listen to the audio books on repeat reading. Sadly, the man who did the audio narration for this work isn't one of them. He was practically monotone, putting no energy or enthusiasm into his work. It was only through the quality of the words he was reading that kept me going. This is very unusual for me, as I use normally use audiobooks to encourage me forward.
With all that said, how was the actual book itself. Thankfully it was as good as I was hoping it was going to be. Ever since the book alluded to earlier was published there has been almost a mysticism about Leonardo Da Vinci that has depressed me. Sure, he was a genius, especially fire his day but he was also just a human being. What was so nice about reading this work was that the author made him human again. But not only that, he made the world around him tangible and real, and in so doing increased the humanity of all the characters in the story. Im no Da Vinci historian, and I am sure there were embellishments here and there, but I like knowing that an author of historical fiction has done enough research to flesh out the world they are transporting us back to with enough fact the fiction doesn't matter, and just doing some surface level research of my own I know this to be true here.
This book feels like someone restoring a recently discovered work of Da Vinci's to its former glory, and about time too!
August 10, 2021
Paul Arrowsmith takes the reader into the darkest depths of Renaissance Italy and equally adroitly into the darkest recesses of the genius’s mind. His da Vinci is engagingly human and as stoically celibate as we are led to believe, setting aside a possible homosexuality not mentioned in these pages. The author creates a memorable cast of characters, none more so than his honest artisan chosen to sit as the model for Jesus in the Last Supper. This character is essentially the fiction in a skilfully researched historical novel. To say that the character arc of Alessandro is memorable is an understatement. 5-stars for this alone, but there is much more including some excellent descriptions. I enjoyed this book.
March 23, 2021
A decent book, well written and researched but it's not my usual type of read. Good for fans of historical fiction.
February 12, 2022
A very interesting story which gives all the politics of the Italian states
January 13, 2021
Da Vinci superbly brought to life
This is my first read of a Paul Arrowsmith novel and I must admit to being captivated by his fictional account of the story behind the painting of Da Vinci's famous work, The Last Supper. When tasked by his sponsor, Il Moro, to paint The Last Supper, little does he know of the trials and tribulations that lie ahead.
The author has created a wonderful tale of devotion, love and duplicity in the form of Papal Inquisitor Father Rodrigo, whose hatred of Da Vinci knows no bounds. When the artist decides to use a man as the model for Jesus, Rodrigo launches a personal crusade to have Da Vinci tried and convicted of heresy.
Against this backdrop the story follows the artist's endeavours to create a masterpiece that will not only satisfy Il Moro, but will also serve to glorify God. There are some real surprises in the pages of the book that at times had me almost holding my breath as I eargerly awaited the next slice of the action. This is a novel, but one that definitely captures the era in which it is set, and brings to life a host of characters that fit perfectly into the narrative.
I won't give too much away as I don't want to spoil the enjoyment for other readers. Suffice it to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book which held my attention from start to finish. 5 stars from me!
This is my first read of a Paul Arrowsmith novel and I must admit to being captivated by his fictional account of the story behind the painting of Da Vinci's famous work, The Last Supper. When tasked by his sponsor, Il Moro, to paint The Last Supper, little does he know of the trials and tribulations that lie ahead.
The author has created a wonderful tale of devotion, love and duplicity in the form of Papal Inquisitor Father Rodrigo, whose hatred of Da Vinci knows no bounds. When the artist decides to use a man as the model for Jesus, Rodrigo launches a personal crusade to have Da Vinci tried and convicted of heresy.
Against this backdrop the story follows the artist's endeavours to create a masterpiece that will not only satisfy Il Moro, but will also serve to glorify God. There are some real surprises in the pages of the book that at times had me almost holding my breath as I eargerly awaited the next slice of the action. This is a novel, but one that definitely captures the era in which it is set, and brings to life a host of characters that fit perfectly into the narrative.
I won't give too much away as I don't want to spoil the enjoyment for other readers. Suffice it to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book which held my attention from start to finish. 5 stars from me!
September 16, 2024
My review of "DaVinci's Last Supper: The Forgotten Tale" by Paul Arrowsmith.
5 Stars.
History in Real Time
DaVinci's Last Supper: The Forgotten Tale, by Paul Arrowsmith caught my eye. Exciting story about the apparent difficulties of being the genius that DaVinci clearly was, and trials of completing what we now know as a masterpiece. As much as this is historical fiction, as I read, I couldn't help but see the story as a documentary. Fascinating either way. Getting a sense of life in the Renaissance before the end of the battles of "royalty" through the fiefdoms of the time reveals a society that seems not so different from today, but without technology. Highly recommended because it's a page turner.
5 Stars.
History in Real Time
DaVinci's Last Supper: The Forgotten Tale, by Paul Arrowsmith caught my eye. Exciting story about the apparent difficulties of being the genius that DaVinci clearly was, and trials of completing what we now know as a masterpiece. As much as this is historical fiction, as I read, I couldn't help but see the story as a documentary. Fascinating either way. Getting a sense of life in the Renaissance before the end of the battles of "royalty" through the fiefdoms of the time reveals a society that seems not so different from today, but without technology. Highly recommended because it's a page turner.
October 20, 2023
Good story. Very well written and engaging.
Though fictional, it was believable and loosely historically accurate.
Gave it five stars.
Though fictional, it was believable and loosely historically accurate.
Gave it five stars.
September 9, 2023
An Intriguing Plot
Mesmerising...intriguing...Paul Arrowsmith has imbued his novel with just the right balance of tension and of relief to hold the reader's attention to the very last.
Mesmerising...intriguing...Paul Arrowsmith has imbued his novel with just the right balance of tension and of relief to hold the reader's attention to the very last.
October 3, 2022
There have been long told (unverifiable) stories that the same person posed for both Jesus and Judas in da Vinci's famous painting and the story with all its politics ought to make for fascinating reading.
Going by my reading record, I should have loved this book. However, I just found it so difficult to get hooked. First of all, the edition that I read (on kindle) needed a lot of editing. There were so many language errors and typos that it completely ruined my reading experience. There were sentences that read strangely. Like "A wave of euphoria swept over him and a tear of joy wove their way down his cheek." Where was the editor? So if I just look at the story, maybe this would have been a 3 or 4 star but the reading experience is so important for me that I struggled through.
Going by my reading record, I should have loved this book. However, I just found it so difficult to get hooked. First of all, the edition that I read (on kindle) needed a lot of editing. There were so many language errors and typos that it completely ruined my reading experience. There were sentences that read strangely. Like "A wave of euphoria swept over him and a tear of joy wove their way down his cheek." Where was the editor? So if I just look at the story, maybe this would have been a 3 or 4 star but the reading experience is so important for me that I struggled through.
November 3, 2022
An ok book in Italy. Several things are off but other things are close.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews