The Medici Boy

Starred review from February 15, 2013
Intensely appealing, viscerally gripping, and unfailingly human in its characters, L'Heureux's most recent novel beckons with the undeniable promise of great writing to all lovers of historical literary fiction that easily manages to transcend its time parameters. In the early fifteenth century, a young Italian boy, Luca Mattei, tries his hand at the priesthood but fails miserably when he realizes the temptations of the flesh supersede his godly devotions. He finds instead his path set for the bottega, or workshop, of the great artisan Donatello, in Florence. Donatello proves to be a mercurial master, prone to fits of artistic temper as well as moments of great kindness. Luca's relationship with Donatello shifts over the years, finally meeting its greatest challenge when Donatello's longing for Luca's ostensible brother, the enchanting model Agnolo, creates unexpected yet inevitable upheaval in each of their lives. Notable for its impeccable details about the exquisite art and brutal politics of early 1400s Italy, this is also a thoroughly researched musing on the vagaries, peccadilloes, and redemptions of people regardless of era. Expansive yet precisely written, L'Heureux's work will long linger in the reader's mind.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)