The Master of the Prado

September 14, 2015
With the help of a mysterious mentor, paranormal-phenomena enthusiast Sierra views the Prado’s most ethereal works in a new light in this novel, which reads like a memoir, includes footnotes like a textbook, and features color reproductions worthy of a museum guide. Narrator/protagonist Sierra recalls days as a student in 1990s Madrid: attending journalism classes, writing about the supernatural, and spending off-hours in the Prado, where elegant, elderly Luis Fovel suddenly appears and engages Sierra in a series of conversations about hidden meanings in paintings by Raphael, Botticelli, Bosch, El Greco, and, of course, da Vinci, among others. Fovel teaches Sierra to look at art with the understanding that certain artists not only conveyed the sometimes-heretical beliefs of their time through icons and symbols, they also created concealed portals into the mystical unknown. The first masterpiece illuminated this way is Raphael’s The Holy Family (aka The Pearl); Fovel explores disputed identities of the two boys depicted. At the Escorial library, Sierra consults once-banned texts that elucidate the arcane canon of the Prado’s artwork. From 15th-century Amadeo of Portugal to Italian movie star Lucia Bosè, Sierra (The Secret Supper) unearths knowledge about unearthly connections, even after Fovel’s longtime foe threatens harm. With too many loose ends to be as thrilling as The Da Vinci Code, too many disconnected details to be as evocative as The Name of the Rose, and too-little plot to be as cohesive as either, Sierra’s novel nevertheless succeeds as a personal, peculiarly Spanish, affirmation of the plausibility of the implausible.

September 15, 2015
Part personal tour of Madrid's Prado Museum, part spiritual adventure, Sierra's quasi-novel dips into the mystical secrets and hidden prophecies that supposedly inform the works of such great artists as Raphael, Titian, Bosch, Botticelli, and El Greco. Javier, a 19-year-old version of the author, tells the tale, which is set in the 1990s. A passionate Prado-goer since his mother took him there when he was a child, he enters a new realm of art appreciation through encounters with a mysterious old man, Doctor Fovel. Recognizing Javier as an imaginative soul, "The Master" fires up his interest in the paintings by revealing startling truths. It's no coincidence, for example, that so many Renaissance paintings, including ones by Raphael and da Vinci, depict the Virgin Mary with two identical looking boys: there were, in fact, two baby Jesuses, one of whom was disguised as John the Baptist to cover up any scandal. Thrilled by such revelations, Javier has his eyes opened wider by the Arcane Canon, or arcanon, consisting of works meant to serve supernatural ends-a passage to the afterlife for the Emperor Charles V. An inspector dubbed Mister X who is after Fovel warns Javier to stay away from the old man-who may be a ghost-and stop looking into his claims. But Javier is too far gone in believing that the purpose of art was "to keep open certain portals to the 'other world.' " A bestseller in Spain, where it reinvigorated interest in the Prado (its color reproductions had to have helped), the book is an entertaining romp through art history and the speculations surrounding it. The writing is aimed more at younger readers than fans of The Da Vinci Code, but Sierra's "fictionalized autobiography" is a lively look at the Prado's great works and the mysteries behind them.

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Starred review from October 15, 2015

Though it was his seventh book, The Secret Supper marked Sierra's English-language debut in 2006 and introduced his imaginative world of historical fiction to a broader audience. Here, Sierra writes a fictionalized autobiography to explore the mysteries hiding in some of the finest works in Madrid's Museo Nacional del Prado. In 1990, during one of his visits to the museum, a young Sierra encounters an enigmatic and knowledgeable stranger named Luis Fovel. Over the next several weeks, Fovel trains Sierra to analyze the works of Raphael, El Greco, and Titian to reveal hidden meanings in their painting. As his curiosity shifts from European masterpieces to the true identity of his tutor, Sierra puts himself in real danger and estranges himself from both family and friends. VERDICT Sierra has produced not only a thrilling work of historical fiction but also a wonderful literary companion to visitors of the Prado. Fans of Dan Brown and Douglas Carlton Abrams will feel right at home in these pages. [See Prepub Alert, 5/17/15.]--Joshua Finnell, Denison Univ. Lib., Granville, OH

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 15, 2015

Sierra, known for literate, New York Times best-selling thrillers, does something a little different here. Using fictionalized autobiography as his format, he recounts meeting at Madrid's great Prado museum a charismatic stranger named Luis Fovel, who shows him secrets, hints of conspiracy, and veiled prophecies in the works of artists like Raphael, Titian, and Brueghel, forcing him to question his understanding of art. With 45 color photos and two gatefolds.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2015

Though it was his seventh book, The Secret Supper marked Sierra's English-language debut in 2006 and introduced his imaginative world of historical fiction to a broader audience. Here, Sierra writes a fictionalized autobiography to explore the mysteries hiding in some of the finest works in Madrid's Museo Nacional del Prado. In 1990, during one of his visits to the museum, a young Sierra encounters an enigmatic and knowledgeable stranger named Luis Fovel. Over the next several weeks, Fovel trains Sierra to analyze the works of Raphael, El Greco, and Titian to reveal hidden meanings in their painting. As his curiosity shifts from European masterpieces to the true identity of his tutor, Sierra puts himself in real danger and estranges himself from both family and friends. VERDICT Sierra has produced not only a thrilling work of historical fiction but also a wonderful literary companion to visitors of the Prado. Fans of Dan Brown and Douglas Carlton Abrams will feel right at home in these pages. [See Prepub Alert, 5/17/15.]--Joshua Finnell, Denison Univ. Lib., Granville, OH

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.