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About The Castrato: A Novel
Product Description Angelo wakes up in a nightmare. It looked like his dream had come true. Even though he is born as a tanner’s son, he is chosen to follow vocal training at the Conservatory in Florence. What he did not know was that he would be emasculated. The setting is Italy, around 1700, a time when the well-off in society bathed in luxury, immersed in gold brocade and burgundy silk, luxuriating in sumptuous meals, and great music. These are the times when a beautiful boy's voice is deemed invaluable and people went as far as they could to make sure it stayed that way. This is the era of the castrati. Castration is irreversible. His voice will never change. He will never have children. He will never get married. But Angelo grows into a young man with needs and desires as every other. He knows that he is leading the life of the privileged. He also knows that he is worth very much to the conservatory because he is the best singer they have. Yet this the life he will choose to lead forever?There seems a way out when Prince Ferdinando de' Medici notices him. Angelo is invited to the court of the prince, where the composer Scarlatti and the inventor of the pianoforte, Christofori, also reside. In the long weekend that Angelo spends with them, a door to a whole new life opens: a life of wealth, beautiful music and – of course – attractive, smart and funny Rosa, Scarlatti’s daughter. Yet, Angelo realizes that if he chooses to live that life, he will have to turn himself over, heart and soul, to the whims of Prince Ferdinando. Will that be worth it if he can save his sister from poverty that way? If he will be able to see Rosa on a daily basis? Angelo has to make an impossible choice. From School Library Journal Gr 9 Up-During the peak of the baroque era, Angelo Montegne lives in Fiesol, a small Italian village. While he enjoys working in his father's tannery shop, his true passion is music. Angelo is a star singer in the local church choir, and his immense talent does not go unnoticed. When priests from a prestigious music academy in Florence try to recruit Angelo for their school, though, Angelo's father refuses to let him go. Angelo's musical career seems to have ended before it began, until a tragedy strikes. Defying his father's wishes, Angelo agrees to attend the academy, and he learns the price of admittance: his own castration. At the academy, Angelo develops friendships, but music remains his truest love and anchor. Just as Angelo finally begins to accept his future as a castrato, a beautiful girl from his youth reappears, and he must choose to follow his heart or pursue a successful musical career. This intriguing novel, originally published in the Netherlands, introduces a fascinating and disturbing part of musical history. Angelo's personal story is highly compelling, and his gender identity issues and the sexual fluidity of his classmates may lead to open discussions with teens. Some readers will be motivated to learn more about the history of castrati and the renowned composers of the baroque period. VERDICT Great for fans of historical fiction or teachers looking for a unique read to add to their high school or college-level history or English syllabi. Give this book to fans of Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Paper Fan or Ruta Sepetys's Between Shades of Gray.-Ellen Fitzgerald, White Oak Library District, Lockport, IL Review "Florence in 1698 is the backdrop for Joyce Pool's The Castrato, a sensitive tale of the joys and sorrows of life as a castrato. Twelve-year-old Angelo Montegne, gifted with a golden voice, thinks he's made a good bargain. In return for education and the training, he will sing for the church at masses, funerals, and on demand for wealthy patrons. Only when he wakes with a searing pain in his groin does he begin to realize the true cost of his bargain, a mutilation performed against his will. The story leaps ahead four years to find Angelo, still in training, renowned as one of the best sopranos
