Falconer's Knot [Hardcover]

Mary Hoffman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2007

Silvano and Chiara are two teenagers with a difference. Silvano has been accused of a murder he did not commit. Chiara has been ousted out of her family as a young woman with no marriage prospects. For these two very different reasons they are forced to seek refuge in a convent and a friary. And when they meet they are both instantly aware that they alone are not accustomed to the religious clothes and customs. And when not just one murder - but then another, and then another, happens to both the friars and guests staying with them, Chiara and Silvano cling together within the terrifying spiral of murder as they and the friends they make attempt to solve the deadly mystery. This remarkably rich mystery thriller, with all the pace and action of a 'whodunnit', is set in the incredibly atmospheric environs of a friary in 14C Italy. And amidst all the action of the murder mystery, the author depicts in fascinating and intricate detail the lives and tasks of the friars and nuns, whether it be crushing pigments to create paints for the artists painting frescoes in nearby Assisi, to the daily and nightly ritual of the religious services. All the historical detail is carefully researched. A huge cast of characters with romantic teen heros, combined with the thriller murder element ensure a pacy, richly enjoyable read.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7–10—Fans of the author's "Stravaganza" series (Bloomsbury) will welcome this novel set in Renaissance Italy. Wealthy young nobleman Silvano, 16, is infatuated with beautiful Angelica, who is married to a coarse sheep farmer named Piero. When Piero is murdered with Silvano's dagger, the teen is forced to flee, seeking sanctuary with a group of Franciscans. At the friary, two more murders cast further suspicion on him. A parallel story involves Aureliana, who has been forced by her family to marry a rich man she does not love. Her true love, Eduardo, has become a friar named Anselmo in the very friary where Silvano seeks refuge. As the stories coalesce, multiple murders, romance, betrayals, and star-crossed lovers all make for a page-turning mystery, and, in truly satisfying Shakespearean fashion, everyone ends up with the proper lover at the end. The book provides a well-realized setting rich with details of the time period, which are deftly woven into the plot. Especially interesting are the descriptions of the art of color-making for the pigments used for religious paintings. Engrossing historical fiction.—Quinby Frank, Green Acres School, Rockville, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Hoffman set her acclaimed Stravanganza novels in an alternate world that resembled sixteenth-century Italy. In this suspenseful mystery, Hoffman leaves the alternate worlds behind and locates her story in the real-world history of fourteenth-century Umbria. Sixteen-year-old Silvano, a handsome nobleman, admires Angelica, a local merchant's wife, from afar. Then Angelica's husband is murdered, and Silvano becomes the prime suspect. Until his innocence is proven, Silvano takes refuge in a Franciscan friary, where he enjoys making pigments for local artists and finds himself attracted to a lovely novice at the adjoining abbey. Then a series of mysterious deaths puts Silvano under greater suspicion, and he determines to find the murderer. The publisher has compared this novel to Umberto Eco's Name of the Rose (1983), and there are certainly similarities between the books' friary settings and central mysteries. Hoffman makes the story her own with an exciting tangle of murder suspects and romantic intrigues. The plot is crowded with characters, and the intricate details about pigment preparation and fourteenth-century art and life will slow some readers and fascinate others. Hoffman creates utterly engaging characters and vivid settings, and she skillfully turns up the suspense, wrapping her varied plot threads into a satisfying whole. Readers will race through to the satisfying, fairy-tale conclusion, which includes some empowering twists for the female characters. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens Books (April 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0747582750
• ISBN-13: 978-0747582755
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,293,249 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars But I Don't Have a Vocation!, July 11, 2007

By 

M. K. Coxon "Children's Librarian" (Roseburg, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Falconer's Knot: A Story of Friars, Flirtation and Foul Play (Hardcover)

I have read hundreds of historical mysteries and this one is top notch. Once I started it, I did not want to put it down. The main protagonists are Silvano, who has sought sanctuary in a Franciscan Friary after being accused of a murder he did not commit, and Chiara, who is forced to enter a neighboring convent because her family does not have the money for a dowry. The supporting characters are very interesting too. The lively plot could be described as Shakespeare meets Brother Cadfael. The fascinating details about color-making and fourteeenth century art brought back happy memories of my visit to the Basilica of St. Francis several years ago.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three cheers for history and mystery!, July 30, 2009

By 

Kitty Lagorio (Western Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Falconer's Knot: A Story of Friars, Flirtation and Foul Play (Paperback)

Three cheers for a book I delighted in reading. Interesting characters, interesting time, and how gently it helped me learn about how colors were prepared for artists--all while wrapped around medieval mystery, mayhem, and murder. The author carefully unwraps the story details and moves the reader through a variety of points of view, but still holds the reader captive. This is a terrific book for mature young readers and young mature readers as our sympathy moves from teen angst to adult sorrow.
I'm so glad this book fell off the library shelf and with the title alone invited me to read it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too much "telling," not enough "showing", December 26, 2009

By 

G. Marlow (Arkansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Falconer's Knot: A Story of Friars, Flirtation and Foul Play (Paperback)

I really wanted to like this book. The two main characters are potentially very compelling, and the mystery of who committed the murders in the plot is interesting. But the author does more "telling" or exposition of the thoughts and actions of the characters rather than letting readers watch the story develop by having the characters act it out. To me, that puts some emotional distance between the readers and the characters, and it keeps the book from having the impact it potentially could have. I was disappointed.