Leonardo's Shadow: Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci's Servant [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Christopher Grey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 2006

Milan, 1497. The height of the Renaissance. And for Giacomo, servant of the famous painter Leonardo da Vinci, it's the most difficult time of all. His Master has been working on the Last Supper, his greatest painting ever, for nearly two years. But has he finished it? He's barely started! The all-powerful Duke of Milan is demanding that it be completed by the time the Pope visits at Easter. And Giacomo knows that if Leonardo doesn't pick up his pace, the Duke may invite a young genius -- Michelangelo -- to finish the painting instead. Which means that Leonardo won't be paid, which means that Milan's shopkeepers (to whom he owes massive amounts) will take drastic measures against him.

It's all down to Giacomo, and whether he can come up with a brilliant solution. And if he does, will his Master go for it? After all, Leonardo still doesn't seem to trust him. He refuses to teach Giacomo how to paint; he won't help him find his parents; nor will he discuss the significance of the medallion, ring, and cross that Giacomo was carrying when Leonardo found him. But with the secret arrival of a powerful stranger, Giacomo is about to discover much more than the answers he has been looking for. And he will also receive an invitation to help arrange a meeting that could change his life. . . and the future course of history.

With more twists and turns than a spiral staircase, this thriller is as unique as its two heroes -- the most celebrated artist who ever lived, and a young man without a past, who will stop at nothing to find the truth about his life.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9–It is 1497, and young Giacomo does chores for his master, accompanying him when needed and running errands to the merchants of Milan. He also spends much of his time making excuses to those who have commissioned the artist's work and fending off the many merchants who come trying to collect debts. With smooth words and false promises, the boy keeps them at bay–for the time being. Da Vinci has a commission for a great painting, but he will not work. Why is a mystery, but until he finishes this painting of the Last Supper, he will not be paid. Even worse, the Duke of Milan, whose temper is legendary, is getting impatient. Giacomo worries about starving, about freezing, and about dying by order of the duke or the gentlemen whom Da Vinci insults. But, mostly, he worries about his great master, whom he thinks might be his father. In the beginning of the book, he is chatty and breezy as he introduces his city and surroundings. As the book progresses, he becomes more serious, and readers can see him maturing and becoming more responsive to the atmosphere and problems around him. Grey seamlessly blends fact and research about the inventor/artist with imagination. The basic time line and characters of the story fit with what we know of Da Vinci's life. Easily readable, this novel incorporates adventure and mystery with history.–Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. A disoriented runaway boy, Giacomo, is taken in by Leonardo da Vinci and grows up as the great man's servant, protecting him from his creditors even as Leonardo is pressured to finish The Last Supper. Although part of Leonardo's life, Giacomo still has dreams of his own: to be an artist and to find the secret of his parentage (which he hopes will lead back to da Vinci). Grey cleverly takes Dickensian conventions (a sweeping saga featuring an orphaned lad seeking his fortune, who bumps up against a host of memorable characters) and resettles them during the Renaissance. A first-time author, Grey writes intelligently, but even sweeping sagas sometimes need trimming. Moreover, the book needs an author's note. There's a short bit at the end, about The Last Supper, but the fact and fiction about da Vinci's art, his inventions, and even his sexuality, an issue raised in the novel, need clarification. The story itself, however, is enticing, and Giacomo's yearnings about his past and future will speak to readers. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (September 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141690543X
• ISBN-13: 978-1416905431
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,378,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christopher Grey is from London, England. He has worked as a waiter, hotel manager, hospital porter, jeans salesman, tour operator, and rock musician. This is his first book.

QUICK Q & A WITH CHRIS

- Favourite place in Italy?
On the roof of Milan Cathedral, among all the marble spires. Or in Florence, looking out of the windows of the Uffizi Gallery at the Ponte Vecchio.

- Favourite Italian food?
Pumpkin ravioli in sage butter. Yum!

- Favourite Italian film?
La Dolce Vita, directed'by Federico Fellini.

- Favourite Leonardo quotation?
'Every obstacle yields to stern resolve.' (From the Notebooks)

- Tell us something you learned about Leonardo that surprised you!
He was afraid that he would be forgotten after he died.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exuberant Tale of Courage and Art, March 14, 2007

By 

C. W. Gortner - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leonardo's Shadow: Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci's Servant (Hardcover)

- This review first appeared in the February 2007 issue of the Historical Novels Review -

The ongoing popularity of Leonardo da Vinci in fiction often obscures his preeminent place as the Renaissance's most gifted and versatile artist. Likewise, the presence of fictional or semi-fictional characters interacting with Leonardo to their own ends usually reduces the artist to a cliché or foil for the plot in question. Fortunately, in Christopher Grey's young adult novel LEONARDO'S SHADOW, these obstacles are delightfully overcome. Though written for the adolescent market, this book has a depth that makes it accessible for older persons interested in Leonardo and 15th century Italy, and is indeed better written than several adult offerings set in the same era. The voice of the novel is Giacomo, a youth without a past rescued by Leonardo and set to work for him as a servant. Giacomo yearns to discover who he truly is, as well as to secretly learn the art of painting (which Leonardo refuses to teach him); but it is his devotion to his master, as well as his wry insight into Leonardo's idiosyncratic temperament and procrastination while working on the The Last Supper, which give the novel its heart. Giacomo's sardonic observations of daily life in Milan and the artist's struggles with penury, his capricious patron Il Moro, and all the clamoring merchants eager to exchange credit for immortality are woven with refreshing wit into a tale that deepens in scope when Giacomo finds himself thrust into a plot to save Leonardo from his own debts. A host of well-drawn characters that include a menacing alchemist, a sage housekeeper, and a lovely discarded ducal mistress, as well as the always imposing but astonishingly human presence of Leonardo himself, only serve to exalt the exuberant soul and courage of a boy who matures into far more than his master's titular shadow.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars wonderful story, October 9, 2006

By 

book.of.the.moment "reviewer" (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leonardo's Shadow: Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci's Servant (Hardcover)

Christopher Grey has written a wonderful historical fiction novel for young readers. The book is geared towards children ages 12+ and details the life of Leonardo da Vinci through the eyes of his servant boy Giacomo.

The story is a page turner for anyone of any age. Giacomo is a young servant boy who has no memory of his past before meeting Leonardo. Through Giacomo's search for his own identity we learn the secrets of Leonardo's past as well.

Recently I had read the novel "Leonardo's Swans," and been disappointed by it. I was leary to read this one, after that recent disappointment; but was hooked by page two. Two thumbs way up..

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a finely crafted novel for young and old, February 16, 2007

By 

John M "father reader" (new york) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leonardo's Shadow: Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci's Servant (Hardcover)

I bought this novel for my 12 year old son who's quite interested in art. Unfortunately for him, I held onto it and read it first. It was terrific. Mr. Grey does not write down to his young readers. The book is very well written with plenty of good humor and suspense. The life of Leonardo is indeed an interesting one and the book gives a good sense of the political and artistic pressures on him. Yet,the book is told through the eyes of his young servent,Giacomo, so the narrative is always lively and never bogs down in needless minutia that would simply bore young readers.

I've purchased several books for my son and this is one of the best I've bought him. Oh,and yes, he really liked it too!