book 2

Leonardo's Shadow is a story of Giacomo. It starts with him running from a mob because they believe him to be a theif. He is carrying a small bag that contains a silver medallion, a plain wooden cross, and a solid red-jeweled ring. He doesnt know who he is or where he got the bag of objects from. His memory is taken by the fever. I wonder what illness caused the fever, it being Italian Renaissance time in Europe. Leonardo Di Caprio saves the boy from death and jail or hanging and keeps Giacomo as his servant. I think the objects he kept are what he has left of his family and he'lll discover who he really is and where he came from later on in the book. I think he was born a person more than a servant.
The timing of the book is before The Last Supper is finished. Da Vinci is slow to working on it. He chose to paint on dry plaster which led to its early decay. Giacomo is more worried than his master about the Duke kicking them out of Milan for not finishing the painting in enough time. I sometimes worry for others when they seem so calm. Others lives impact our own. Leonardo's life is Giacomo's pretty much because he works so hard to please his master. I am two thirds through the book now and Giacomo has discovered what the symbol on his medallion means. It has to do with a Brotherhood of alchemists that are supposed to be banned from the city but have suddenly appeared. Alchemy seems very mysterious and is kind of like its own separate religion especially if it has its own Brotherhood or sect. I always thought alchemy and astronomy were th same, but now I know that alchemy is about trying to discover immortality and mixing compounds that can be dangerous against others instead of just studying the stars. Back to the book, there is also a woman coming who has had a relationship with Leonardo and Giacome wonders if they might be related now. I think at the end he will discover his family and that he might be related to Leonardo da Vinci.
Sometimes we are mistaken in our predictions and I like books that are not so predictable because it keeps the read more enjoyable and unexpected. I was mistaken about the symbols of those objects that the main character kept. He had forgotten and wanted to believe so badly that he belonged to some normal family who loved and missed him. He found his own way in life through Leonardo da Vinci. Usually I dont like when the story ends withou much explanation, but this boook showed how he had grown up and gave an idea of what he would become. It is refreshing to be able to imagine my own continuation of the story, so I think it was written very well.