Oil and Marble by Stephanie Storey

 

Chosen by the Gables Book Club for our April 2021 discussion was the historical fiction novel Oil and Marble.  It is a recounting of the rivalry between Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo in the first years of the 16th century. Each was working on a piece of art that would eventually define them through the centuries. Most of the members liked, but did not love the book. 

The novel is told in alternating chapters focusing on each of the artists. Michelangelo returned to Florence from Rome where his emotional sculpture, The Pieta, had recently been unveiled. It was not a triumphant return to his family, which was not enamored of his work as an artist. At the same time Leonardo had been commissioned to work on a mural, The Battle of Anghiari in Florence, while working on a dam and way to prevent the flooding of the Arno from washing out the city. The rivalry between the two artists started over the commission of a piece of stone, destined to eventually be sculpted into a piece of art. Leonardo lost that battle when Michelangelo created drawings that more impressed the city and church leaders. At the same time Leonardo meets Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a silk merchant. He is smitten with her and desires to paint her, a proposition he makes to her husband. 

Throughout the novel the reader is  privy to the hardships and struggles of both men to complete their projects. The physical pain and suffering of Michelangelo as he carves and polishes David, is intense and can almost be felt by the reader. The emotional battles of Leonardo as he falls in love with his Mona Lisa are almost as painful. As a backdrop to their hardships is the flooding of Florence, the burning of the Michelangelo home, and the conflicts of the Medicis, Borgias and the influence of Machiavelli. 

In her notes, Storey describes the liberties that she took in retelling this historical account. It was that liberty that many of the book club could not fully condone. However, for this reader, with that understanding, it was not unacceptable. Oil and Marble is an interesting read about the two men whose art is so important and well known over 500 years from its creation. The history of Florence as a city state is quite interesting and gives a perspective of life in that time frame. At the conclusion of the novel, Michelangelo meets a budding artist and encourages him. It is a direct tie-in to Storey's next novel, Raphael, which I will put on my "to be read list" for future considerations.

 

The Order by Daniel Silva

It is definitely an unusual situation here that I have actually caught up on all the Daniel Silva books. This was Silva's 20th book in the Gabriel Allon series and it really took a different tack than most. Allon is the art restorer, but also head of the Office for Israeli intelligence. In that position, he really misses the field work. 

As the novel begins, Chiara, his wife, arranges for Allon to take some time off and accompany the family to Venice for some R & R. The reader knows that this won't last long and it doesn't as he is summoned to Rome by his friend Archbishop Luigi Donati after the death of the Pope Paul VII. Silva's fictious pope had previously appeared in 3 of his books and owed his live to Allon. What ensues is the mystery surrounding his death, the disappearance of a Swiss Guard, the uncovering of a new Gospel, and the influence that a new organization will have on the conclave of cardinals. 

 Of course Allon leaves Venice and finds himself teaming up with Donati in solving a complicated plot and what, eventually, is discovered as a series of murders. The action, which is very unusual for an Allon novel, is concentrated between Rome, Obersalzberg, Munich, and Assisi. Having been fortunate to travel to all those places, I was able to visualize the settings. This book was a page turner and presented some incredibly intricate alternative historical scenarios. The description of Rome and the convening of the Cardinals in the chapel were particularly interesting and brought back the memories of being in Rome following the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005 and hearing the bells when Pope Benedict XVI was elected. 

 Silva loves to bring back his favorites for his novels and The Order is no exception. His children are growing up, Carlo and Veronica Marchese whose tragedy is recollected, and one who figures significantly in the plot line, Eli Lavon. For once, though, Ari Shamron is not among them. In Munich, Gabriel returns to the spot where his son was killed and where his wife was severely injured by a bomb exploding. Obviously edited after the onset of the pandemic, Silva introduces it as an aside in the novel. There is much foreshadowing about Gabriel Allon's retirement from The Office and it saddens me that Silva might be set to end this series.

The role of the Catholic Church in the Holocaust is the major them of the novel and throughout it and antisemitism are addressed. It was interesting to read the Author's Notes and find mention of the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre in Squirrel Hill

The majority of reviews on The Order have been critical, protesting the heresy that it promulgates against the religious tenets of the Catholic religion. In fact many have compared it to a Dan Brown novel such as The DaVinci Code or Angels and Demons. That isn't a bad thing for me. There is a place in my reading for both and I enjoyed the "on vacation" Gabriel Allon and his escapades just fine. Just, please don't let him retire.

The Fallen Angel by Daniel Silva

If it is July, it must be time for a new Daniel Silva book. And July, 2012 was no different. I finally have had a break in my "required" reading schedule to sink my teeth into The Fallen Angel, which has been teasing me from my to-read shelf for 7 months. Silva manages in his books a synthesis of plot twists, travel books, and art history. This book is no exception.

Gabriel Allon, the renowned art restorer and Israeli intelligence operative, is restoring a Caravaggio for the Vatican when he is summoned to St. Peter's Basilica. A woman's, Claudia Andreotti,  body has been discovered on the floor. Is it suicide or murder?  True to the spirit of Silva's novels, the incident is merely the tip of the iceberg and calls, once again, Allon out of retirement. He and his wife, Chiara, are thrust into the investigation that leads them to an operation that stretches from the Vatican to the Middle East, a side trip to San Moritz, from antiquities dealers to Hezbollah. There are infinite twists and plot thickeners that keep the reader nearly breathless as the pages turn.

In order to get to the root of the matter, that of course means the money trail, Allon summons the familiar cast to the safe rooms of King Saul Boulevard. They are Ari Shamron, Uzi Navot, and the erudite archaeologist, Eli Lavon. As the Pope makes an historic visit to Jerusalem on Good Friday, what is going on underground becomes even more earth-shattering, literally. The climax and denouement provide a guided tour of Temple Mount and perhaps the discovery of the first Temple of Jerusalem. What follows is shocking, heart-rendering, and pure Silva.

Daniel Silva remains one of my favorite authors to read. He never disappoints in his plot machinations. descriptive passages, or character development. He also seems to be clairvoyant in his political story lines. The involvement in The Fallen Angel of the Vatican bank and antiquities curation, seems to have foretold the scandal marking the end of Pope Benedict's reign. Silva is a master of research and attention to detail to which I am drawn. For this book, however, I really wished I would have had a map of the city of Jerusalem and its landmarks to help guide me along as I followed Allon and Lavon in their attempt to disarm the ticking time bomb. The book ends with a shocking conclusion that will make us wait until July 16, 2013 in The English Girl to unravel.