All Forms of Art

I bought this book on an impulse, mostly due to the array of compliments on its cover. I tend to enjoy historical novels and this one seemed to be full of mystery and suspense, but… well it kind of had some of what it had promised, but… it just wasn’t enough to suck me in and hold me. Actually I found the book a little disappointing as I think I was expecting something a bit more engaging. At the beginning I found it too stationary as it lacked almost any action and then, suddenly, Marcello Simoni introduces us to an endless sequence of plots and machinations, confusing stories, almost too elaborate or complex to be credible or believable. My feeling towards the story and general opinion was that I had been promised one thing and had received something else entirely. However, Simoni does have a bright side, and his brilliant work on the research for the book and his knowledge about the facts he wants to tell us are very noticeable, sometimes remarkable. This detailed resea...