JOYCE POOL (1962) studied at the Pedagogical Academy in Leiden. She lives on the island Texel where she teaches high school. Pool has written both historical fiction and contemporary stories. The Castrato is her first young adult novel.
"Angelo Montegne unwittingly pays a high price to study at a music
conservatory in 1698 Florence in this Dutch import. The 12-year-old
expects to inherit his father's tannery but for now takes joy in
singing in the church choir. He dreams of becoming famous when he's
given the chance to sing a solo for the pope, and his exceptionally
beautiful soprano voice attracts the attention of priests in charge
of the conservatory. When his father dies, a bewildered Angelo is
coerced into a grisly visit to a barber on his way to Florence,
where he joins other "sopranists" castrated to preserve their high
voices. Angelo's descriptive first-person account spans four years
as he gains an understanding of the world he has entered, with its
decadence and unsavory demands, while wondering what chance he
might have with any of the girls he's attracted to, including Rosa
Scarlatti, daughter of the famous composer. Ellis' fine translation
captures the distinct voices of several characters, from the cheeky
Paolo, Angelo's guide to life at the conservatory, to the padres
who make no bones about Angelo being their "gold mine," hired out
to Florence's most important families, which include the Medicis.
Angelo's highly personal story is imbued with historical details
that provide a vivid sense of time and place. A compelling and
unusual slice of European history that will be new to many young
adults."-- "Kirkus Reviews"
"Angelo's exquisite voice catapults him to the top of his choir in
Italian Renaissance Fiesole and attracts attention from the
prestigious conservatory in Florence. Perhaps sensing a hidden
danger, Papa refuses to let him go. But after Papa's untimely
death, the conservatory becomes a realistic option for the orphaned
Angelo. Readers will sense an ominous note as he is led away by
Padre Battistaand straight to a brutal castration surgery, a
not-uncommon practice in earlier centuries to preserve a young
boy's soprano voice. Angelo, filled with regret about the price he
has paid for his talent, desperately calculates how he can devote
his life to music and still have a somewhat normal life as a
half-man. When he attracts the attention of a Medici prince, a
sexual predator who will bankroll Angelo's career amid a life of
luxury, the desperation intensifies. This is a disturbing and
fascinating glimpse into the dark side of Renaissance music.
Angelo's story will tug at readers' heartstrings as he tries to
find his way."-- "Booklist"
"At twelve years old, Angelo's pure voice attracts the attention of
the padres of the Florentine Conservatory. Against his dead
father's wishes, Angelo agrees to learn music at the conservatory
without understanding the cost--castration. As a castrato, he is
angry at the padres for their deceit, but quickly becomes their
best singer along with his friend, Paolo. When Angelo and Paolo
sing at a funeral for the wealthiest family in the city, their
beautiful voices are noticed by Prince de Medici who invites them
to his home to sing in a concert. The prince is captivated by
Angelo's voice and presents him with another offer he cannot
refuse. Angelo is forced to decide between his career as a singer
and the freedom to love whom he chooses.
The Castrato is an historical fiction novel that follows a story
line which has little representation in young adult
literature....The book's focus, however, is not the history of this
period, but rather Angelo's main dilemma, which is his ability to
love another, both sexually and emotionally, as a castrato. With
this focus, readers can identify with Angelo's struggle to
understand himself, his sexuality, and his place in the world."--
"VOYA, Voice of Youth Advocates"
"During the peak of the baroque era, Angelo Montegne lives in
Fiesol, a small Italian village. While he enjoys working in his
father's tannery shop, his true passion is music. Angelo is a star
singer in the local church choir, and his immense talent does not
go unnoticed. When priests from a prestigious music academy in
Florence try to recruit Angelo for their school, though, Angelo's
father refuses to let him go. Angelo's musical career seems to have
ended before it began, until a tragedy strikes. Defying his
father's wishes, Angelo agrees to attend the academy, and he learns
the price of admittance: his own castration. At the academy, Angelo
develops friendships, but music remains his truest love and anchor.
Just as Angelo finally begins to accept his future as a castrato, a
beautiful girl from his youth reappears, and he must choose to
follow his heart or pursue a successful musical career. This
intriguing novel, originally published in the Netherlands,
introduces a fascinating and disturbing part of musical history.
Angelo's personal story is highly compelling, and his gender
identity issues and the sexual fluidity of his classmates may lead
to open discussions with teens. Some readers will be motivated to
learn more about the history of castrati and the renowned composers
of the baroque period. VERDICT: Great for fans of historical
fiction or teachers looking for a unique read to add to their high
school or college-level history or English syllabi. Give this book
to fans of Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Paper Fan or Ruta
Sepetys's Between Shades of Gray."-- "School Library Journal"
"Florence in 1698 is the backdrop for Joyce Pool's The Castrato, a
sensitive tale of the joys and sorrows of life as a castrato.
Twelve-year-old Angelo Montegne, gifted with a golden voice, thinks
he's made a good bargain. In return for education and the training,
he will sing for the church at masses, funerals, and on demand for
wealthy patrons. Only when he wakes with a searing pain in his
groin does he begin to realize the true cost of his bargain, a
mutilation performed against his will.
The story leaps ahead four years to find Angelo, still in training,
renowned as one of the best sopranos in Florence. Soon he attracts
the attention of Prince Ferdinando de Medici, attention that will
ultimately force him to choose between a life of fame and luxury as
the Prince's pet, and the life he would choose for himself.....The
Castrato is an enjoyable portrait of post-Renaissance Italy told
from a fresh and original point of view."-- "Foreword Reviews"
"Pool's sexually charged story opens with the dramatic aftermath of
the castration of 12-year-old Angelo Montegne, an impoverished
tanner's son with an exquisite singing voice in Fiesole, Italy, in
1698. Although Angelo's father vehemently turns down a priest's
invitation for his son to join the oldest conservatory in Florence
("the price is too high"), Angelo is persuaded by his sister and
aunt to accept, after his father's death. Traumatized by the
unexpected castration, he now understands his father's objection,
but it is too late: over the years Angelo becomes one of the
conservatory's rising sopranists and catches the eye of the
lecherous Prince de Medici. Pool doesn't shy away from describing
Angelo's erotic desires (including those for Rosa Scarlatti,
defiant daughter of the famous composer), his horror and disgust at
his condition, or the sexual encounters between the young men in
the conservatory, but she also convincingly depicts the sensory
aspects of the lives of the poor and the wealthy in that era.
Readers will be swept up into Angelo's life and rejoice with him at
the happy ending."-- "Publishers Weekly"
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