David by Mary Hoffman

“How can you tell when a piece is finished?'I asked.

'You can't,' he said flatly. 'All you can tell is when you can't do any more to it. And then you need to stop because if you don't, you will spoil it.” 

David by Mary Hoffman tells the (fictional) story of the men behind Michelangelo’s David. This historical fiction novel explores the political tensions existent in Italy during the time period. Gabriele, the model, is a simple man from the countryside. He moves to Florence in search for more exciting work. The city offers many temptations; he is drawn into a world of spies and political treachery. This story explores 16^th Century Florence, the meaning of art and what it means to grow up.

I do love historical fiction, and I congratulate Hoffman in her extremely well researched novel. I found this story very different; she was very creative in creating a story for a statue. Gabriele was definitely a very complex character that grew us the book progressed. Hoffman shows the intricacies of life, love and politics. Nothing is shown as right or wrong, just as different perspectives.

While I did love the book, I did find it a bit hard to get drawn in by the novel. This was mostly because of how confusing it got – it was just name dropping everywhere. At the end of the book, there is a character list and context summary. I would recommend people to read this before reading the novel, as it would make it all a bit easier to understand – especially if you’re like me and have never read about 16^th century Italy.

Overall, I found this a very intelligently written and creative work. I would say this is for an older youth or even adult market, as its themes may be a little inappropriate for young teenagers and children. Make sure to read the context summary before reading the novel and keep flicking to the character list if you need to. This is a great read for someone who wants something different to read. It’s definitely not a cliché young adult novel.