Molte Grande Reviewed by Grant Leishman

Molto Grande

by Dick Franklin

Reviewed by Grant Leishman

Molto Grande by Dick Franklin, is a soaring, widesweeping novel set at the height of the European Renaissance, that traverses Italy, France and Spain. Nicolo and Luca Giordano’s family has been ravaged by the plague sweeping across Europe in 1693. Living in a tiny village near Rome, the two young boys have lost their mother and five siblings to the deadly scourge. Left to tend the vines in their small vineyard, they lease from the Count, are just their father and themselves. The two boys are “discovered” singing in the parish church by an emissary from Rome seeking young voices to turn into world-class castrato singers at the Rome Conservatoire. Prior to the boys’ departure for Rome, Luca’s voice begins to break and he is rejected as a possible castrato. Alone and lost, young Nicolo heads for the Rome conservatoire and the dreams of possible future fame and stardom as a great singer. For Luca and his father, tending the vines by themselves will be nigh on impossible and when an out-of-control burn-off kills Luca’s father and badly burns Luca, it appears all is lost for the family. Rescued from a well and tended back to health by a passing band of Romani (Gypsies), Luca begins his new life as part of a wandering itinerant band, a journey that will take them across France and ultimately to apparent sanctuary, near Madrid, Spain. Also headed eventually to Madrid will be Nicolo, now a renowned castrato who some say will be the greatest of all time. Will the brother’s paths ultimately cross again and will the reunion be filled with joy or fraught with danger?

Molto Grande is one of those stories that can initially appear intimidating. At well over 260,000 words, it is a massive, sweeping work but the question is – was I ever bored at any time, reading it. The answer to that question is a resounding no! Author Dick Franklin has succeeded in telling two disparate and linked story arcs about two young men seeking fulfilment and happiness in a harsh, unforgiving, seventeenth Century world and telling it beautifully. I was captivated by the stark differences between the lives of the aristocracy and the favoured few, when compared to the hand-tomouth existence of the poor serfs and peasants. The two main characters were beautifully rounded and filled out, as the story progressed. We watched them both come to manhood, wrestle with some great moral issues and ultimately make decisions based on the collective good, be that the tribe, the country, or the boys’ companions. The serendipities that abounded in this story were the key to its success. As Luca and Nicolo roamed the European countryside they were constantly coming into contact with people who were linked in some way to both the boys’ lives. This ensured a wonderful continuity and balance to the two, story arcs. An historical fiction that teaches us something about a world we knew little of before is a large part of the key to a successful tale. The music, that was such a key to the renaissance, is also a major part of this tale and my knowledge of it and of European geopolitical history of the time, was, in many ways, a side revelation, to the compelling story of these two boys. I absolutely adored this book and this author’s creative mind. I will definitely be looking for more from him and cannot recommend this book highly enough.