I don't even think I ever thought about someone actually posing for the "David," but the author makes up a story about a lad who does. You have to love Gabriele and though he is not the most moral guy, some are worse. This wasn't to bad for a book bought at the Dollar Tree. ( )

Yet another fantastic historical fiction book from Mary Hoffman, this one set between 1501 and 1504. The book centres around naive Gabriele who has just arrived in the city of Florence where politics divide the city into warring factions, resulting in bloodshed and murder. Drawn into the intrigue, Gabriele poses for Michelangelo’s now world famous statue of David.

The identity of the real David is unknown, but Hoffman has crafted a believable tale around the story that well could have been. I think the cover is fantastic. There is also a contents page, historical notes which help to ground the story, a glossary and an acknowledgements page. There is a list of characters included which I only discovered at the end. My only criticism is that I wish this list had been placed at the start of the book! Another great read. ( )