First published 2013
Flaminio Scala calls himself the most courageous man in Christendom, but he leads a motley band of performers across seventeenth-century Italy. His troupe includes Armanda, a dwarf who left the convent behind, the talkative Columbina, the penny-pinching Pantalone, and cruel Brighella. They perform their commedia dell'arte routines wherever they can find an audience, from grand palaces to humble village squares. Each performer brings their own quirks and troubles to the group, yet they function as a theatrical family of sorts. Then Isabella arrives to take charge of the company. None of them expects what this enigmatic woman will bring to their world. As the new boss asserts her authority, the troupe must navigate the changes she demands while continuing their travels through Italy's diverse landscape of wealth and poverty.
Genres: drama, literary-fiction, family-life, historical-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: ensemble-cast, found-family
Setting: Italy
Period: 17th-century
154 pages · Paperback · Open Road Media