From the British author of the Amazing Grace books comes a novel, the first in a trilogy, about a teen stricken with brain cancer who travels between two worlds. In modern-day London, Lucien Mulholland undergoes chemotherapy treatments, but when he falls asleep clutching a mysterious book his father has given him, he is transported, or "stravagated," to an enchanting 16th-century Venice-like city called Bellezza, in the country Talia.

Lucien can return only if he can get hold of the book again. In this colorful other world, rich with court intrigues and magic, he feels vibrantly alive, as opposed to his pain-ridden days back in England; his hair has grown back and he eats with relish. Bellezza is also where, as "Luciano," he meets lovely 15-year-old Arianna and Rodolfo, who created the book that acts as Lucien's "stravagation" talisman. Rodolfo explains that a stravagante is "a wanderer between worlds," and also the history of this magical travel. Now the secret brotherhood dedicated to keeping the two worlds separate is being challenged by a faction with evil intent. Soon "Luciano" is caught up in their power struggle and learns there is a cost when one cannot stravagate properly.

The Renaissance backdrop sets an elegant mood for the time-travel toggling. This complex, at times slow-moving and somber story line may disturb some middle-graders, but the novel will likely intrigue more sophisticated readers, especially with its undercurrents of sexual tension.

This looks really fun. Thanks for sharing!

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My mother has borrowed this one. I doubt she'll journal it, but she may return it to me when she finishes. (I hope she does, since I didn't get to read it first)

This was returned to me today. My mother reports that she enjoyed it enough to be interested in reading the next in the series, but didn't think it was as good as the critics seemed to think. I'm going to be starting it soon.

I'm surprised at the rave reviews that this book received. I found the fantasy world and the connections to real world Italy interesting, but the characters rather uncompelling and the story rather predictable. The book has a fairly elementary version of time/space travel in which characters can travel between the fantasy world and the real world (the stravaganza of the book's title) and the fantasy world has similarities to the modern world. I liked the way that the fantasy world had magic interwoven into a historical setting without falling into cliches of dragons and wizards.

Perhaps the series improves and readers are willing to forgive the flaws in the first book? I'm interested enough to keep an eye out for the second of the series, but I won't be rushing out to buy it immediately.

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Sent to nikel27 in Germany.

arrived safe at my house, thanks for sharing

update:
Great read, thanks for sharing with me.

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Sent out via BookObsessed May Exchange 2010, enjoy the book & chocolate

now here is another of those weird times when I'm almost sure I did a JE before to then realize there isnt one made. Oh well

loved the chocolate and the books looking forward to reading this one, already bumped it on mt ybt ist.

thank you nikel