Florenzer

In this inviting debut, Melanson reconstructs Renaissance Florence through intersecting stories of artist Leonardo da Vinci, banker Lorenzo de’ Medici, and priest Francesco Salviati. The reader meets Leonardo in 1471 when he’s an apprentice, lacking the confidence to pursue his own commissions. Lorenzo, meanwhile, has inherited his family’s failing banking business, and he follows his mother’s counsel as he tries to hold onto their power and influence. Francesco, a cousin of a rival family, is an impoverished priest at a small Roman parish. The ascension of Pope Sisto IV opens new possibilities for Francesco and Lorenzo in their moments of doubt. Francesco angles for a promotion to archbishop, while Lorenzo is eager to fund the pope’s endless building campaigns. Meanwhile, Leonardo works on his first commission, for Lorenzo’s brother’s mistress. He quells his insecurity by spending nights with sex worker Iac, who’s saving up for his goldsmith registration. As the plot unfolds, Lorenzo opposes Francesco’s promotion out of competition with the Salviatis, and Leonardo and Iac are charged with sodomy. What makes the narrative so approachable is the way it captures these historical figures before their glory, when they’re dogged by the universal and timeless fear that they were born too late and won’t be remembered. Melanson’s immersive tale is worth a look. Agent: Chad Luibi, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (June)