I took a while, but now I want to give my rating to this story (original review was without a rating, December 2011)The story begin and 1746 and Christopher... ok, right there. My first problem. Why an Italian character would be named Christopher? The story didn't told me if for some reason Chris parents would not give Italian name to their son, so well, I didn't take it as an error, but just as something I would like to know why.
So... anyway, going on with my review, Christopher is not a normal human. At his 25 birthday he will understand he can heal using a strange power. He has some energetic tendrils that can enter and probe in human bodies, and doing it he can see everything, and of course, cure people. He will do it, saving his beloved nephew, but doing it he will be cursed and cast out his family house.
It's a very touch story, because the main character is always trying to have it again... have a family. Chris will find some comfort from a woman, Abby, but even if he would like to, he can't desire her sexually. He is gay.
What really made almost stop reading was the fact something very inaccurate about Italian past piss me off. I want to clarify it's my personal view.
As I said before, Chris is growing up in Italy, 1746, and it's his 25 birthday. His mother (still not knowing about his power from "devil") is a very loving mother. She said something... that made me want to punch her in the face.
She is Italian... I think... I mean, the main character thinking or talking never told me she from another origin.
She is from Naples, and it's 1746, so Italy is not unified. Click here please and look. It's a wikipedia link, so yes, very accessible.
Look, very carefully this statement
"Due to the Italian Peninsula's history of fragmentation and colonization by foreign powers (especially France, Spain and Austria-Hungary) between the fall of the Western Roman Empire and unification in 1861, there was considerable linguistic diversification.
It was the effort of Tuscan poets Petrarch and Dante Alighieri , during Italian Renaissance, that start to create the modern Italian, the language I speak today.
I know, boring history story... sorry guys, I'll get to the point... so well, it was happening in 1746? A language was created and was trying to be used in all the peninsula, but guys, still today it's not like that... Italy has dialects, and some regions are very proud and use it still in the modern days. I mean, it still happen today, of course in 1746 a Neapolitan mother would use the dialect of Naples... and guess what... it's not even close to Spanish, the language she used.
Chris mother said: "mi amor"
and it's completely wrong because:
1) It's Spanish (she is not Italian? It's not clear, but the story made me think she is, so why use Spanish?)
2) I can understand if it's an error. Certainly it's not the first time Spanish is confused with Italian, the modern language (that BTW is "amore mio") BUT she is from Naples, and it's 1746... so I have no doubt, she would say: 'o core mio .
It's the Naples dialect.
Can I give a low rating for just this error? Sorry, but I think so.
I must admit I can see it because well, for obvious reasons, living and Italy I can tell if it's Italian or Spanish (BTW I'm Brazilian, before someone say I'm a Italian Bitch, being bitchy about something so little). I stay for a long period in south Italy, and have some parents from there I still talk, so yes, they are proud of their origin, and yes, they speak dialect inside their house. it's a common practice, and I saw my sister-in-law more than one time talking to her son in dialect.
It's just, Italians are very proud of their origins, and I think if this amazing culture is used in a book it should be precise. I'm not saying it should have a long and boring description of the Italian way of life in 1746, but if it's there, and it's important enough to the character sadness, why It can't be right? Why it must have such error (if it's an error... I repeat, maybe she is Spanish but it should be more clear).
I like this book, the romance is wonderful, the "superpower" Chris and other humans have are VERY interesting... I liked it, but I can't give more than 2 stars.
Unfortunately I didn't enjoy it so well, 2 stars is my final rating.
