Stravaganza: City of Masks

A gravely ill teenage boy discovers a magical Italian notebook that transports him to Bellezza, a parallel-universe version of Renaissance Venice. There, he becomes a Stravagante, a traveler between worlds, and must help save the city's Duchessa from deadly political assassins.

In modern-day London, 16-year-old Lucien Mulholland is undergoing painful treatments for cancer. His father gives him a beautiful, leather-bound Italian notebook to use as a journal, which serves as a magical talisman. Whenever Lucien falls asleep holding the book, his mind travels to Talia, a parallel world similar to 16th-century Italy.

In Talia, Lucien emerges healthy and strong in Bellezza, the counterpart to Venice. He takes the local name Luciano and finds a show more vibrant, dangerous city of canals, silks, and political intrigue. The powerful and ruthless Di Chimici family seeks to control Talia and is trying to overthrow the Duchessa of Bellezza. Signor Rodolfo, a scientist-magician and fellow Stravagante, takes Lucien under his wing, while Lucien befriends a brave local girl named Arianna.

Lucien becomes deeply entangled in plots to murder the Duchessa and uncover traitorous conspiracies. Lucien must carefully balance his dual life and decide whether to risk his only way back to England to save his newfound home. show less

Love. So much love. STRAVAGANZA: CITY OF MASKS was such a surprise. I read the summary, and was like “yea, it sounds good”, but oh man…it was so much more than good. This book had me trapped in its story from the first word and I was so content by the end of the epilogue. Happy little sigh and clutching the book to my chest? Yupp, that was me.

Basically, our main character Lucien is bedridden from chemo treatments to try and cure his brain cancer. His father gives him a book, and suddenly when he sleeps, he finds himself in an alternate Italy (called Talia) in a different time period. When he sleeps in Talia, he’s back in his own modern England. In Talia, Lucien is swept up in court intrigue – politics, murder plots, long show more buried secrets and kidnappings. The stuff adventures are made out of.

While I’m still not quite 100% sure I understand exactly how the Stravagation (moving back and forth in place and time) in the book is supposed to work, I don’t even care. The exact science is not needed when it is a part of a story that encompasses so much detail, emotion and wonderful characterization. The Talia that our main character Lucien Stravagates too is so alive – I felt like I knew its canals, its islands, buildings and peoples. I could picture the fireworks, see the outfits and masks, the bright colours and the architecture – such amazing worldbuilding. I was emotionally invested in this place and the people. The Duchessa who loves her city and will do anything for it, Arianna who wants only to be a mandolier (rows the boats in the canals) but finds so much more waiting for her in the city of Bellezza, and Rodolfo who takes in, cares for and teaches our main character Lucien, unwittingly signing up for more adventure than he could ever want.

I loved Lucien. I wanted to just hug him and tell him everything is going to be ok. He is so strong. Not only is he dealing with cancer in his own world and time, he fully immerses himself in Talia and does everything he can to help out his friends there. By the epic climax, my heart was breaking for him. Lucien has his choice taken away from him, and it’s just…I was so sad for him, and yet so happy at the same time. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain without giving it all away.

STRAVAGANZA: CITY OF MASKS is full to the brim of the stuff that good stories are made out of – mystery, intrigue, royals, a hero, dimension hopping, alternate worlds, characters you can fall in love with and ones you want to be best friends with, amazing detail in the world-building and writing that just pulls you in and wrenches every emotion it can out of you. Though it’s the first book in a series, it stands so well on its own and the ending was just – everything I could have hoped for. Highly recommended!

Originally posted: http://thekams.wordpress.com/2011/07/19/stravaganza-city-of-masks-by-mary-hoffma... show less

While City of Masks might not be a particularly revolutionary work, or the best thing ever, or anything, I find that it is a thoroughly enjoyable read, with a lot that appeals about it. While it is technically a YA novel, I feel that it doesn't really stick to the YA tropes, though the central character is a teenager, and thus I like to recommend it to people that don't generally care for YA novels.

The basic premise of the novel and the rest of the Stravaganza series is that William Dethridge, while attempting alchemy in the 16th century, discovered a way to travel to an alternate universe Venice, called Bellezza. This alternate universe is very similar to our own, but with a few specific divergences - the most prominent in City of show more Masks are the shift of major Italian personages: the Doge of Venice is here traditionally a Duchess, the de Medici family are known as the de Chemicis. But, also, there are other things, like Christianity being less prominent, science involving actual magic, and silver being valued more than gold.

People who can travel from one world to the other (through the use of talismans brought from the destination world) are known as Stravagantes, and Lucian becomes one when his father finds a marbled notebook at a construction site and brings it home to him. Lucian has cancer and is bedridden; the notebook is meant not only as a pretty present, but as a way for Lucian to communicate, because he is too weak to speak at first. One day he falls asleep while holding the notebook after being read to from a book about Venice, and when he awakens, he is in Bellezza.

City of Masks follows several plot threads: what is happening to Lucian in modern-day London; the intrigues of the de Chemici family against the Duchessa; the adventures of Arianna, the first girl Lucian meets in Bellezza; and how Lucian settles into Bellezza as Luciano. The primary thread that ties everything together, from the Duchessa to her lover the head senator and scholar Rodolfo to Arianna and her family &c is the one involving the de Chemicis, who want to take control of Bellezza, preferably by killing the Duchessa.

Along with the intrigue and adventure in the story (and the fantasy elements), there is a touch of romance, but not so much to feel out of place or overwhelming, like with Shannon Hale's novel Enna Burning. In fact, one of the things I like about City of Masks is that the plot feels very balanced and everything happens in a very satisfying way, without being too obvious early on or too bluntly done or whatever. It's very enjoyable and I've read it several times since I first discovered it without growing tired of it.

My only concern about recommending this book freely is that Lucian is dying of cancer in his "real" life, and that might be difficult for some people. On the other hand, the ending is totally happy and satisfying, so it might be worth reading for that. I tend to forget about the dying of cancer part when I recommend the book to others, but having just finished another reread, that bit is fresh in my mind right now. show less

Quite a good read about a young boy with cancer who finds escape through a book to another world and a mirror of Venice, Bellezza. When he becomes embroiled in the politics of that city and the Duchessa he finds that he's integral to the saving of the city.

Interesting and full of personalities and adventure.

Mary Hoffman's Stravaganza: City of Masks has a little bit of everything for everyone. The hero, a London Boy named Lucien who is combatting the side effects of chemotherapy, is given a leatherbound notebook from Venice his father found in an old attic one day. He inadvertently falls asleep with it in his hand and his transported to Venice of the 16th century. But oddly enough, this is not the 16th century of his world, but of a parallel dimension. And even odder than that, he seems to be healthy and whole in this other dimension. Hoffman has successfully woven a gripping adventure tale, a fantastical/historical portrait of the romantic city of Venice and a moving story of a boy and his family dealing with cancer all into one fast show more paced, original children's novel. I show less

Nope.  Instead of focusing on the characters, or the magic, or even the world-building, Hoffman tries to insert drama by adding political intrigue.  But we hardly know which side to root for, because all the ppl with power are jerks with secrets.  So even if you like intrigue more than I do, I don't think that is what would make you like this book.  Otoh, I don't know what does make some ppl like it.  I read the glowing reviews, and even though I did get to p. 154 without getting totally angry at the time I was wasting, I just don't understand the appeal.  Also, I don't think any of the covers are right for it, but especially not the ones that show the close-up of a model's face.

A hero who is terminally ill is an unusual premise for teen literature and it added a layer of unpredictability to this story of a life spent alternately in contemporary London and in the early modern equivalent of Venice from an alternate universe. The intrigue of the period is captured convincingly and the parallel world accommodates a fine disregard for inconvenient historical details. Good as the writing is, however, the very best thing about this book is its ingenious cover with the pierced dustjacket forming a mask for the eyes printed on the boards.