A review by courtsd
Verdigris by Michele Mari

adventurous challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is told by a 13 year old boy called Michelino in 1969, who's living on his grandfather's country estate. He befriends the groundskeeper, Felice, an unfortunate man with a wine-coloured birthmark across his face, covered in warts with a wrecked nose and eyes that are glued together with resin. Felice is losing his memory and Michelino becomes fascinated by trying to piece together his history and help him remember. The story has a bit of everything from French red slugs to Nazis, Russians and partisans. In the original book, Felice speaks in dialect, and this is brought across in the translation. I'd recommend if you want something different, a boy's adventure story with some fascinating language thrown in.