Voltaire's Calligrapher

Title: Voltaire's Calligrapher

Author: Pablo de Santis

Pages: 149

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Dalessius is a 20-year-old calligrapher in France in around 1762. At the time, France is split between Enlightenment, which is championed by Voltaire and his writings, and the Church, peddling miracles that often turn sinister. Dalessius is trained in calligraphy at one of the best schools but is stuck taking shady jobs until he is sent to Ferney where he ends up as Voltaire's calligapher. Voltaire is getting quite old and sends Dalessius to be his eyes and ears on the ground and to try and infiltrate the Church. He befriends a retired executioner and is exposed to all sorts of creepy mechanical automatons as he attempts to expose the Church.

My Review: As I'm sure my synopsis shows, I had a hard time grasping this book and I found it a little bit confusing. I really enjoyed the style and the story and have added Pablo de Santis other novel, The Paris Enigma to my list.