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Following
the stories of two men castrated to ensure their perfect soprano
voices, Cry to Heaven is a historical novel in 18th
century Italy. Guido Maffeo is castrated at age six and enters
the conservatory. He becomes a star until he loses his voice.
When his voice is gone, he becomes a teacher, searching for
a boy who can fulfil his lost dream. He comes to Venice and
his life is intertwined with Tonio Treshi.
Tonio
is the son of nobility and a beautiful singer. He dreams and
talks of being a singer, but his family scoffs that profession
is for the castrati, not the son of a nobleman. Tonio's family
is complicated, his mother a dark alcoholic who tips between
lunacy and stupor, his brother (Carlo) reportedly disowned
for seducing a common girl.
Tonio
discovers the truth about his brother's sin and turns to his
music to hide his fear and confusion. Tonio half-chooses and
is half-forced into castration and begins a lifelong plot
to take revenge on Carlo. He realises at Guido's conservatory
what has happened to him and refuses to sing. Guido is tormented
by Tonio withholding his voice, but Tonio leaves the conservatory
anyway.
Yet
Tonio finds that he now has no place to belong and that his
power is building. He returns and begins to sing. His two
sides, dark revenge and heroic song, battle for control. Tonio
begins his journey of stardom and decadence, achieving no
balance in his life. His sexuality proves to be a source of
great complexity, confusion, and promise. The minute Tonio
has sorted out his life and is finally happy, he hears his
mother has died and his time has come to confront Carlo.
Source:
annerice.com
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