I had high hopes for "The Medici Boy", which some might dismiss as another tip of the hat to the success of "The Girl With The Pearl Earring". And at first, I was down for it. The plotting is strong, the protagonist easy to empathize with, and yet, he is not the inspiration for Donatello's "David". That honor is left to one who is being geared up as a major antagonist in the piece. The moment when I realized I couldn't read this book any longer, was when I came to a brutal scene graphically depicting the burning of a sodomite and child molester. It brought up so many conflicting emotions, was so distasteful and dark... It feels like massive foreshadowing, and not particularly subtle foreshadowing at that. I feel a dread for these characters and am not going to read through the countless pages to get to the carnage which is sure to come.