|
|
| Plot Summary of The Legacy |
|---|
"The Legacy opens in the autumn of 1328. Francesco Guidi, the posthumous son of Alessandro count of Romena, is a disinherited, landless nobleman who is in the struggle of his life with his uncle, Tommaso da Porciano, for control of the Romena patrimony, a holding of rich lands, castles and roads leading to Florence. Tommaso seized control of the patrimony after the death of Francesco's father and refused to give up control when Francesco came of age. The struggle has made Francesco desperate to the point of making compromises with enemies just as deadly as Porciano – the Bishop of Florence and his Guidi cousins of the castle of Battifolle. His alliance with them ends in disaster with a complete route in battle for control of Castello di Romena and the murder of Francesco's mistress, Gismonda.
Francesco turns to his mother, the dowager contessa di Romena, a woman on the brink of insanity because of her war against Porciano. Francesco also gains the support of Porciano's disgruntled son, Gian Maria, and together they force a tentative peace with Porciano. Francesco claims his inheritance and goes to Florence. En route, he meets a young girl named Serafina and is beguiled; she is the daughter of his father's business partner, however, and she is engaged to be married. Serafina's father prevents her involvement with Francesco by sending her off to be married and threatening Francesco's life. If this is not enough, Francesco discovers a new enemy, his cousin the priest Azzelino Alberti. Azzelino wants a slice of the Romena patrimony to call his own. To complicate matters, he is a childhood friend of Serafina who is infatuated with her.
When Francesco blocks all of Azzelino's maneuvers, Azzelino and Francesco go to battle. Francesco escapes with his life and after a short stay in exile, returns to take control once more. He is ready to settle for a quiet life when Serafina also returns to Florence, but widowed. Despite the fact that Francesco has promised to marry Azzelino Alberti's sister in exchange for lands and castles bordering his own, and to keep the peace within the family, fate inevitably intervenes and brings Francesco and Serafina together again. On the evening he is supposed to marry the Alberti girl, Francesco meets Serafina at a monastery outside Florence and marries her. His impetuosity starts another war between the branches of the Guidi family and their partisans. In this final struggle, Francesco discovers that the only people he can trust are Serafina and himself."
Elen Ekstrom, Resident Scholar
|
|
|
| Review Analysis of The Legacy |
|---|
|
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
|
|
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- distant past/middle ages
Family, struggle with
Yes
Struggle with:
- inheritance
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- Prince/Nobleman/King
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric/Mental
Yes
Eccentric:
- obsessed
- emotionally unstable
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Italian
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- Prince/Nobleman/King
Eccentric/Smart/Dumb:
Yes
Eccentric:
- eccentric
- emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a substantial amount
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 8 (a significant amount)
City?
Yes
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
|
|
|
Click here for more information about this book
Ellen Ekstrom Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Elen Ekstrom
SCHOLARS:
| |
Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
Use our site!
Feedback
About us
Most recent discussions:
General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
Suzanne Collins
8:06:02 PM
Ruth Minsky Sender
4:41:47 PM
Deric Longden
4:00:50 PM
Robert Segarra
3:40:14 PM
Cassie Edwards
2:53:28 PM
Lilian Jackson Braun
1:52:00 PM
Jean M. Auel
7:06:16 AM
Patricia Sprinkle
3:07:52 AM
Robert Stanek
2:34:47 AM
Robin Cook
2:00:50 AM
Michael McGarrity
5:03:29 PM
Ray Bradbury
4:31:41 PM
Simon R. Green
1:58:17 PM
Erin Hunters
1:10:47 PM
George W. Bush
6:45:32 PM
Paulo Coelho
5:09:52 PM
L.M. Elliott
11:12:55 AM
Raymond E. Feist
3:57:02 AM
Suzanne Weyn
8:26:52 PM
Lynn and Gilbert Morris
7:15:28 PM
More message boards
|
