The Tears of the Salamander by Peter Dickinson is about a young boy named Alfredo who has a love of music and singing, but even more so of his family and helping his father, who is a baker, tend to the fiery ovens of his bakehouse. After a tragic event that killed his immediate family, he was taken in by his mysterious uncle, Giorgio, who lived at the foot of a mountain. What takes place on that mountain changes Alfredo's life forever, as he's swept up in an adventure of magic, alchemy, and the mythical salamanders who live and sing truths within the fires of the earth. As far as the story goes, it isn't exactly original, but it is told in an original way. Alfredo's uncle wants to use him in order to achieve what he calls "The Second Great Work." He had already achieved the "First Great Work," which was elemental transmutation (the ability to change one element into another, like turning lead into Gold and such). The "Second Great Work" is what Giorgio calls the "Elixir of Life," which allows a mortal to become immortal--to live forever. I've read books and watched movies and anime on these subjects before, but the way The Tears of the Salamander tells it is interesting, as it incorporates music into the story in an imaginative way. (You'll see what I mean if you read it for yourself--I don't wanna spoil it for you.)As far as cons, the book had a few typographical errors in it, but nothing that made me completely oblivious to its intent. It also had a few repetitious descriptions, but considering this is meant to be read by persons in the middle school level, I let it slide. Ultimately, I give this book four out of five stars. I would easily recommend it to my close friends, and to anyone who enjoys the subjects of magic, alchemy, and music, especially singers, who will immediately be able to sympathize and relate to Alfredo's love of singing and music, and will most appreciate the way music is used throughout as a theme to control various elemental forces. :)
I liked this book, in a sort of meh, formulaic, isn't-this-nice-but-not-all-that-exciting sort of way. The writing was lovely, but I just didn't find myself emotionally invested in the story. At all. And for some strange reason, I spent the entirety of the story just waiting, breathlessly, for the other shoe to drop. I was absolutely convinced that at any moment, (view spoiler)[it was going to turn out that the salamanders were evil, and that Uncle Giorgio (against all odds) was actually a sweet old man, and that Alfredo was being LED ASTRAY BY FIRE ANGELS!!!!! (hide spoiler)]
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I really loved this book. The concept of salamanders controlling the element of fire, is not a new one, but it fit into this story nicely. I loved that the boys with good true hearts were able to trimuph over their uncle and father even though they were never trained to use their gifts and had to learn from him and each other what was right to do with their gift of singing and see that he was moving in the wrong direction with his gift. I flew through this novel.
—Elizabeth
True confession: part of my collection development job in the children's library is to periodically run a list of things that haven't been checked out in several years and decide if they're worth keeping (the library is simply not big enough to keep everything forever - the shelves are PACKED). Some things are easy to get rid of (falling apart, dated, obscure), others are easy to keep (authors or titles I know and love) and still others fall into the middle. How do I decide if it's worth keeping? This one fell into that category, and here's the confession part - I checked it out to myself, knowing that would take it off the list for a few more years. And if I check something out, I have to read it. I do this sometimes - little book rescues. Usually it's with those titles that I know I liked as a kid, but I'd never actually read any Peter Dickinson before this. But I thought I'd give him a try, mostly on the basis that he's married to Robin McKinley, of my Favorite Ever Authors.The results were mixed - it's a slow story to get into, set in southern Italy some unspecified historical period, with a main character who's interesting but not particularly distinct apart from his passion for music. The writing is evocative but never lets you get too close to things - accomplished but not gripping. The plot was compelling and the quality of the magic tied in nicely with the setting. I might recommend it to fantasy readers who enjoy setting and mood more than characters - but I wouldn't fight to keep it in the collection if no one else checks it out in the next three years.Source: my library
—Jess
