This is a historical fiction about an orphaned boy named Moses in 18th century Switzerland who finds himself castrated against his will to preserve his beautiful singing voice. He is in love with a wealthy local girl and of course this cannot be for obvious reasons. I sympathized with Moses and liked him as well as his supporting cast of monks but near the end of the book they did some pretty nasty things to other characters that was not, in my mind, justified. This book has been compared to an opera and I can see this. It's a bit over the top and some characters are quite dramatic. Not bad, but not a keeper for me.

After reading "The Secret Daughter" I needed another fiction that was as enjoyable and I found it in this historical fiction. It's a story of love and friendship of a gifted singer name Moses who becomes an orphan at an early age and is adopted by two monks who becomes his friends for life and under whose care he discovers his voice as well as love of his life, both he loses and find again.

In a time when the church was the centre of every town and the bells called the faithful to worship, Moses Froben was born in a bellfry to a deaf/mute mother. The circumstances of Moses’ birth are as mysterious as the story he is telling his son about his own conception. The narration takes us from the point of Moses’ expulsion from his village, to his rescue and life in a monastary, through to Vienna and his success as a singer. Unfortunately, everything comes at a cost and Moses unwillingly pays the highest price for the gift of his voice … he is made a castrati. This book has been compared to “reading” an opera, and although I am not an opera fan I can definitely see the comparisons. The compelling story which leads to moments of extreme happiness and moments of heartwrenching dispair. An aria sung by a soprano and an orchestral crescendo would be most appropriate at those moments.