The Assassin

by Thomas Bauer

During the Napoleonic era, Umberto Guardo, a naive son of a baker in an insignificant Italian village, falls under the spell of a radical revolutionary. When the great general himself sets foot in the village, the awe stricken lad is given a task that could alter the course of history. The Assassin portrays an Italy that once was and a small village, isolated and unaware of the world beyond its borders until the unexpected intrusion by the most famous man in the world.

222 pages, Paperback

Published June 16, 2021

Reviews

[Thomas Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I read The Assassin by Thomas Bauer, I laughed and I cried. To read the innocence and indeed stupidity and lack of ambition of a group of twenty-year olds, on wondered if there are any other villages today so apart from the world. I loved the book. It flows beautifully. I turned the pages looking for the assassin and, yes, he was there. I marveled at the speeches of Simone, who frantically tried to capture the interest and enthusiasm of a group of village idiots. Did he realize he was wasting his time, that such personalities had no imagination nor ambition to change their lives? Maybe Umberto was the one exception, but his dreams of becoming rich and bedding the most beautiful women in the nearby city of Novara had no practical plan and zero chance of becoming a reality. I wondered at the innocence, the guile in the excellent characterizations of each young man. They were innocent, cruel, feckless, hard drinking, and not altogether lovable. I felt for the young girls they lusted after and the way they demeaned others for their large size. The village had all the stereotypes, a witch, a bad tempered priest, the hard working artisans despairing of their offspring, the local girl so free with her favors, the mayor who held his position because he was the richest, and all naive enough to be duped by the travelling players selling them bottles of snake oil. I really enjoyed the author's style of writing, tongue in cheek, mocking but with a deeper, almost sinister tone that made me think. Highly recommended. Lucinda E. Clarke