When I first read this as a young ‘un I was barely aware of who Michelangelo was and what he did. This book, although fiction, gave me much reason to be awed by the great Italian painter and sculptor. The passages where I. Stone describes Michelangelo working on the The Pieta or The David are moving and inspiring. Maybe Irving Stone indulges in melodrama – but a big life deserves a big story.

Recommended by Jeeyeon