Gypsy Madonna

INTRODUCTION"I expected to find the provenance of the Titian. I never expected to find myself."On her deathbed, Mischa Fontaine's French mother, Anouk, reveals a momentous secret to her son. For more than three decades she has been in possession of an uncatalogued Titian painting known as The Gypsy Madonna, a priceless work that she is donating to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in their adopted home of New York City.Anouk's revelation sends Mischa on a journey into the past. Shadowed by memory, he recalls his childhood in a war-torn village in Bordeaux, the disappearance of his German father, the townspeople whose hatred of him and his mother escalated into a violent encounter that rendered him mute, and the sprawling chateau where Anouk worked as a hotel maid. He also remembers Coyote Magellan, an enigmatic American guest at the chateau, who fell in love with Anouk and freed Mischa from his silence. The three journeyed to Coyote's home in America, where Anouk and Mischa began an enchanted new life...until the day Coyote mysteriously vanished.Hoping to determine the provenance of The Gypsy Madonna, Mischa returns to Bordeaux in search of answers. Here he uncovers his mother's closely guarded secrets, learns precious details about the two fathers who abandoned him, and rediscovers the one person who can free him from a cynical and lonely life.QUESTIONS & TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION1. In the Prologue, Mischa reveals that he is angry with his mother for never having told him about her Titian. Why does Anouk not share this secret-as well as several other important aspects about her past-with Mischa, especially in light of their close relationship? Does Mischa eventually come to understand what drove his mother to keep these secrets? Why do you think Anouk held on to The Gypsy Madonna for so many years?2. Discuss the novel's narrative structure, which shifts between the present and the past. How does this technique allow the author to heighten the suspense in the story? In what ways does it offer further insight into the characters, Mischa in particular?3. Why do the townspeople of Maurilliac, including those at the chateau, treat Anouk and Mischa with such disdain? Is their behavior justified in any way? Why does Anouk insist on attending Mass even though it means enduring the hostility of the villagers and Pere Abel-Louis?4. Why does Coyote's presence in Maurilliac and his public support of Anouk and Mischa change their standing in the town? What is it about Coyote that has such a powerful effect on the people around him? What does Mischa derive from his relationship with Coyote?5. "It was a few moments before I realized that the angelic voice was my own," recalls Mischa about once again being able to speak, an occurrence he attributes to Coyote's "magic." Why does Mischa get his voice back? How does he overcome the psychological factors that have rendered him mute for more than four years? What part does Coyote play in bringing this about?6. How does the behavior of the townspeople change once Mischa is able to speak? Why are they afraid of him, and how does Mischa use this fear to his advantage?7. Compare Anouk's and Mischa's lives in Maurilliac to how they are received and treated in Jupiter, New Jersey. Even as a six-year-old child, does Mischa understand that he has been given a chance to start a new life?8. Why does Coyote not reveal his whereabouts to Anouk and Mischa after he disappears? How does his disappearance compare to Dieter Schulz's or other traumatic events such as their near murder in the Maurilliac town square? What is the significance of Anouk's continuing to set a place for Coyote at the dinner table?9. "I took my mother's love for granted, but I measured myself against his," says Mischa. Why is his self-image so intertwined with his love for and reverence of Coyote?10. What is your overall impression of Coyote? DidMontefiore, Santa is the author of 'Gypsy Madonna ', published 2007 under ISBN 9780743278898 and ISBN 0743278895.