Da Vinci's Tiger

by L. M. Elliott

Overview

For fans of rich and vivid historical novels like Girl with a Pearl Earring and Code Name Verity, Laura Malone Elliott delivers the stunning tale of real-life Renaissance woman Ginevra de' Benci, the inspiration for one of Leonardo da Vinci's earliest masterpieces. 

The young and beautiful daughter of a wealthy family, Ginevra longs to share her poetry and participate in the artistic ferment of Renaissance Florence but is trapped in an arranged marriage in a society dictated by men.

The arrival of the charismatic Venetian ambassador, Bernardo Bembo, introduces Ginevra to a dazzling circle of patrons, artists, and philosophers. Bembo chooses Ginevra as his Platonic muse and commissions a portrait of her by a young Leonardo da Vinci.

Posing for the brilliant painter inspires an intimate connection between them, one Ginevra only begins to understand.

In a rich and vivid world of exquisite art with a dangerous underbelly of deadly political feuds, Ginevra faces many challenges to discover her voice and artistic companionship—and to find love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062231710
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/10/2015
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
Lexile:	880L (what's this?)
File size:	834 KB
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

L. M. Elliott is the New York Times bestselling author of Da Vinci’s Tiger; Under a War-Torn Sky; A Troubled Peace; Across a War-Tossed Sea; Annie, Between the States; Give Me Liberty; Flying South; and Hamilton and Peggy! She lives in Virginia with her family. You can visit her online at lmelliott.com.

Editorial Reviews

An exquisitely detailed story of the passionate relationship between artist and muse, whose spirited yet gentle Renaissance heroine put me in awe of just how far women have had to come in 500 years. Beautifully painted. — Elizabeth Wein, Michael L. Printz Honor winner and New York Times bestselling author of Code Name Verity

“Elliott’s novel is thoroughly researched, portraying three-dimensional characters in a lively atmosphere of love and art. Renaissance Florence breathes through this book, bringing readers to a fuller understanding of the portrait, the era, and an indomitable young woman.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Rich in historical detail… fans of historical fiction will find Italy’s Renaissance fascinating.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

“Elliott meticulously researched the 15th century to bring alive the affluence, art, and clothing Florence was known for. In many ways, this intriguing novel is a feminist piece. Add this gem to round-out collections skewed toward 20th century history.” — School Library Journal

“[T]he independent female narrator and the richly drawn portrait of Italian culture will attract history buffs and artists alike to this story behind da Vinci’s first-known painting.” — Booklist

From the Publisher

[T]he independent female narrator and the richly drawn portrait of Italian culture will attract history buffs and artists alike to this story behind da Vinci’s first-known painting.

Booklist

Rich in historical detail… fans of historical fiction will find Italy’s Renaissance fascinating.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

An exquisitely detailed story of the passionate relationship between artist and muse, whose spirited yet gentle Renaissance heroine put me in awe of just how far women have had to come in 500 years. Beautifully painted.

Elizabeth Wein

[T]he independent female narrator and the richly drawn portrait of Italian culture will attract history buffs and artists alike to this story behind da Vinci’s first-known painting.

Booklist

With this Renaissance-period novel, L.M. Elliott explores the brilliant world of upper-crust Florence, and the gilded cage it was for women. Narrator Elizabeth Wiley does a solid job for the majority of the narration, but when she gives voice to Ginevra de' Benci, she uses a high-pitched, aggressively girlish voice. Since Ginevra is the main character of the novel, this approach makes much of it a difficult listen. For some listeners, this character voice may not be a problem. But others will find it grating and immensely distracting from the fascinating world of Renaissance Italy and the life of Ginevra—particularly where it intersects with Leonardo da Vinci— which is described so well by Elliott. J.L.K. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2016 - AudioFile

2015-08-05
In politically turbulent Renaissance Florence, the admirer of a beautiful, married noblewoman changes her life when he commissions a young Leonardo da Vinci to paint her portrait. Ginevra de' Benci, 17, spends her dull marriage to an older wool merchant reading, writing poetry, and socializing. She benefits from her family's long-standing ties to the Medicis, especially Lorenzo, who introduces her to Bernardo Bembo, the handsome ambassador from Venice. Smitten, he commissions her portrait from rising artist Leonardo. Vows of platonic love notwithstanding, Ginevra finds Bernardo's lusty pursuit anything but abstract. It's Leonardo, who engages her as an equal, who attracts her, however. Readers will learn much about 15th-century Florence, but meticulous research does not make a novel. For that, characters are needed whose desires, fears, gifts, and foibles drive the story, whom readers can believe in and care about. In the confusing prologue, Ginevra addresses modern readers, explaining her portrait's significance in an art-historical précis. Thereafter, brief spurts of dialogue are separated by long paragraphs of unleavened exposition as Ginevra steps out of character to offer historical analyses and tangential facts, such as how left-handedness has been treated over centuries. The book's second half may well engage readers willing to hang on that long. Not credible as fiction, but the bonanza of fascinating details about life in Renaissance Italy has appeal. (Historical fiction. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews