From the Publisher
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
Booklist
[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.
Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
Rich in historical detail… fans of historical fiction will find Italy’s Renaissance fascinating.
Elizabeth Wein
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.
Booklist
[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.
Kirkus Reviews
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)
