5 comments about The Queen's Gambit: A Leonardo da Vinci Mystery.

1. At the court of the duke of Milan, the royal painter and inventor is Leonardo Da Vinci. He has his own studio and apartments in the palace and his apprentices reside there including Dino. Leonardo may be a genius in many things but when it comes to Dino he doesn't have a clue that he is a female. She chose to run away in order to learn from the master himself how to be the best artist she can be at a time when women were nothing more than ornaments.
   
   The French ambassador is in Milan for a treaty signing and the two men vie for a painting by Leonardo. They decide the winner of a living chess game will possess the painting. During a break in the game, the Conte de Ferrara walks away and doesn't return. Dino finds him with a knife in his chest and when Leonardo gets the Duke, he is told that the Conte was the new ambassador to France. The Duke of Milan charges Leonardo with finding the killer a Herculean job because there are hundreds of people staying at the palace and the motives of those that want him dead range from the personal to the political. Dino risks her life to help her teacher.
   
   Fans of historical fiction and historical mysteries will find THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT to their liking. Leonardo Da Vinci comes alive in this tale as a true renaissance man who hunts down criminals, invents a wrist watch and is a great teacher who shows his apprentices the intricacies of painting. Yet in spite of the deep look into the life of the grandmaster, Dino steals the show as she proves to be an able assistant while trying to hide her gender from those close to her.
   
   Harriet Klausner



2. My assumption about a mystery series featuring Leonardo da Vinci conjured up visions of the wise and white-haired Leonardo using his vast years of knowledge and genius to wrestle with mysteries and solve crimes. However, I was delighted to find instead in this book a fresh look at Leonardo as he was in his handsome, russet-haired prime while employed as court engineer to the Duke of Milan.
   
   The book's narrator is Leonardo's young apprentice Dino, whose master is charged by the Duke to solve a murder that occurs during a living chess game that provides the book's motif. Dino is tasked by his Master to undertake various assignments and don several disguises to help Leonardo gather clues, spy on suspects, and uncover dangerous secrets. Along the way, we also learn a surprising secret regarding Dino's true identity.
   
   The narration colorfully evokes Milan during the Renaissance, contrasting the pageantry of court life with an apprentice's lowly station. We follow Dino's unfolding tale through a labyrinth of colorful characters who reveal their all-too-human strengths and failings. As Leonardo is viewed through Dino's eyes, he retains an important element of mystery himself, though we are given enough of his personality and genius, his powers of deduction, and his amazing inventions to make him come alive in this intriguing tale.
   
   My hope when I read any historical mystery is for the setting to be fresh and vivid, to experience the story through appealing characters, to enjoy a page-turning plot, and to learn something fascinatingly new. In all these ways, this well-written book succeeds and provides a delightful read.



3. A captivating mystery novel that unfolds in the magnificent Sforza castle of Renaissance Milan. The fast moving plot is filled with surprising twists and turns, making the book hard to put down. Besides the suspense and intrigue, one feels drawn into a colorful panorama of castle life filled with vivid characters from high ranking nobility to skilled workmen to humble servants. Of greatest interest is the unique life of the genius Leonardo da Vinci with his young apprentices, with details of their everyday tasks of mixing paints, preparing frescos, making brushes and the like. This book is not only a marvelous mystery but also a rich and entertaining cultural experience.



4. From the parenthetical (a Leonardo da Vinci mystery) it seems clear that the publisher and author of this book intend to make it into a franchise. I certainly hope so, because the writing sparkles and really brings to life Renaissance Italy. The book is set in the period of Leonardo da Vinci's life in which he was the chief engineer and artist at the court of Milan. Events are told from the point of view of one of Leonardo's young apprentices, Dino, who has the misfortune to find the dead body of the cousin of the Duke of Milan when he goes missing during a living chess match which has been staged by Leonardo for the entertainment of the court.
   
   Leonardo and Dino interview suspects and search for clues, and we are taken into the world of northern Italian nobility, artisans, and peasantry, as the two investigators turn the castle, the Sforza family crypt, and the town of Milan upside down trying to find the murderer before he or she can kill again. In reading this book, besides being enormously entertained, I learned about the history and strategy of chess, how art was created during the Renaissance, how clothing was made in the Renaissance, how Leonardo da Vinci lived and worked and a host of other things that made the time period come alive for me, which is all you can really ask of historical fiction. I would definitely have given this book 5 stars had the ending not gotten a little too complicated for its own good. And since I fully expect and look forward to reading more from this author a small note to her -- try not to introduce so many paragraphs with the words "So saying..." it was the one distraction in what was otherwise absolutely beautiful writing. I can't wait for more in this series.



5. This is the kind of book that makes you wish not only for a follow-up book, but that you already had it so you could jump right in.
   
   The story, the characters, the setting and the writing are just superb. This is what I picture when I see or hear the phrase "a good book." That's just what it is, a really, really good book. I can't even imagine how you could possibly be disappointed in this book.
   
   One of the little gems of this mystery novel is the realization that there are really 3 mysteries - 2 normal and one more "meta." The first is the whodunit? murder mystery. The second is whether (and how) anyone will discover the secret about the narrator of the book, the apprentice.
   
   The third mystery appears when the author so perfectly captures those moments of belief from the Renaissance ("his humors were out of balance") and the modern reader has the intriguing puzzle of figuring out what's really going on with modern day understanding. They don't detract in any way from the book, but add a wonderfully neat set of minor little, "Hmmm, that's what they used to think back then, but today that'd be..." that reoccur at least 3 or 4 times throughout the story, and just add all the more to enjoyment.
   
   I highly recommend this book, and like all the reviewers to date, hope this is only the beginning of a series.

4 comments about Leonardo Da Vinci and a Memory of His Childhood (Freud, Sigmund, Works.).

1. I'm a graduate student majoring art history. i'd read this essey at April at seminar on Freud i made. i wanna know the interpretation of art not by classical art historian but by psycho-analysis doctor. it's so curious and fantastic to meet this strange world. In that, Freud would explain on genius of Leonardo Da Vinci. 'Passion on completeness made him (Leonardo) left his works unfinished. So to speak, if he is unsatisfied with his, he left them unfinished. And He thought the reason of Leonardo disposition toward homosexual was on his infant period accident. He was fed by Only his mother without Father! to be Absent of Father. And his Oedipus Complex not happen like normal case. He depened on his mother without obstacle-his father. He identified himself with his mom. And when he grew up, he loved boys like him. He took the role of his mom which feed him! His Libido made his investigation on everythins stronger than normal ! So to speak, His primal desire(il primo motore)is changed not as hetero sexual desire but as investigation desire. Frequently, you'd think you meet dogmatic explanation on Leonardo. It's no bad because there are not 'ONLY' truth! ^^ And why dont you check your condition out according to Freudian way?



2. Freud's attempt to apply the concepts and generalisations of psychoanalysis to the Universal Man, Leonardo da Vinci. The formulations reached in the book have now become "pop-Freudian" cliches: the subject was doted on by his mother, neglected by his father and therefore developed a homosexual streak. What occured exactly, according to Freud, was an inordinate Oedipal development in which the subject took his father's domination of the mother as a "de facto" domination (hence prohibition on the father's part) of *all* women and hence it triggered a shift from heterosexual to homosexual tendencies. Freud applies his doctrine of infantile sexuality to address other topics such as Leonardo's prodigious genius, his scientific pursuits and the fact that he left so many works unfinished. The study is speculative and tendentious and, which is more, it is marred by an egregious error in the translation of one of Leonardo's notebooks. Its major shortcoming is its rather reckless and overconfident attempt to reconstruct the psycholgy of a man dead for centuries. For zealous partisans of psychoanalysis only, or for those who have an academic interest in the subject.



3. In this small book Freud takes a mistranslated childhood memory of Leonardo's--one in which a kite (Freud thought it a vulture) opens the baby's mouth with its tail feathers--and makes a case for a genius born out of wedlock left alone too much with his mother, and therefore prone to homosexuality. Lame.

   As always, though, Freud at least arrives in the ballpark, even if he doesn't understand the game. Initial memories are often strangely prophetic, even when constructed out of fantasy; and so perhaps the fantastic kite--known for its interesting flight configurations--suckled the young Leonardo's latent inventive urges, or even symbolized their later expression.

   Note: in this study first appears Freud's use of the term Eros, which he later makes such a fundamental part of his theory.




4. There are a couple of mistakes in this book. Freud translate "nibbio" into vulture instead of kite. He also questions Leonardo's "active" homosexuality, but this was a "well known fact" in Florence. The discussion on repression and sublimation reveals, in my opinion, some limits of his theory as these terms are hard to define. However the discussion on the two paintings, the Monna Lisa and Sant'Anna and the Madonna with the child and on some of the roots of homosexuality is great, and Freud is a great writer.

1 comments about Leonardo and the Flying Boy.

1. Laurence Anholt's series of famous artists always delights my art students with its wonderful drawings, lovely stories, and on target knowledge of art history. Great job.

5 comments about The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (Oxford World's Classics).

1. Leonardo's curiosity and inventiveness are on display throughout this work. I cannot judge the quality of the translation , or how good the Richter edition of the Notebooks is. I can say that this is a tremendous amount of interesting observation and thought regarding the subjects from anatomy to perspective in painting, questions of architecture and aeronautics, that concern the Renaissance Man of Renaissance Men. All of this is in a way too much for another mind certainly one like my own who simply does not know anything about many of the areas Leonardo was interested in to real take in. But I think every person who takes an interest in the human mind and the way it works, in creativity and genius would do well to have and read these works.



2. Inexpensive, but the image quality is terrible, in some cases completely illegible and dark, like poor xeroxes...thus, it's nearly impossible to read or make out details of technical drawibngs.



3. I was hoping that after getting these books, I would learn some secret in art making from the great one, but I found them book very disappointing. Tons of texts and very few explanation.
   
   However, the first volume is worth buying because it's about his drawing and painting theory. Beware they are very advance and i found them very confusing.
   
   The second volume has nothing to do with art but rather pure science (Astronamy, sun, etc).



4. Nothing of Leonardo DAVinci's sketchbooks were published until the 20th century. These are some of the most important documents of the Renaissance, and they did not become known until the 20th century. There are still people who do not know how important this work was. His anatomical studies were a watershed moment, because they introduced visual diagrams as the standard for communicating knowledge of the body and self. This was no more and no less than the conviction that the true knowledge of the shape of any body could only be arrived at by seeing it from different aspects. The truth of the body, the truth of the human being can only be discovered by looking at the body from multiple aspects, like; level, motion, perspective, transformation and growth. He opened up the body, it had always been closed, now its open. Now, what goes on inside the body is going to give us the essence of what it means to be human. It is the internal struggle, the self with the self, within .you. When you look at his sketchbooks, you see just one place where the whole world opens up.
   
   Leonardo DAVinci-- Leonardo DAVinci invented the modern self. He invented the modern self precisely in this way, through the perspective of disappearance. What he tells reality and us about the self is that it only exists by that which is perceived by the eye. Reality is a product of nature; reality is that which we perceive by the eye. Reality is only that by which we can see. Moreover, in his notebooks he gives us another foundational belief about the human subject and its form. That the sound rules are the issue of sound experience and observation. Experience and observation can only be our best teacher. Of course, this is also, what Voltaire is telling us to by the way. The challenge comes when we realize that we are both to the subject observing and the object that is observed. In our search for self, we experience a kind of division between our constitutions as objects and our constitution as subjects. However, when we look at the human form, when we look at the self we find that the body is in harmony with nature, and that it is in harmony within nature. How does DA Vinci make these kinds of claims? Alternatively, how does he ground these kinds of claims with the function of the eye or the power of the eye? Well, one of the ways he does it is thru the camera obscura. Earliest record of use of camera obscura is in DA Vinci's writings. The camera obscura gave birth to the science of optics, the science of seeing. It is with DA Vinci, that the science of seeing became the foundation of self-representation, a representation called the self, thus the representation of the human form. Now DA Vinci embodied his own concept of the painter, as philosophers. He saw painters principally as natural philosophers. To him, nature was all important, absolute, the image of the eternal. In one very significant passage of his notebooks, he defines the relationship of art to nature and its process of evolution. "The painter will produce pictures of small merit, if he takes for his standard the pictures of others. If he will study from natural objects, he will bear good fruit, as was seen in the painters after the Romans always imitating each other until their art constantly declined from age to age. Therefore, this was paramount for him in some ways what he was doing, and thinking was very radical and revolutionary and in other ways, it was very traditional. He appears to be quite a traditionalist, he studied ancient sources, Greeks, medieval sources, he studied anatomy, and these traditions get him to compare the microcosm of the body and the macrocosm of the world. These analogies extend to everything that he attempted to trace, to record and to know about the human form. Comparisons between the arteries in the body and the underground rivers of the earth. The flow of blood to the head in relation to the circulation of water to the summits of mountains. How does blood get to your head? If you want to understand that then understand how water flows up to mountains. Blood when it bursts in the veins of your nose and water rushing out of a vein in the earth. Almost everything that occurs in the human body can be found in the natural world. His interest in these analogies becomes very evident in the notebooks and sketchbooks. Scholars argue that these microcosm and macrocosm analogies are more than outright comparisons that belong to a pre scientific age, they lead him to compare the study of the body and Ptolemy's study of the earth. Consequently to use Ptolemy's method in the geography as the starting point for his own systematic study of anatomy. Therefore, anatomy and geography here become one in DA Vinci's mind. The forms of the earth and those of the human body have a parallel. "Thus in 15 entire figures you will have set before you the microcosm on the same plan as was before me adapted by Ptolemy in his cosmology, and so I shall afterwards divide them into limbs as he divided the whole world into processes. Then, I will speak of the function of each part in every direction putting before your eyes a description of the whole form and substance of man as regards his movements from place to place by means of these different parts. Thus if it please our great author I may demonstrate the nature of men and their customs in a way I describe this figure." Therefore, within the human form and within the kind of intricate details of human anatomy he discovered a way of describing and recording, not only the geographical construction of the natural world, but of Divinity itself. And when you look more closely at the system he devised to study the body, the more carefully you look at his drawings of the human form the more clearly you begin to recognize how strikingly stunningly original it is.
   
   Earlier authors had relied exclusively on verbal descriptions of the human body. The human body had been a verbal entity but he emphasis visual description and some of the illustrations he has to bring visual dimensions to the philosophy of Plato, Aristotle the descriptions put forward by these men he presents in visual terms in these kind of body scapes. In the course of 20 years, roughly from 1489 to the end of his life, he dissected about 19 corpses and became very much obsessed with dissection. He drew these parts of bodies in minute detail every part of the human anatomy, he would draw each piece separately, together and at different angles. He laid out bodies in his drawings to mime classical poses in painting. He is referencing the history of art with the poses and the visual representation of the human subject. It is presented to us that deeply challenge these values of human nature, of life and death of living form and the cadaver it really raises some profound questions. The problem is in order to get to those questions, in order to explore some of the deeper philosophical implications of his work you have to get past the gross factor and the moral and ethical questions that his work raises. He is an artist that works very consciously with the sense of the ethical lines that he is crossing; he is not an artist that wants to make you comfortable. He sees that blood gets in the way of his observations, so he advises that you make a model of the body part and then you draw it. Model making and scientific art go hand in hand for him. You have to reconstruct reality before you can represent it. Therefore, before you can draw what is real you have to make it yourself. One of the most striking features of the notebooks is the manner in which he presents his work to us. There are no criticisms of the shortcomings that he has discovered in earlier authors, he does not boast about his own accomplishments, his writing style is pedagogical, and he is writing a teaching manual with descriptions and advice. Therefore, if you want to draw a lung, here is how you should do it. What he is trying to do is to convey to a larger audience this method of presentation and by representing human form, he relies on diagrams, and his reliance apparently causes some serious problems for the printing presses of the day. It also caused real issues for publishers because of the graphic nature of the work.
   
   This was very important for medicine. He shows us we can separate human emotions and passions from the human body in understanding human form, and what it means to be human. There is a purely clinical dimension and this other dimension of feelings and emotions, and they do not have to come together at all, this is radical.
   
   Thus again, this inside outside, you see it everywhere in his work. Why are we fascinated with the painting of the Mona Lisa? Because of the question we always ask, what is going on inside? The study of the Mona Lisa, it seems to me has always been organized around precisely the question that drove DA Vinci in his research. All his sketches in this obsessive and fanatical devotion to drawing every part of the body in relationship to every other part of the body at multiple levels and multiple perspectives and in motion, outside inside. There is the outside, what is going on inside, isn't that why we are obsessed with this? This painting just demands that we try to find out what is going on underneath. The truth is underneath, behind her smile, something she is keeping from us. Yet she is revealing just enough of it to make us have to find out what is going on inside of her. It is that relationship once again between the inside and the outside.
   
   I read this book for a graduate class in the Humanities. Recommended reading for anyone interested in history, psychology, philosophy, art, and science.



5. I'm not much of a reader and it's not blatantly spelled out in this book's description BUT if you're looking for a book with DaVinci's art DO NOT LOOK HERE!

3 comments about Da Vinci (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists).

1. "Leonardo used what he learned from nature and science to make his paintings look real", p 9

   The young reader will learn about Leonardo's beginnings in Vinci, the time he spent in Florence learning more about painting, his painting years in Milan and his final years of painting in France.

   Leonardo's depictions were noticeable more "alive" than his Renaissance contemporaries. His use of beautiful backgrounds behind the main object of attention makes this a good choice for the young. Their attention will initially be drawn to the main figure in the painting and then will be sustained by the natural settings in the background. His paintings almost appear that they are done while the person being painted in on vacation. The young will intuitively pick up on the relaxed composure of the main figures

   Venezia's illustrations are humorous. His narrative is delightfully entertaining. His approach brings the artist within reach of the young. His illustration of some folks deciphering Leonardo's notes and their findings is cleverly presented.

   The size of the book is perfect for smaller hands. It enables the young to have art within their grasp. Venezia gives the locations of the paintings and as result if the child lives near one of the museums or will be near one on vacation, she/he would be able to see the original.

   This is the 4th in Venezia's "Getting to know the World's Greatest Artist" series. He also has a similar series on composers. Venezia's back cover illustration ties back to the subject. "Mike's portrait was painted by an artist who claims to be a direct descendant of ...".

   The price of the book is well worth paying. The book contains the following: da Vinci's Paintings (10.5), Drawings (8) and Underpainings (2), Venezia's Illustrations - 7, Others' paintings - 1.5.




2. Mike Venezia's books on the greatest artists of all time are off the chain! He make his books more interesting for kids under 10. This one about Italian Renaissance artist Di Vinci is probably one of his famous ones. (Since Di Vinci is famous for his painting called the "Mona Lisa" 1503-1506). This book contains famous paintings (some with details) from Di Vinci including the deteriation of the tempera "The Last Supper" (1498), from the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. Each book includes back cover illustration of Venezia. His books are small steps to learn about each artist. The series also includes Venezia's comic illustrations. In high school art history, the reader will learn more detail about the artists that the author couldn't tell you (like I did).



3. I often have looked for kid-oriented books about art and artists, and usually end up putting them back on the shelf. This series by Mike Venezia was a hit with me (an artist)AND my grandchildren. They're witty but not cutesy, the information in them is actually well and interestingly explained in language a child can understand, and I enjoyed reading them myself!

5 comments about Leonardo Da Vinci: 1452-1519: The Complete Paintings and Drawings (Taschen 25th Anniversary).

1. La serie Basic Art de la Editorial Taschen funciona como introduccion al tema, es una peque?a guia muy ilustrada y condensada para todos aquellos que viven sin tiempo para leer un trabajo mas profundo o solo desea comensar a entender sobre la vida y obra de su pintor favorito, asi que el libro es peque?o pero vale la pena darle una ojeada.

   En esta edicion en ESPA?OL sobre la vida y obra de Leonardo Da Vinci (el personaje m?s fascinante del Renacimiento)la cual esta en el formato de pasta dura(hardcover) nos ense?a las primeras obras del gran maestro del Renacimiento, una cronologia de su vida y muchas ilustraciones de sus pinturas mas conocidas como tambien las que no son parte de un tour y estan en colecciones privadas, es una obra bellisima no es la obra definitiva ya que hay trabajos mucho mas completo sobre su vida e influencia pero si es un buen comienso para entender al famoso y controversial Da Vinci. 96 paginas totalmente ilustrada a color con muchos detalles de pintura y bosetos del pintor asi como sus dotes en otras ramas como la musica la escultura y las ciencias pero esta obra es dedicada por completo a su pintura.Muy recomendado.




2. My coffe table looks good with this on it and people do pick it up when they come over. There are alot of good works of Da Vinci in here though not all of his art is covered. I do like the fact that some of the paintings are broken down, showing the undersketches and practice drawings. I have tried my hand at replicating a few of the drawings and am overwelmed at the quality of the paintings done centuries ago. The skin is luminouse!Hey, come on, it's cheap & fun. Buy it!



3. After a recent trip to Italy I scoured the museums there for some good books on the famous paintings I had just seen. All were much too expensive, given the value of the Euro versus the dollar. So I made a list of the books I liked and vowed to purchase them on Amazon when I returned home. This was one of those purchases.
   
   The book is big (over a foot long, three thumbs thick) and heavy. You won't be taking this to the park to read. Great for a coffee table. There are a good mix of close-ups and detailed shots of Da Vinci's work. The text includes some good history of the works (why they were commissioned, some info about the subjects, etc.). It also showcases some of Leonardo's student's work, which they more or less copied from their teacher.
   
   The book does include some detail about the work themselves and how the time in history impacted the works. My only regret (and why I didn't give it five stars) is that the book doesn't include more text about the details of the works themselves, ala "Da Vinci Code". For example, I'd love more explanation of the symmetry between certain figures or other curious features of Leonardo's work (why is that angelic figure holding its hand like a knife where John the Baptist's head should be in "Madonna of the Rocks"?)
   
   Overall, worth the money for those that enjoy contemplating the works of this Master.



4. I'm going to buy shares in Taschen, I think...
   
   I was pretty darn happy from the moment I pulled this book out of its slipcase. So many well-reproduced illustrations of Leonardo's paintings and drawings and really interesting text too. It's one of my favourite art books in my collection.



5. I've got it for a gift, fast and prompt service helped to make it very special experience.
   Thank you.

3 comments about Leonardo's Machines: Da Vinci's Inventions Revealed.

1. excellent illustrations. this book is a must for anybody contemplating building any of Leonardo's machines. Particularly for school projects. Disappointed that the crossbow wasn't included. Otherwise probably one of the best books available on his machines.



2. I bought this book because I have tickets to see the traveling exhibit, "The Da Vinci Experience", in a couple months. It is a gorgeous book. Each machine covered has copies of the Da Vinci original plans, plus the editor's illustrations breaking the machine into it's components, with the placements of said componenets. Each machine has explanations of how components and the full machine work (or are supposed to work). Also, each machine has a history of Leonardo's drawings, purpose, client or personal notebooks, etc. It's a great book and looks gorgeous. I wouldn't think it would be a how-to for a school project unless the kid/parent had a lot of mechanical experience beforehand. All drawings show "real" components that you'd need a full shop to put together. There are no measurements, per se, just comparative sizes shown in the drawings. In the case of Leonardo's original drawings, it looks like this was deliberate. For example, the book's Introduction tells of Leonardo's problems with Giorgio Tedesco, an assistant of a prominant Medici. He wanted Leonardo to build him wooden models of several inventions. Leonardo successfully argued that he could only give Tedesco the scaled drawings. Historians surmise that Leonardo suspected that Tedesco would take the models back to his country, and take them apart to make full-sized machines out of iron without Leonardo's help. Job security was no laughing matter in the 1500's! Love the book. Can't wait to see the working full-sized (except for the half-size helicopter)models made from the drawings in the exhibition.



3. Facinating book with gorgeous drawings. We bought it for our 8 year old son who has always loved inventing and drawing machines of his own creation and were so impressed with it that we bought a copy to donate to his school library too.

5 comments about Leonardo's Swans: A Novel.

1. This historical novel has a lot to recommend it. The author writes very well; her historical research is thorough and presented in a non-pedantic way; the development of her characters is consistently interesting; her descriptions of works of art and architecture are accurate, well-informed and insightful.
   
   But despite all these strong points, the books has some really annoying qualities. Why is Leonardo da Vinci called "the Magistro?" There's no such word in either Italian or Latin. Why not just call him "the master," or, if the author insists on using Italian, "il maestro?"
   
   My personal preference is for linear writing, so I didn't care for the way the author went backward and forward in time, and sometimes used the present tense and other times the past tense in her prose.
   
   And could someone please explain the mysterious "da Vinci code" embodied in the chapter titles? Each chapter title begins with a Roman numeral followed by an asterisk, but the numerals appear in no particular order. Chapter One has an "X," Chapter Three an "XV" and so on. What's this all about?
   
   And finally, the title. The book is NOT about Leonardo's (or anybody's) swans; the birds play only a minor role, and the painting of "Leda and the Swan," is mentioned only briefly. Readers are entitled to think, from the title, that the book is principally about Leonardo da Vinci, which it isn't. Perhaps the author or publisher thought that getting Leonardo's famous name into the title would sell more books than the much lesser-known names of Isabella or Beatrice d'Este?



2. It says something that Leonardo is a mere bit-player, despite the title. In 15th century, Leonardo da Vinci paints, sculpts, and designs weapons for Lodovico Sforza as the French initiate their takeover of northern Italy. Two of the four "swans" he paints, sisters Isabella d'Este and Beatrice d'Este, will become the Marchesa of Mantua and the Duchess of Milan. In those positions, they will patronize the arts, run city-states, set fashion, bear children and control, contrive and contribute to the Renaissance world. An average historical fiction novel for women but a solid introduction to the subjects; Essex has recreated two strong leading characters but given too much emphasis to their "thoughts". The choice made by Isabella, Marchesa, to patronize art and administer Mantua despite her husband is counter-pointed by Beatrice's decision to support her husband, Ludovico Sfora, through hell and high water highlights the decisions women are forced to make.



3. I won't go into a description of the plot here, since so many other reviewers have done a great job of that. Instead, I'll tell you what I liked about the book.
   
   1. The writing is well done
   2. The storyline of two sisters, who sometimes act quite ugly to each other, is fascinating
   3. I really enjoyed the small parts where Leonardo is featured (however, they are small)
   
   This isn't too long of a book, so if you want something to read on a Saturday, or in a airport, I would pick this up, especially lovers of Italian culture and historical fiction.



4. After I read Karen Essex's latest novel Stealing Athena: A Novel I was convinced to go on and read the rest of her novels. I already had "Leonardo's Swans" which had been lingering in my book stack for quite a while so I picked it up.
   
   I realize that this is an award winning, highly acclaimed novel and therefore this won't be the most popular review but I just didn't like this book. The story has the potential to be fascinating it's true-rival sisters fighting over prestige, art and husbands, wars that created revolutionary alliances among the Italians, and of course, Leonardo de Vinci. But for some reason I could never get drawn into this book and had to fight to finish pages and continue on. Eventually it became a battle and halfway through I surrendered.
   
   Maybe it got better after that, I don't know. But for some reason this just didn't grab me. Since I know Essex is an amazing writer I suppose that it's a question to taste- but her style was so different in "Stealing Athena" that I could never adjust to the writing in this.
   
   There was on thing I really did love about this book. The relationship between Isabella and Beatrice d'Este is really, really realistic. Though they do harbor jealousy for each other, begrudge each other nice things, and fight, they also stick up for each other and don't want the other to be hurt. It's the most honest sibling portrayal I've ever seen in a book and for that Essex should be commended.
   
   Other than that-I just didn't like this book. But that doesn't mean you won't. So I won't recommend or not recommend for this one. Read a lot of reviews and figure it out for yourself.
   
   Two stars.



5. As I read about Isabella and Beatrice who married into noble families, I felt as if I KNEW them. Their personalities were described so well, you FELT for each of them in your own way. The way Leonardo da Vinci and his work fis into the novel is fantastic. From the bronze horse to the Last Supper, to the Mona Lisa. I was never good in history and this novel helped me enjoy a part of history that is my favorite...the Renaissance. Great, easy read. Enjoy.

5 comments about The Second Mrs. Gioconda.

1. The Second Mrs.Giaconda, by E. L. Konigsburg, is a book about a poor, dogged, perverse boy living in Italy who stumbles upon Leonardo da Vinci... which changes his life forever. E. L. Konigsburg tells why Leonardo da Vinci painted a portrait of an unimportant merchant's wife when tons of dukes and duchesses wanted their portrait done.
   
   I thought that it was a good book that was thoughtful and well-written, but a bit slow and lacking action. Another book I would recommend by E.L. Konigsburg is From the Mixed-Up Files of Ms. Basil E. Frankweiler.



2. The basic rules of good fiction are to take an interesting character and plop him into some action, then ask "What if..." and then "And then what..." and finally, "So what?" Konigsburg takes the reader into the brain of Leonardo by way of his Puck-like apprentice, but with little about Mona Lisa the painting or the enigma. Perhaps it will lead young readers to more about DaVinci. Thoughtful, entrancing, but not exciting; I wonder how it would read if Konigsburg decided to write the life and time of Donald Trump.



3. This book was a pretty quick read for me. I picked it up because I am a big fan of E.L. Konigsburg, especially The View From Saturday. While I was interested in this story, it did not measure up to some of the author's other books, including The View From Saturday or The Outcasts From 19 Schuyler Place, although those are from a different genre.
   
   The best part of The Second Mrs. Gioconda is the historical details that it incorporates. While it is historical fiction, it does allow the reader to learn a little about the life of Leonardo da Vinci and Italy during the late 1400s. The character of Salai is very entertaining through his mischief and candor, and helps connect the historical figure of da Vinci to everyday people from this time. The self-absorption of some of the royalty is also pretty funny.
   
   Overall, this is a book I would recommend to readers with an interest in history. It is interesting, and provides opportunities to learn or to investigate more.



4. I had to read this for school. Maybe I would have liked it if I had just read it without worrying about the reading analysis that came after. But no matter. The book started off great. I really liked Salai's character in the beginning. His thievery was very funny and I liked how he threw up on the head of the man he was standing on :D because he ate too many cookies. But after that, it got kind of dull. Salai stopped his funny comments "Those scholars could get peed on by a horse and they wouldn't know what had happened without looking it up in a book!". Salai also seemed like a lying cheat, because he was selling Leonardo's private ideas and techniques for drawing to other artists in the area. And all throughout the story, there was no reference to the Mona Lisa! That's what the story is supposed to be about, right? The Mona Lisa was only referred to in the last chapter! What was the whole book for?
   And, oh my gosh, there was absolutely no conflict in the story! I heard E.L. Konigsburg was good, but what happened to this book, we'll never know. The book's simply outrageous.
   I give it 2 stars only because Salai was funny in the beginning. He actually made me laugh.



5. The Second Mrs. Gioconda grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go. In addition to an intriguing story about Leonardo Da Vinci and his apprentice Salai (there is some good information here, and it's relayed in a very interesting way), this is the story of beauty, both inner beauty and outward (appearance) beauty. I think that's why the story is written as it is, with the discovery of who posed for the Mona Lisa, and why she was chosen, coming at the end ... what we learn from the outward beauty Isabella and the inwardly beautiful Beatrice makes the ending discovery mean that much more, and the ending is very satisfying. Several pages of Leonardo's works following the story are interesting to look at.
   
   I also enjoyed the way Konigsburg pained an in-depth portrait of Leonardo's personality, with all its intrigues and quirks. And the way Salai grew (the story begins when Salai is 10 and the majority of the story covers the next 7 years of his life, though it does briefly continue for a few years more to wrap things up) and showed some genius himself - not in the way he painted, but in the way he listens and learns (mainly from his friend Beatrice, but he also has an intuition for his talent of reading Leonardo's moods and knowing how best to help him) the very best way to assist Leonardo, is well-expressed.
   
   Very glad to have read this book and will seek out more by Konigsburg.

5 comments about The Science of Leonardo: Inside the Mind of the Great Genius of the Renaissance.

1. Well written, showing how ahead of his time Leonardo was. A great perspective on a true genius.



2. My neck hurts from all the time I spent reading this book, but it was completely worth it! Science and art go hand in hand, and this book demonstrates the genius of how Leonardo da Vinci put it all together. This is a great book. I can see the author's enthusiasm for both physics and art. It's an easy read, sometimes boring, but it illustrates how Leonardo da Vinci observed the mechanics of movement and combined it with other elements, i.e., the flow of water to the flow of hair. I'll read any book on this man, and even sometimes combine earlier readings, such as Plato, into how I understand where he was going artistically. I was illuminated by his portrayed intelligence throughout this book. He was solitary and focused on his craft. He kept meticulous record of his work, and because of that, we have books about him, such as this particular great read. He was completely ahead of his time. I like how he used a trap door to hide his art when guests would stop by, according to the book, Clever- No one really looks at him through the scientific eye, though, as they should. Most people think of him as just a fabulous artist. Although he created great (understatement) masterpieces, there is a scientific art underlying it all. Now that I'm growing artistically, I am starting to see the detail and how detail compiles. I am beginning to notice how the tetrahedral shape I studied way back in organic chemistry, for example, propagates into art. I don't have his genius, but admire it! This is an impressive read that everyone should step back into and enjoy.



3. I heard of this book during an interview of the author on NPR. The interview was fascinating and motivated me to get the book.
   
   The book is wonderful for its balance and grace. It is a concise telling of da Vinci's life and his thinking gleaned from his manuscripts and from contemporary writers. It is interesting to discover that little is known about da Vinci's personal or inner life. However, we discover that da Vinci was truly one of the first scientists in the modern sense, predating Galileo. His gifts for observation, illustration, and painting combined with his energy and enthusiasm for experimentation led him to discoveries and conclusions that would not be widely recognized for centuries.
   
   It was a good inspiring read! I'm looking forward to reading Capra's book on systemic thinking.



4. This book is simply excellent and should be read by anyone with an interest in personal or organizational innovation.



5. Amazon shipped this book in a timely manner. Customer service was great but I did have to call back and confirm. We give this book as gifts with a commemorative card inside the cover. Interesting book for young scientist.