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bubby0's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
5.0
This book was so funny, loveable, and informative all at once. It also kept events the way they really were and didn't alter them. This book really got me into nonfiction, and I will probably remember this book forever.
courtney_reads_stories's review
4.0
Holy smokes I learned so much from this book. It was a great read with duel timeline fun.
thefarmwifereads's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
aheinicke27's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.0
I heard about this book from a local indie bookstore, and I was so excited to read the audios book when it popped up as available on Libby! While I’ve seen the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, I had no idea about it’s colorful past! Likewise, when I did see it in person I found it beautiful but…not necessarily living up to the hype. This book does an excellent job weaving the story of Leonardo Di Vinci, the thief who stole his painting, and the other people involved in its history in a way that feels like reading a mystery thriller. It also explained my gut reaction of “that’s it?” Upon seeing the Mona Lisa — the painting’s fame is largely tied up with its infamous theft in the early 1900s. So many interesting topics are involved in the story — Pablo Picasso, the birth of forensics and detective novels, Italian nationalists, art history, Leonardo’s many interests — that there is truly something here for everyone. While the book is very clearly written for middle school or younger students (there are lots of asides explaining vocabulary or historical context), I still felt like I learned a lot! I will definitely recommend this quick audiobook to others!
erkoning's review
I got annoyed about how they talked about nuns like becoming one was the end of life, saying that in the nunneries "only other nuns would see her face." I'm still interested in the subject, but I think I want an adult non fiction book rather than middle grade.