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allieyork's review
1.0
I actually DNFd this book. I wanted to like it, I love historical fiction, but I could not care about these characters.
kasfire's review
4.0
Seeing as I do not normally read Historical Fiction books, this one was extremely well written. Set in the era of the Medici, the story takes place around Da Vinci's first work of art and the amazing woman in it. L. M. Elliot was able to capture the feel of the era along with my attention.
rhiareads's review
3.0
A lovely insight into 15th century Florence. I was unaware of the portrait of Ginevra de' Benci, but this novel was a very nice depiction of her character, the story behind her portrait and of course, a young Leonardo da Vinci.
A little slow for me though, perhaps if I'd sat myself down and read it without so many interruptions I might have enjoyed it more.
A little slow for me though, perhaps if I'd sat myself down and read it without so many interruptions I might have enjoyed it more.
erin_reads_boooks's review against another edition
3.0
It's not a bad story, but it's not my kind if story. I had trouble connecting with ANY character, which was most likely because of the time period. May make me think of Da vinci a little differently.
kielirose's review
5.0
can I just say wow? this book was so good. the writing of this book was beautiful and the power of the poems are amazing
christina_sirotich's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. The end felt disjointed for me, but I enjoyed the characters throughout the novel.
frominktopaper's review
3.0
Check out my review http://frominktopaper.com/index.php/2016/04/18/da-vincis-tiger/
bites_of_books's review against another edition
4.0
I don't usually read historical fiction so I didn't know what to expect from this book set in 1475 Florence, where Ginevra, a young woman finds herself the subject of one of Leonardo Da Vinci's earliest works.
Ginevra has a strong character, she doesn't accept that she should be treated as an object or a possession by her husband or her admirers. There is plenty of politics involved in how women are treated in this time period.
I really liked how Elliott managed to weave the politics and social constructs of the era with Ginevra's more modern view of the world. The writing is clear and is poetic when it needs to be but not overly so.
I think this book could have gone further into the details of Ginevra's life, I understood that there was Da Vinci who is the more recognised character, but I wish that Ginevra's philosophies and thoughts and poetry could have been further explored.
I would recommend this to anyone interested in Florentine history around Da Vinci's time because I do feel that this book was very well researched. Also anyone who wants to read a very interesting perspective from a strong female character.
Ginevra has a strong character, she doesn't accept that she should be treated as an object or a possession by her husband or her admirers. There is plenty of politics involved in how women are treated in this time period.
I really liked how Elliott managed to weave the politics and social constructs of the era with Ginevra's more modern view of the world. The writing is clear and is poetic when it needs to be but not overly so.
I think this book could have gone further into the details of Ginevra's life, I understood that there was Da Vinci who is the more recognised character, but I wish that Ginevra's philosophies and thoughts and poetry could have been further explored.
I would recommend this to anyone interested in Florentine history around Da Vinci's time because I do feel that this book was very well researched. Also anyone who wants to read a very interesting perspective from a strong female character.
onesmartcupcake's review
2.0
2.5 stars perhaps? I wanted to like this piece of very well researched historical fiction so much but I just never connected to the heroine as a human character. I'd love to know others' thoughts-the history is so interesting here and the premise fascinating but it just fell short for me.