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mamanda_ru's review
3.0
2.5 stars I loved that this book has such a distinct setting of Florence during the Renaissance. I also loved that the author has a multiple pages of bibliography that went into making this novel. That being said not a whole lot happens in the almost 300 pages. There isn’t really a plot. Basically the entire novel is the author interpretation of how the heroine becomes DaVinci’s muse.
bookish_4life's review
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. At first I he plot sounded interest (hence the reason I bought it). Ginebra (the main character) is a very interesting and powerful woman who stands up for herself and defys everything a woman is supposed to be, during a time where women are seen as mere housewives. That part of the plot really had me excited and interested. But halfway through the book, the writing style just didn't do it for me. Quite a few times I felt really bored while reading the book.
mostlyshanti's review
3.0
This was a pretty decent book. (3.5 stars) I liked the character of Ginevera, and the exploration of culture and poetry of the time. It's clearly exquisitely researched, and that shows through. However, the themes of women's power were a bit frustrating, the romance unnecessary (though the platonic love is interesting on it's own) and I felt that Elliot was really hitting the reader over the head with it. I would have loved a bigger exploration of Ginevra and Luigi's relationship as well. Still, interesting, informative historical fiction, which is worth a read if you're interested in Da Vinci and his work.
guardianofthebookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
Grade: C
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: I was drawn to this book because it was set in a different period than most YA historical fiction that's written these days. I thought Da Vinci's Tiger would be fascinating and fun, and unfortunately, I was wrong.
You can tell the author did a lot of research. The descriptions of the city and the clothes are very precise, and almost the entire story is based on fact, according to the author's note. But what I look for in historical fiction is just that - fiction. I want a story I can connect to and love, not just read and think, "Oh, that was interesting and informative." I learned a lot from Da Vinci's Tiger but that extra spark just wasn't there. There was no actual plot, just sort of a brief, sparse fictionalization of what really happened.
Ginevra, the main character, interacts mainly with the men of the story and I wanted to see more with the women. A female character, spoiler alert, dies towards the end, and I felt no sadness. Lucrezia de' Medici seemed like she was a very interesting woman but she only appears for a few brief scenes. The one male character I did like was Ginevra's brother, Giovanni. He seemed to receive the most characterization besides Bernardo, and especially more than Ginevra. I honestly can't tell you much about the protagonist; I know she loved poetry and was fairly humble but that's about it. I wanted to know why she was the mountain tiger.
Warning: there is a scene where a male character tries to force himself on the protagonist, so if that's triggering for you, I'd avoid Da Vinci's Tiger.
The Verdict: Still looking for a great YA historical fiction novel set in the Renaissance.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: I was drawn to this book because it was set in a different period than most YA historical fiction that's written these days. I thought Da Vinci's Tiger would be fascinating and fun, and unfortunately, I was wrong.
You can tell the author did a lot of research. The descriptions of the city and the clothes are very precise, and almost the entire story is based on fact, according to the author's note. But what I look for in historical fiction is just that - fiction. I want a story I can connect to and love, not just read and think, "Oh, that was interesting and informative." I learned a lot from Da Vinci's Tiger but that extra spark just wasn't there. There was no actual plot, just sort of a brief, sparse fictionalization of what really happened.
Ginevra, the main character, interacts mainly with the men of the story and I wanted to see more with the women. A female character, spoiler alert, dies towards the end, and I felt no sadness. Lucrezia de' Medici seemed like she was a very interesting woman but she only appears for a few brief scenes. The one male character I did like was Ginevra's brother, Giovanni. He seemed to receive the most characterization besides Bernardo, and especially more than Ginevra. I honestly can't tell you much about the protagonist; I know she loved poetry and was fairly humble but that's about it. I wanted to know why she was the mountain tiger.
Warning: there is a scene where a male character tries to force himself on the protagonist, so if that's triggering for you, I'd avoid Da Vinci's Tiger.
The Verdict: Still looking for a great YA historical fiction novel set in the Renaissance.
themily394's review
2.0
This had such promise when I started it, but it turned out to be incredibly boring. Honestly, it was so close to getting a one star rating for me and I hardly ever hand out one star ratings!
The premise is fantastic - it revolves around art, it's historical fiction, it's the story of a subject from one of da Vinci's paintings. I was excited to read this, especially with the opening line of, "I beg your pardon, I am a mountain tiger." The following 273 pages did not live up to it's opening, though.
What saved this book from a one star rating is how incredibly well researched everything was and the fantastic descriptions and conversation of art. Truly, both of those things were amazing and I was impressed. However, it felt more like I was being TOLD all these things rather than shown. I feel like this would be a good book to read for school if a teacher is looking for a more interesting way for their students to learn about this topic. It felt like I was reading a sort of history book that bored me rather than a historical fiction novel.
With those good things aside, I have a hard time finding anything else I liked. The characters were boring and I didn't care much about what happened to any of them at the end and the story dragged on with very little plot and hardly any tension in anything that happened. I haven't read much historical fiction before, but I'm glad this isn't the first I've read because this novel doesn't make me want to read more.
I don't think I'll find myself recommending this to anyone. Those who have a lot of interest in this era or da Vinci and the painting referenced in this story may enjoy this, but even that I'm not so sure of.
The premise is fantastic - it revolves around art, it's historical fiction, it's the story of a subject from one of da Vinci's paintings. I was excited to read this, especially with the opening line of, "I beg your pardon, I am a mountain tiger." The following 273 pages did not live up to it's opening, though.
What saved this book from a one star rating is how incredibly well researched everything was and the fantastic descriptions and conversation of art. Truly, both of those things were amazing and I was impressed. However, it felt more like I was being TOLD all these things rather than shown. I feel like this would be a good book to read for school if a teacher is looking for a more interesting way for their students to learn about this topic. It felt like I was reading a sort of history book that bored me rather than a historical fiction novel.
With those good things aside, I have a hard time finding anything else I liked. The characters were boring and I didn't care much about what happened to any of them at the end and the story dragged on with very little plot and hardly any tension in anything that happened. I haven't read much historical fiction before, but I'm glad this isn't the first I've read because this novel doesn't make me want to read more.
I don't think I'll find myself recommending this to anyone. Those who have a lot of interest in this era or da Vinci and the painting referenced in this story may enjoy this, but even that I'm not so sure of.
emiloid_reads's review
3.0
3.25 stars. I'm a sucker for historical fiction that focuses on the circumstances surrounding the creation of artwork, and this book is ALMOST there. I liked that there was some politics woven into the story (I just watched Medici: Masters of Florence on Netflix - so good!). I liked the portrayal of the main character and her relationships with two very different men - one smooth-talker with some shady intentions, and the other more down-to-earth artist who truly appreciates the main character as an intellectual being. These character relationships would have benefited a lot from a richer, more dynamic plot. For instance, I didn't buy that a (relatively) small piece of slander would have pushed Ginevra to isolate herself in a convent for two years. The last 20-30 pages were exciting, but they didn't do much to give the plot that oomph it needed. All that being said, there are some really nice portrayals of the artist/muse relationship.
sarrie's review
4.0
I honestly didn't expect a lot from this one. I hadn't heard any thing about it when it arrived in my Owl Crate but I love Art History so I gave it shot for TBR Takedown. I was pleasantly surprised! In fact I'll probably pick up at some more my Mrs. Elliot.
This was well researched and I loved the references to the art of the period. The little touches, like talking about Leonardo's struggles with oil paint and watching apprentices making paint with eggs - those got to the Art History nerd in me. I will probably reread this one at a later date just because of the layers of politics and I do think I missed a few little things.
This was well researched and I loved the references to the art of the period. The little touches, like talking about Leonardo's struggles with oil paint and watching apprentices making paint with eggs - those got to the Art History nerd in me. I will probably reread this one at a later date just because of the layers of politics and I do think I missed a few little things.
alight1990's review
2.0
I really wanted to like this book more then I did, but all the names was confussing me, trying to keep up with all the drama wasn't easy.
The "love" story in the book was really good and different from what I've usally read before.
The "love" story in the book was really good and different from what I've usally read before.