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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
The conclusion and epigraph tie all of the observations of Leonardo‘s life together wonderfully. Isaacson points out that the driving force in da Vinci‘s life and work was curiosity, rather than necessity. At the same time, as Isaacson records it, da Vinci‘s last written words were “the soup is getting cold”, which for me brings to mind so many of the stories I have found particularly inspiring: those which acknowledge the tension between infinite curiosity and practicality. For myself, the necessity of practicality has been such a driving force that it is both inspiring and a little heartbreaking to hear of all that da Vinci learned and explored in his life. At the same time, his inability to incarnate so many of his dreams makes me wish he had erred more on the side of creation than creativity. He did not have the power to push his insights in a way that could have transformed and ennobled humanity. Surely, it’s a difficult balance to strike.
da Vinci sure was smart.
Isaacson does a good job of making him a real person - his reputation makes him almost like the hero in a steampunk Renaissance Italy. He had faults. He made mistakes. He procrastinated. If you google "da Vinci inventions still in use today" you mostly get stuff he imagined but never made. That's like saying Jules Verne invented submarines or Lucian invented the spaceship. He had one great invention - the ball bearing.
Still, he revolutionized painting, pushed anatomy ahead by leaps and bounds, and realized a lot of things nobody else would for...sometimes centuries. So he was brilliant.
So the book - like I said, Isaacson does a good job making him real - really brilliant, but also a mortal imperfect human. Great read.
Isaacson does a good job of making him a real person - his reputation makes him almost like the hero in a steampunk Renaissance Italy. He had faults. He made mistakes. He procrastinated. If you google "da Vinci inventions still in use today" you mostly get stuff he imagined but never made. That's like saying Jules Verne invented submarines or Lucian invented the spaceship. He had one great invention - the ball bearing.
Still, he revolutionized painting, pushed anatomy ahead by leaps and bounds, and realized a lot of things nobody else would for...sometimes centuries. So he was brilliant.
So the book - like I said, Isaacson does a good job making him real - really brilliant, but also a mortal imperfect human. Great read.
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Isaacson’s love for Steve Jobs aside, this is a fascinating read. Malina’s narration is wonderful & inviting to Leonardo’s renaissance world.
informative
slow-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Awesome book. Learned a lot and remembered even more. Funny how these great people used to be the forefront of early education and the skills they used never revisited to help develop later.
challenging
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Who does not know of Leonardo da Vinci and his masterpieces such as The Last Super and Mona Lisa. I have always been interested in learning more about the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci and I thoroughly enjoy the work by [a:Walter Isaccson|16193965|Walter Isaccson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png].
I found this book extremely informing, fun, interesting and well written! I would recommend to anyone who wishes to learn more about Leonardo da Vinci. 4.5 stars
I found this book extremely informing, fun, interesting and well written! I would recommend to anyone who wishes to learn more about Leonardo da Vinci. 4.5 stars
This is an amazing book about an amazing man! All would benefit from listening to it, as well as being delighted with the telling!
Though I'm not a huge follower of art and museums, I've been curious about the works of da Vinci. The length of the book had me a bit worried, so I decided to listen to it in audiobook form instead. It's read by Alfred Molina and he does an outstanding job.
The book became one of my all-time favorite biographies and I'd recommend it to anyone curious about the life of da Vinci. It doesn't shy away from portraying both the good and bad, while going through both his personal and professional works. It gave me a greater understanding and insight into art and paintings.
It's rare for me to want a book to not finish, but I never wanted the book to end. This ranks as one of my favorite reading experiences ever.
The book became one of my all-time favorite biographies and I'd recommend it to anyone curious about the life of da Vinci. It doesn't shy away from portraying both the good and bad, while going through both his personal and professional works. It gave me a greater understanding and insight into art and paintings.
It's rare for me to want a book to not finish, but I never wanted the book to end. This ranks as one of my favorite reading experiences ever.