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A review by ejpass
Da Vinci's Tiger by L.M. Elliott
4.0
4/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: historical fiction, short reads, Renaissance Italy, art, history
TW attempted sexual assault
This book was an interesting read in terms of historical moments. I liked Renaissance Italy and it's not really a time period I see a lot in YA fiction, so I appreciated finding a book set during that time. As is expected for a historical fiction book, important characters like da Vinci and the Medici's were included in the book, and Ginevra in particular was in the circles of the powerful families of Florence.
While I liked the historical aspects, there was some stuff I was confused about in this department as well. For one, I can't tell if Elliot purposefully ignored the fact that the Medici's were schemers and did, in fact, make huge grabs for power and money, or if she was playing on the fact that Ginevra wouldn't have been privy to that sort of information to say that the Medici's were less power-hungry than the other prominent families at the time.
Ginevra is someone who knows what her duty is in the world but who also desires something more. She's a poet and yearns for the chance to share her writing with the people around her who are changing art and Florence. At the same time, she knows she must walk a thin line between her art and her station. I enjoyed the exploration of Ginevra's thoughts and feelings throughout the book, and I think Elliot does a good job showing how Ginevra grows throughout the pages. She could be a little jealous and petty toward another girl that she knew, which I didn't like. However, I did appreciate how the people she wanted to discuss poetry with changed throughout the book, from first being interested in discussing it with the powerful men in the room to later understanding that the quiet women also have important insights (and potentially more wisdom) on the subject.
The side characters were really only sort of in the book and it really does center around Ginevra. I thought Elliot did a good job writing the tepid relationship between Ginevra and her husband, and I liked Ginevra's faithfulness as well as her loyalty and strength in her marriage. Bembo was kind of made out to be more of a love interest than he actually was, and he honestly wasn't in the book that much. I liked da Vinci's character and seeing a young version of him. There is a bit of a romantic element here, but it's one-sided and Elliot does stay faithful to historical accuracy re: da Vinci being gay.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and thought it made for a quick, entertaining read. There were parts of it that were a bit slow and I would've enjoyed it more if there had been more emphasis on discussing and experiencing art and poetry. Ginevra certainly thinks about it a lot, but I would've liked to see more of it.
Recommended for people who like: historical fiction, short reads, Renaissance Italy, art, history
TW attempted sexual assault
This book was an interesting read in terms of historical moments. I liked Renaissance Italy and it's not really a time period I see a lot in YA fiction, so I appreciated finding a book set during that time. As is expected for a historical fiction book, important characters like da Vinci and the Medici's were included in the book, and Ginevra in particular was in the circles of the powerful families of Florence.
While I liked the historical aspects, there was some stuff I was confused about in this department as well. For one, I can't tell if Elliot purposefully ignored the fact that the Medici's were schemers and did, in fact, make huge grabs for power and money, or if she was playing on the fact that Ginevra wouldn't have been privy to that sort of information to say that the Medici's were less power-hungry than the other prominent families at the time.
Ginevra is someone who knows what her duty is in the world but who also desires something more. She's a poet and yearns for the chance to share her writing with the people around her who are changing art and Florence. At the same time, she knows she must walk a thin line between her art and her station. I enjoyed the exploration of Ginevra's thoughts and feelings throughout the book, and I think Elliot does a good job showing how Ginevra grows throughout the pages. She could be a little jealous and petty toward another girl that she knew, which I didn't like. However, I did appreciate how the people she wanted to discuss poetry with changed throughout the book, from first being interested in discussing it with the powerful men in the room to later understanding that the quiet women also have important insights (and potentially more wisdom) on the subject.
The side characters were really only sort of in the book and it really does center around Ginevra. I thought Elliot did a good job writing the tepid relationship between Ginevra and her husband, and I liked Ginevra's faithfulness as well as her loyalty and strength in her marriage. Bembo was kind of made out to be more of a love interest than he actually was, and he honestly wasn't in the book that much. I liked da Vinci's character and seeing a young version of him. There is a bit of a romantic element here, but it's one-sided and Elliot does stay faithful to historical accuracy re: da Vinci being gay.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and thought it made for a quick, entertaining read. There were parts of it that were a bit slow and I would've enjoyed it more if there had been more emphasis on discussing and experiencing art and poetry. Ginevra certainly thinks about it a lot, but I would've liked to see more of it.