Review: Painting Mona Lisa - Jeanne Kalogridis

Also published as: I, Mona Lisa

Genre: Historical fiction
Pages: 526
Published. 2006

My name is Lisa di Antonio Gherardini Giocondo, though to acquaintances, I am known simply as Madonna Lisa. My story begins not with my birth but a murder, committed the year before I was born…”

Florence, April 1478: The handsome Giuliano de’ Medici is brutally assassinated in Florence’s magnificent Duomo. The shock of the murder ripples throughout the great city, from the most renowned artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, to a wealthy wool merchant and his extraordinarily beautiful daughter, Madonna Lisa. More than a decade later, Florence falls under the dark spell of the preacher Savonarola, a fanatic who burns paintings and books as easily as he sends men to their deaths. Lisa, now grown into an alluring woman, captures the heart of Giuliano’s nephew and namesake. But when Guiliano, her love, meets a tragic end, Lisa must gather all her courage and cunning to untangle a sinister web of illicit love, treachery, and dangerous secrets that threatens her life. 

I picked up this book thinking to learn something more, and then I googled after having read for a little while and realized the story is total fiction. The people existed but she has re-invented history and put together this fictional story.

Young Lisa grows up in Florence where de Medici rule. Her father is a wool merchant and her mother is sickly. The de Medici family rules everyhting, even marriages and she is sent to be inspected so they can find her a husband. But she meets Giuliano de Medici and falls in love, when 12 or 13. But a preacher is preaching about hell fire and soon all of Florence will be turned into darkness. But Lisa has her love, and friendship in a painter known as da Vinci. She also has a thirst for revenge.

Yes, my biggest concern is how historically incorrect this book was. I mean she did a great job, really followed what happened but then she made some people disappear and re-shaped Lisa's life. It makes a good story but I would rather have seen more accuracy. I never really got the love story either, they met briefly, she gets a letter and then she is suddenly in love. Must I preach about lust again. I just never felt it. Later yes, but not then.

But I did enjoy Florence, how the de Medici worked, the city and later Savonarola. He was one scary guy and Florence really turned into a hell hole after he has preached for a while. No one was safe, well perhaps except for the pious sad ones. It was certainly an interesting time.

In the end an ok book, I guess I might have liked it better before I went to google.

Blodeuedd's Cover Corner: lovely

Reason for reading: Library loot, yes my final one! Last review up tomorrow

Final thoughts; Ok.