Review: Da Vinci's Tiger by L.M. Elliott

Da Vinci's Tiger
Young, beautiful, and witty, Ginevra de’ Benci longs to take part in the artistic ferment of Renaissance Florence. But as the daughter of a wealthy family in a society dictated by men, she is trapped in an arranged marriage, expected to limit her creativity to domestic duties. Her poetry reveals her deepest feelings, and she aches to share her work, to meet painters and sculptors mentored by the famed Lorenzo de Medici, and to find love.

When the charismatic Venetian ambassador, Bernardo Bembo, arrives in Florence, he introduces Ginevra to a dazzling circle of patrons, artists, and philosophers—a world of thought and conversation she has yearned for. She is instantly attracted to the handsome newcomer, who admires her mind as well as her beauty. Yet Ginevra remains conflicted about his attentions. Choosing her as his Platonic muse, Bembo commissions a portrait by a young Leonardo da Vinci. Posing for the brilliant painter inspires an intimate connection between them—one Ginevra can only begin to understand. In a rich and enthralling world of exquisite art, elaborate feasts, and exhilarating jousts, she faces many temptations to discover her voice, artistic companionship, and a love that defies categorization. In the end, she and Leonardo are caught up in a dangerous and deadly battle between powerful families.

I've seen it said that the strength of this book is the political intrigue and the historical accuracy. Unfortunately, historical accuracy is lost on me and my brain is too small for political intrigue, so I just could not connect with Da Vinci's Tiger - after about 50% of getting the character's mixed up and trying to keep up with what was going on in Renaissance Florence, I gave up.

This book is one that people who love history would love and I have a love/hate relationship with historical books - I gave Da Vinci's Tiger a shot, despite knowing tat it was wholly possible that I just wouldn't get into it and unfortunately I was right.

That being said, I'm pretty sure I would enjoy any other book by this author. I really like Elliott's gorgeous writing style and the reason I had to DNF this book was because I couldn't keep up - not because of any other flaw in the writing or plot.

Overall Rating: DNF

Book released 10th November 2015 by Katherine Teagen books
Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

1 comment

  1. Sucks to be a DNF.... i myself am a bit more cautious towards historical fiction but i've been eyeing this book for quite sometime so i will hopefully be able to check this out for myself

    Aparajita @Le' Grande Codex

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