Search - I, Mona Lisa

I picked this book up about three weeks ago, read 100 pages and put it down. I was so overwhelmed with Italian characters, terms and locations that I didn't even want to continue.

But I did evenutally pick it back up about 3 days ago and I finished the remaining 415 pages in that time. I am so incredibly glad I did.

Kalogridis takes a few simple, historical facts and weaves it into this engrossing fictional tale of Mona Lisa.

It left me wanting to know more about this woman and the painting so famously created by Leonardo Da Vinci and all along wishing the story was true. Her portrayal of the love affair between Madonna Lisa and Guiliano and the power struggles between the Pazzi family and the Medici reminded me of Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet" at times.

I am usually not a fan of historical fiction but now am intrigued by other books written by the author.

A captivating time in the past, an engaging heroine, murder, romance and plotting, and the most popular portrait of all time--all written by a scrupulously factual author whose voice is melodic and believable. This novel has it all and represents the best historical fiction has to offer. I was hooked from the first chapter.

This book relates, in first person, an imagined life of the subject of La Gioconde, da Vinci's masterpiece portrait of Mona Lisa. She tells of her daily life and the extraordinary times she became caught up in, all set against the backdrop of one of Italy's most magnificent cities, Florence.

You will not be disappointed.

It's slow in the beginning and the names can be mildly confusing, but once I got into it I couldn't put it down. Great historical fiction with lots of mystery and intrigue!

I couldn't get through this book - as much as I wanted to read it, it was entirely too confusing. Too many characters, Italian words that you don't know the meaning of, and plots/associations to keep track of.

I'm sure if you can get past that, it'd be great. I just don't have the desire to work through all that.

After I got past the confusion of the Italian names of people and places, I got sucked into a fascinating story of love and deception. By the middle of the book I was racing through the pages and I finished the last 200 pages in one sitting.
Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys historical fiction full of drama and love.

Another interesting, suspenseful and compelling read in the tradition of The Borgia Bride. Set in the same time period as Borgia, Madonna Lisa's story is a love story, mystery and crime novel rolled into one. The details of life in 15th century Florence are fascinating and described so well by Kalogridis that you feel you are there.