

Laddar... Signora da Vinci (2009)av Robin Maxwell
![]() KayStJ's to-read list (858) Det finns inga diskussioner på LibraryThing om den här boken. Robin Maxwell is one of my favourite historical fiction authors and she's written about some famous and influential female figures from history, including: Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I. Signora da Vinci is told from the perspective of Leonardo da Vinci's mother, Caterina. We begin in 1452, when Caterina gives birth out of wedlock to Leonardo. Her heart is broken when her lover's family refuse to accept the match and rip Leonardo from her arms to raise in their - more noble - family. Caterina is an apothecary after her father, who is a well-travelled, well-read and respected man in their little town of Vinci in Italy. When her son becomes a man, he moves to Florence and Caterina wishes to see him. Not being able to travel alone (as a woman) and fearing recognition from Leonardo's father, she disguises herself as a man and changes her name to Cato. Her disguise works and the novel really takes off from here. Lorenzo de' Medici becomes Leonardo's patron and Cato one of his closest friends. Signora da Vinci is filled with art (the great Botticelli is also a character), religion (including the making of the Shroud of Turin by Leonardo) alchemy and the pursuit of knowledge, however forbidden it might be. Cato is invited to join The Platonic Academy and I thoroughly enjoyed his deception and the insights Caterina was able to get from carrying herself as a man. I also have a new appreciation for the portrait of the Mona Lisa, but no spoilers here. Not much is really known about Leonardo's mother Caterina, and so when reading Signora da Vinci you will enjoy it more if you suspend your disbelief and just dive in. It's fair to say that a number of liberties have been taken with dates and events, but the period has been well researched and this is a fun 'what if' read. Good book but it dragged on little too much. I don't know that much about Italy's history so can't really tell what's true and what's not. This book is a great read and a favorite. The love that Caterina had for Leonardo is so vivid. And Ms. Maxwell does an excellent job of bringing to life Leonardo's mischievous nature and allows the reader to see into his mind. Also captured was the feeling of Italy. You can feel the tension running on the streets. Excellent book. The book also provides a background into the Medici's and Florence. Loved it. Leonardo's life from the eyes of his mother who did everything she possibly could to keep him safe and to be near him,even dressing and acting like a man keeping an apothocary shop. inga recensioner | lägg till en recension
I suffered much cruelty as an unmarried mother and I had no recourse when they took my boy away from me. I had no rights, no prospects, no future. Everyone believed I was ruined. But no one knew the secrets of my own childhood, nor could they ever have imagined the dangerous and heretical scheme I would devise to protect and watch over my remarkable son as he grew in to manhood. Some might call me a liar, since all I describe would be impossible for a woman of my station. But that is where my design unfolds, and I am finally ready to reveal it. They call me Caterina. And this is my story. Inga biblioteksbeskrivningar kunde hittas. |
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Good historical fiction that tells the back story of Leonardo da Vinci's mother. Populated with real people from the era - Lorenzo de Medici, Botticelli, Savanarolla, Pope Innocent, etc. A good read, and I learned a little more about this time and place in history. (