GIOCONDA by Lucille Turner

Back in May, I did a book blast for Lucille Turner’s GIOCONDA. ((see it here!)

I put this book on my TBR list and the author sent me a copy as a gift (thank you!).

02_Gioconda

This is a beautifully written story of Leonardo da Vinci, starting in his boyhood. I loved reading of these days, with a young Leonardo who realizes he is different from others, but is not exactly sure how or why. Once his genius and artistic gift is realized, his career and reputation grows.

However, at heart this is a story of the man Leonardo and it presents him as very human and very real. Within this is the story of the Mona Lisa — who is she and why did Leonardo never deliver her portrait once he had painted it? (which is true!).

Here’s the overview from Amazon:

A solitary and unusual child, Leonardo’s only intimate is Lisa Gherardini, the girl who spies on him in his workshop. Spurned by his tutor, he is sent by his despairing father to Florence as an apprentice. Under the guiding hand of Verrocchio, the master sculptor, he begins to make his name. But success requires sacrifice; Florence demands a level of conformity impossible for him. Forced to leave, Leonardo places himself at the service of the charismatic, power-thirsty Duke of Milan. His journey leads him back to Lisa and the portrait he has waited so long to paint, the culmination of his life’s work.

From the glittering court of the Medici to the mortuaries of Milan and the battlefields of the Po valley, Lucille Turner’s powerful novel vividly imagines Leonardo’s lonely struggle to convince others of his vision of the world.

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I loved this story and appreciated Ms. Turner’s beautiful writing.

Here’s some info on her:

Author of Gioconda, a novel about the life of Leonardo Da Vinci, Lucille Turner is an international prize-winning novelist who lives between England and France. She has an MA in Comparative Literature and teaches part-time at university in France.

For more information please visit Lucille Turner’s website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

GIOCONDA is highly recommended for those who enjoy reading Historical Fiction from this time period.

As of this writing (8-6-16), GIOCONDA is only $1.99 for kindle!!