Leonardo's Swans: A Novel
by Karen Essex
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Book Summary Information
Author: Karen EssexEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-01-09
ISBN: 0767923065
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Anchor
Book Reviews of Leonardo's Swans: A Novel
Book Review: Not quite Phillipa
Summary: 3 Stars
As a huge fan of historical fiction I was elated to discover this book in my local library and having exhausted Phillipa Gregory's array of novels I was drawn by the comparison.
The plot takes us to late 15th Century Italy and revolves around the political and romantic rivalry between sisters during a tempestuous time in Italian histoy.
Being completely unaware of the monarchial struggles that presided during this time in Milan it was refreshing to read an historical novel that wasn't set in tudor britain and the story was full of enough twists and turns to maintain interest.
However it is the involvement of one Leonardo Da Vinci that unites the story and seperates it from being a dull bodice ripping romp (although there is plenty of that should you need it). With art being a di rigeur subject within fiction (thanks Dan Brown) the story does tick an awful lot of the boxes I was looking for.
The bad news is that this is no Phillipa Gregory. At times she almost hits the mark but where Phillipa excels at evoking a time and the characters within it I felt that Ms. Essex resorted to modern day dialogue too often rather than maintaining a tone more suitable to the time.
Having read the reviews of her previous novels I can assure you this one is likely to surprise so I can only recommend it and say that if your expectations aren't too high this will fill a void until the maestro gregory publishes a new book!
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