Leonardo's Swans: A Novel
by Karen Essex
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Book Summary Information
Author: Karen EssexEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-01-09
ISBN: 0767923065
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Anchor
Book Reviews of Leonardo's Swans: A Novel
Book Review: "You Can Have Neither a Greater Nor a Lesser Dominion Than Over Yourself..."
Summary: 3 Stars
Based on the life and times of the sisters Isabella and Beatrice d'Este, "Leonardo's Swans" is one of those historical novels that (by casting two genuine personages as its protagonists) adheres closely to authenticity in the portrayal of their lives and in providing plenty of details on the period. Whereas Isabella is intelligent, refined and ambitious, the younger Beatrice is wayward and somewhat tomboyish. Marriages have been arranged for both of them; but though Isabella is pleased with her fiancé, Beatrice is more tentative about becoming the wife of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, said to be a philandering, worldly, aging patron of the arts. Already rumours are circling that the opposing temperaments of the sisters mean each would have been better off marrying the other's husband.
Sure enough, Isabella finds herself attracted to Ludovico (though much less comes of this than the blurb would have you believe), and somewhat jealous of Beatrice's elevation into wealth and status, that Isabella feels she could have handled better. But Beatrice has her own plans to win her husband's heart and become a keen political player in her own right. Stretching over a period of several years, the sisters face the threat of war, the accumulation of worldly possessions, the infidelity of their husbands, and the onset of motherhood.
Flitting in and out of their lives is the (already) infamous Leonardo da Vinci in the prime of his career and producing some of his most famous works of art under the patronage of Ludovico. Isabella is desperate to have her image immortalized by the great artist, and makes it her life's ambition to sit for "the Magistro." In what is perhaps the most interesting part of the novel, we explore Leonardo's most famous works through Isabella's astute eyes, gleaning tidbits of information concerning some of his most famous paintings through her careful study, as well as the man himself, who appears as a gentle, tempestuous, twitchy, distracted genius who takes to studying the human anatomy, the flight of birds and the abstractions of light. The inclusion of several inserts from his journal helps add to the portrayal of an extraordinary individual.
Although entertaining and diverting throughout, there is something missing in its depiction of its characters, particularly the sisters themselves. I think this has mainly to do with the way in which the novel is narrated, with the unusual technique of present-tense to describe either woman in repose, reflecting back on the past few years. What happened in the interim between this interlude and the last is conveyed in past tense, in what unfortunately comes across as one large info-dump that inevitably relies on "telling" rather than "showing." In these blocks of reminiscences, the sisters simply recount the events of the past few years to the reader, expository-style, and the change back to present tense as the past catches up to the present again is somewhat jarring.
It also prevents us from really ever getting inside the heads of Isabella and Beatrice. We do not experience their lives at the same time they do, we only hear about it in hindsight which leaves us detached from the action. Likewise, because the gaps in time are so great, character development takes leaps and bounds over the pages: Isabella goes from an envious sister to a stanch ally to Beatrice, whereas Beatrice goes from a frightened child to a powerful political force in no time at all.
Both characters are lightly sketched, with more emphasis on their circumstances than the women themselves, but because Essex is constrained by the actual events of history, many of the plotlines she raises (most obviously the one that speculates that the sisters are rivals over Ludovico's affection) are nipped in the bud before anything really comes of them. This leads to several contradictory passages, as in the following snippet when Isabella thinks of Ludovico: "I can see into the soul, and I can see that yours is black. And yet I do love you, which you also know." Huh?
The setting and culture of the Renaissance is richly portrayed, and the research into the political machinations is no doubt extensive, but the characters never really come to life. Because of the way their lives are conveyed via the present/looking back on the past technique, they simply become passive witnesses to it all, relating their experiences to the reader in retrospect, which could never be more exciting than if we're there alongside them when it all happens.
"Leonardo's Swans" is a diverting and often interesting read, but probably more of lightweight holiday/long trip read than a deep exploration of the life and times of two powerful women.
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