Title: I, Mona Lisa

Author: Jeanne Kalogridis

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Format: Paperback

Pages: 515

Rating: 4/5 stars

*Warning: mature content. Parents please be advised.*

Synopsis:

“My name is Lisa di Antonio Gherardini Giocondo, though to acquaintances, I am known simply as Madonna Lisa. My story begins not with my birth but a murder, committed the year before I was born…”

Florence, April 1478: The handsome Giuliano de’ Medici is brutally assassinated in Florence’s magnificent Duomo. The shock of the murder ripples throughout the great city, from the most renowned artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, to a wealthy wool merchant and his extraordinarily beautiful daughter, Madonna Lisa.

More than a decade later, Florence falls under the dark spell of the preacher Savonarola, a fanatic who burns paintings and books as easily as he sends men to their deaths. Lisa, now grown into an alluring woman, captures the heart of Giuliano’s nephew and namesake. But when Guiliano, her love, meets a tragic end, Lisa must gather all her courage and cunning to untangle a sinister web of illicit love, treachery, and dangerous secrets that threatens her life.

Set against the drama of 15th Century Florence, I, Mona Lisa is painted in many layers of fact and fiction, with each intricately drawn twist told through the captivating voice of Mona Lisa herself.

Book Review:

This book is amazing!!! I think it is my favourite book by this author!
The book focuses on Mona Lisa, the person who is seen in Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous portrait! I love the story Kalogridis has created for such an interesting historical figure!! The story follows Lisa, who has two loving parents and everything seems fine. But then Lisa is thrown into secrecy and conspiracy, and she must unravel all the secrets in order to save her and her family!
One interesting aspect of the book is it highlights what Florence would have been like under the preacher Savonarola! He preached against the Medici and Pope Alexander, or Rodrigo Borgia! It was interesting to read the different reactions to the preachers sermons, and what Florence would have been like at the time!!
If you enjoy historical fiction that takes an interesting spin, then this is the book for you!!