Jeanne Kalogridis, I, Mona Lisa

I, Mona Lisa

Jeanne Kalogridis

St. Martin's, November 2006

ISBN: 0312341393

In Florence, her mother suffers from epilepsy, while her father earns a living as a wool merchant. When Lisa di Antonio Gherardini was thirteen, the priests determined her mother was possessed and killed her. Not long after that she meets Lorenzo de Medici, who arranges for artist Leonardo Da Vinci to paint her portrait. She also meets Lorenzo's son, Guiliano, who courts her, even after his father dies.

Lisa and Guiliano fall in love, and they are happy together until a plot to overthrow the de Medici stranglehold on the city occurs, forcing him to flee to Rome, leaving behind his pregnant beloved. She thinks he died, so she grieves her loss. However, to save the life of her beloved father, she is forced to wed his latest "patron" Francesco del Giocondo, but she still does not forget her beloved Guiliano. She proves her loyalty by providing insider secrets about her second spouse, his associates and his family when she visits artist Leonardo Da Vinci, allegedly to complete that portrait Lorenzo commissioned.

Though more a historical romance than a biographical fiction; I, MONA LISA is an excellent fifteenth century portrait of a woman in love. The storyline focuses on Mona Lisa as she struggles to survive in a changing world in which her in-laws are losing power. As she did with THE BORGIA BRIDE, Jeanne Kalogridis provides a strong spotlight on fifteenth century Italy, through a deep look at the woman whose portrait is considered a masterpiece.