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Browse our Categories! Historical Non-Fiction (A-H) Miscellaneous Fiction
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 HistoricalLeonardo's Swans
The genius of the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci lies in their subtlety, reflected, for example, in his depictions of the Virgin Mary. Da Vinci's Madonnas at first seem plain, but extended perusal reveals remarkable depths of expression, symbolism, and charm. So it is with Leonardo's Swans. I expected to be clouted over the head with another clunky, hastily researched, pseudo-historical novel that capitalizes on the popularity of books such as Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Da Vinci Code. And Karen Essex's credentials—writing for Playboy and adapting Ann Rice novels into screenplays—do not inspire confidence. Yet the further one progresses in the story, the more clever the novel becomes. The story ostensibly chronicles the lives of Isabella and Beatrice d'Este, royal sisters whose arranged marriages were typical examples of the political machinations of 15th-century Italy. Ironically, the outdoorsy, tomboyish sister Beatrice is married off to an intellectual patron of the arts—and chief employer of the great da Vinci—and the erudite, cultured sister Isabella is promised to a provincial horse breeder. Both girls must adjust to their fates as they grow from jealous teenagers into women forced by circumstance into playing prominent roles on the world stage. Intermingled with their stories is the parallel life of da Vinci, who must harness his creativity to the whims of his employers. His role is peripheral but, like each element in his paintings, has purpose and meaning for the whole. The political machinations of royalty and clergy force the sisters to scheme in increasingly desperate attempts to keep their families, estates, and fortunes intact. They are women trying to survive in a men's world and this fictionalized account of their lives shows us just how difficult that was.
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