For fans of rich and vivid historical novels like Girl with a Pearl
Earring and Code Name Verity, Laura Malone Elliott delivers the
stunning tale of real-life Renaissance woman Ginevra de' Benci, the
inspiration for one of Leonardo da Vinci's earliest masterpieces.
The young and beautiful daughter of a wealthy family, Ginevra longs to
share her poetry and participate in the artistic ferment of Renaissance
Florence but is trapped in an arranged marriage in a society dictated by
men.
The arrival of the charismatic Venetian ambassador, Bernardo Bembo,
introduces Ginevra to a dazzling circle of patrons, artists, and
philosophers. Bembo chooses Ginevra as his Platonic muse and commissions
a portrait of her by a young Leonardo da Vinci.
Posing for the brilliant painter inspires an intimate connection between
them, one Ginevra only begins to understand.
In a rich and vivid world of exquisite art with a dangerous underbelly
of deadly political feuds, Ginevra faces many challenges to discover her
voice and artistic companionship--and to find love.