Leonardo's Swans

(Paperback)

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Description

In the bestselling tradition of Philippa Gregory, an irresistibly romantic tale of passion and rivalry set in Leonardo da Vinci's Italy Sisters. Rivals. And the love of one man. Isabella and Beatrice d'Este are as different as night and day. Wordly and ambitious, Isabella's beauty and intellect are legendary across the courts of Europe, while her younger sister, a tomboy, prefers horses and the hunt. When Isabella is betrothed to the Marquis of Mantua, all her ambitions seem to come true -- until Beatrice marries Ludovico, the powerful Duke of Milan. Suddenly, Isabella finds herself drawn to her sister's husband, a man as charismatic as he is dangerous. Once close, the sisters are now fierce rivals, for Ludovico's affections but also for the larger prize, to be immortalized by Milan's court painter, Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci's glittering genius is at its zenith, with such masterpieces as The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa, but he constantly struggles not to let his noble patrons' incessant demands compromise his own artistic vision. Meanwhile, the black clouds of war are looming on the horizon. As Ludovico's gamble for power in Western Europe begins to fall apart, the sisters must choose -- between passion and family, loyalty and survival.

Reviews

Brilliantly captures the turbulent years of late 15th-century Italy as seen through the eyes of the bold and beguiling d'Este sisters, whose lives and fates were inextricably woven into the political tapestry of those times...Vibrant and lavish ... * Bookpage *
A wild yarn about sexual politics and the struggle for immortality * Harper's Bazaar *
Privileged sisters compete over men, attention, and the chance to be immortalized on canvas by Leonardo da Vinci, in this instantly absorbing tale * Redbook Magazine *
With lush, colorful descriptions, Essex brings to life the Sforza court and the competitive d'Este sisters' complex relationships with each other, their husbands, and Leonardo. Powerful historical fiction * Booklist *
In this gold brocade world, where every gesture echoes in quadruple - as politics, family, sex and art - only the virtuosos survive, and leading the dance is the greatest virtuoso of them all, Da Vinci * Time Magazine *

Author Bio

An award-winning journalist and screenwriter, Karen Essex lives and writes in LA.