Leonardo's Swans

By: Karen Essex

Narrated by: Kathe Mazur

Leonardo's Swans is the story of the powerful Este sisters, Beatrice, Duchess of Milan, and Isabella, Marchesa of Mantua, as they compete for the affections of Italy's most influential prince, the Duke of Milan, and for the larger prize, to be immortalized in oil by his court painter and engineer, Leonardo da Vinci. Sexy, inspiring, and intelligent, her story of love, intrigue, and art is truly unforgettable.

©2006 Karen Essex (P)2006 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"Powerful historical fiction." (Booklist)

"The stories of Isabella and Beatrice d'Este along with the occasional investigations of Leonardo's artworks, methods, and personality are always engrossing." (Publishers Weekly)

“Two very different sisters, two very different husbands, and one of the greatest geniuses of all times, Leonardo da Vinci. In this sizzling historical novel set in fifteenth-century Italy, Essex combines art, political intrigue, family feuds and sex to create a page-turner that also probes the experience of being painted and whether it can offer immortality.” (USA Today)

Leonardo's Swans

Loved this audiobook. Held my interest throughout. what a wonderful way to acquaint myself with Italian renaissance history.

Slow but interesting

Lots of history and back story on paintings we all know-
Not a fast moving book, but interesting all in all-

Good, but not Captivating

This is a novel in which all the main characters are actual historical figures. The story itself is quite good - but almost completely due to the subject matter. The time around the turn of the 16th century in Italy is rich in events, political intrigue and fascinating characters. So I almost hate to say that I wasn't captivated by this audiobook.

The story is told from the viewpoints of sisters Isabella & Beatrice d'Este - two of the most influential women of the Italian Renaissance. It focuses on their relationships with their politically powerful husbands, with each other, and (marginally) with Leonardo da Vinci.

Perhaps if I had read, rather than listened to, this book, I might have had a much different opinion. It's possible that the narrator - even though she seemed to be a good reader - lacked that certain spark that makes for a great audiobook. The characters all seemed to run together & at times, I'm afraid I lost track of which sister was "speaking."

On the plus side, this book made me want to know more about each character & their actual histories. So my overall experience with this book was a positive one.

Narrator Inappropriate

This is the first book from Audible in the 3 years I have been a member that I stopped listening because of the narrator. I gave the book 3 stars because I really don't know if it's any good. This is the same narrator that read The Nannie Diaries, which I liked and felt she did a good job. But she is just too American and contemporary sounding to read a historical novel for my taste. Her voice was extremely distracting to me - and I gave it a fair shot but decided to listen to something more exciting. Just listen before you buy.

OK, not great

This was an entertaining book, but wasn't great.

Incredible Writing!

Wow! This isn't your usual Historical Romance novel. Like all others I assumed that this would be another intense, serious, Historical Romance with the main lovers budding heads then falling in love towards the end. Although this plot is focused on every character the slight judgment of others with their actions and hilarious side comments. Karen Essex grabs hold of the reader with incredible vocabulary there is no words repeated. The chapters are an hour long each but there is so much being said that you don't want to stop listening. I give this book 5 stars and I am looking forward to reading her other novels after this one. I am very selective over Historical Romances and Karen Essex is now one of my favorites!

Very Interesting Perspective

I love historical fiction and this book is a fine example. It was well written, very well researched, and well read by the narrator. This was a period in European history about which I knew little and I learned a great deal while being highly entertained by the events in the lives of the characters which were loosely based on historical figures. This is a very pallatable way to get your history lesson. Having been to Vinci and seen Leonardo's house and models of his inventions, I could easily climb into this story and felt I had a better insight into this man's amazing genius.

Compelling historical novel

Creative, evocative insight into Leonardo and the turbulent times of the late 1400s in what was to become Italy, told through the eyes of women of the ruling families.

Good Enough for Vacation

A pretty good historical novel about two aristocratic sisters during the Italian Renaissance. I found all of the characters rather one-dimensional, but the descriptions of life during wartime for the Borgia-Pope era ruling class was pretty and evocative.

Historical fun

A wonderful and moving portriat of 2 sisters who married into two of Italy's most powerful families in the 15th century, and through gazing at them one also gets a likeness of "The Maestro", Leornardo himself.