The Second Mrs. Gioconda

I read this book for school and I greatly enjoyed it. I believe that it’s based off of actual happenings in Leonardo’s life. It was entertaining and well-written. I’m not sure if I’d read it again, but I heartily recommend it to anyone interested in gaining a new perspective on the master that Leonardo was.I also found out after I read this that it was written by the same lady who wrote “The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler” which is a favorite of mine.-Grace M

Interesting, readable, and adventurous account of why da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa through the eyes one of his apprentices.

I love the free books for the Kindle and Kindle daily deals. They greatly expand our homeschool reading beyond what we can find at our library as well as allow us to keep a copy as long as we need. It is a great story. Konigsburg is a fabulous children's author.

I recently went on vacation to Milan and it was fun having read this book and walk through the streets that Leonardo Da Vinci did. Interestingly, I mentioned the Mona Lisa to our tour guide and she said that although most of the world refers to the painting as the Mona Lisa, in Italy they call it the Gioconda.

The back of this book promises a historically-based novel about one of Leonardo's apprentices, Salai, the relationship they share with a duchess named Beatrice, and the real answer to why the Mona Lisa was ever painted to begin with. And the start of the book is exactly that: Salai, a young thief without much of a future, becomes accidentally employed by Leonardo DaVinci, the greatest artist of their time. Employed by the Duke of Milan at the time, Leonardo introduces Salai to art, the court, and to the duke's young wife, Beatrice, who is proud to be plain-faced but full of spirit.And that's about as good as the book gets, honestly.I can't really explain why I didn't like it except to say that I feel like Konigsburg didn't know what book she was writing. The "mystery" of the Mona Lisa is never explained or even really fleshed out; in fact, the famous painting doesn't get its first mention until the last three pages. She attempts, in those pages, to draw this long, complex comparison of the woman who became the Mona Lisa to Beatrice, but it feels rushed and entirely out of place. All of a sudden, WHAM!, the explanation smacks the reader in the face. There's no subtlety, there's no craft, it just...is. Salai's interior monologue basically says And Leonardo will paint this woman because she will remind him of Beatrice, the end. It felt completely thrown togetherMy other challenge -- and the one, honestly, that upset me more -- was the haphazard way she threw in details that I find it hard to believe ever existed. She admits that Leonardo didn't think much of the real Salai. In his notebooks, he described him as a thief, a liar, and a mule-head. It's clear that he had some fondness because, in the end, Salai was mentioned in his will, but the book raises Salai up as both a liar and a wonderful human being. I felt like he was completely inconsistent, because even though he was constantly doing small, immoral things, he was also the lens through which we were meant to see the wonder of this world, and it contrasted severely. More than that, Konigsburg villianized DaVinci. A lot. In the last chapters, he's described as a petty man with low self esteem and it's insinuated that Salai is becoming the person who decides what he will do, when, and with who. I find it hard to believe that one of the greatest minds of the human race would be manipulated left and right by a twenty-year-old. I also just find it hard to believe that anything in this book happened the way it was described.I was really disappointed. I thought this would be mysterious and fun. Instead, it was boring, bland, and unrealistic. The only boon was that it was short, but that really didn't win it enough points for me to find it at all worth while.

I enjoyed this book. I recommend it to people ages 13+, as there is a curse in it, but otherwise, it is a wonderful book. I would read it for myself, if I were you.

As a supplement to our studies of the Renaissance this year, this book was an excellent choice for 7th grade. I loved the aspect of how relationships can change and grow - a perfect theme for emerging adolescents.

This is a great book, full of wit and humor! Konigsburg has done it again! I hope our homeschool curriculum will have more of her works!😀👍👍👍😺