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105th out of 913 books
—
577 voters
The Smile
by
Donna Jo Napoli (Goodreads Author)
Hers is the most famous portrait in the world. Here, in prose as rich as the high Renaissance, is Mona Lisa?s tale?a story of passion, intrigue, loss, and, most of all, love. Elisabetta longs for romance, though she thinks she is too plain. Then, on a fateful visit to glittering Florence, she catches the eye of the great Leonardo da Vinci, and falls for a boy named Giulian...more
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
October 16th 2008
by Dutton Juvenile
(first published August 29th 2008)
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Period: Renaissance
Setting: Florence, Tuscany
3.5 stars.
3 instead of 4 stars because of:
- the ending. To be exact, I prefer M(ad)on(n)a (E)lisa(betta) to end up with Giuliano de Medici. But then again, the famous painting wouldn't also be called as La Gioconda if it were so. *sigh* Oh well... It's the way they did it long time ago, marriage for the purpose of politic and finance.
- Papà instead of Babbo?!?! I've heard only a few of Tuscans calling their dads papà. The rest of them use babbo, even...more
Setting: Florence, Tuscany
3.5 stars.
3 instead of 4 stars because of:
- the ending. To be exact, I prefer M(ad)on(n)a (E)lisa(betta) to end up with Giuliano de Medici. But then again, the famous painting wouldn't also be called as La Gioconda if it were so. *sigh* Oh well... It's the way they did it long time ago, marriage for the purpose of politic and finance.
- Papà instead of Babbo?!?! I've heard only a few of Tuscans calling their dads papà. The rest of them use babbo, even...more
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This book made me want to learn about Leonardo da Vinci's Italy! I really liked the main character's personality, her love story, and what she learned about politics and about life. I thought the way she dealt with her problems was very believable, and also admirable, even in part 3. Very quality book, and fun to read!
1 like · like · see review
About 50 pages into this, I wasn't sure I wanted to keep reading it. By 100 pages in, I still wasn't sure. Then the first big tragedy happened, and I couldn't stop.
The writing was overly flowery sometimes. Usually I like description, but this just didn't sit well with me. Elisabetta, the main character, is not quite 13 at the start of the book, and I couldn't really "buy" her voice. Twelve-year-olds don't talk or think like that, 15th century noble or not. A lot of it also seemed like the autho...more
The writing was overly flowery sometimes. Usually I like description, but this just didn't sit well with me. Elisabetta, the main character, is not quite 13 at the start of the book, and I couldn't really "buy" her voice. Twelve-year-olds don't talk or think like that, 15th century noble or not. A lot of it also seemed like the autho...more
The Smile is a beautiful and heart-breaking story of the mysterious Mona Lisa that takes place during the Renaissance. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a book to curl up and read on a rainy day.
13 year old, Elisabetta is getting ready for a party, where she'll meet someone and become bethrothed to. Everything sounds perfect, she's happy and so are her loving parents. When they ride out to buy decorations, her mother's horse falters and cracks her neck in two.
With her beloved mother g...more
13 year old, Elisabetta is getting ready for a party, where she'll meet someone and become bethrothed to. Everything sounds perfect, she's happy and so are her loving parents. When they ride out to buy decorations, her mother's horse falters and cracks her neck in two.
With her beloved mother g...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
So interesting. It's the story of Monna Elisabetta, a 13-year-old who lives outside of Florence with her noble-born parents. They regularly visit Florence because her father has a city-home there and also because they have relatives in Florence and her father has business concerns there. Elisabetta's family is friends with Leonardo da Vinci. The book is filled with the sites and sounds of Renaissance Italy. By the time she's 15, Elisabetta has fallen in love with Giuliano de Medici, the youngest...more
I stole this one for the Bout of Books off my daughter’s shelf. She really is an avid reader, but if a book doesn’t get her attention by the end of the first chapter, the author has lost all hope of getting her to read any further. I am a much more patient reader. Not that this book required that, but I can see how many teens reading it would probably become disinterested for the same reason that the book captivated me.
The Smile is a work of historical fiction and the premise is wonderful. Who h...more
The Smile is a work of historical fiction and the premise is wonderful. Who h...more
Leonardo da Vinci's most famous portrait is the Mona Lisa. Who was she, and what is that mysterious smile all about? Donna Jo Napoli creates an amazingly well-researched Renaissance world for us, and introduces us to Elisabetta Gherardini, who is a noble-born daughter of a silk merchant. Leonardo daVinci is one of her father's friends, and through him, she is introduced to the youngest of the Medici brothers, who are the ruling family of Florence. They fall in love, but the night he is to ask fo...more
Talk about historical fiction! Great book. I have read Donna Jo Napoli before and to be honest, I wasn't impressed. But it had been a while so I decided to give her another try. I am so glad I did! The Smile talks of the life of Monna Lisa. The detail in all the historical events happening in that time was fantastic. I really did feel like I was there. It made me really want to research the history of Leonardo's time so I could really appreciate the novel.
Donna Jo Napoli portrays Monna Elisabet...more
Donna Jo Napoli portrays Monna Elisabet...more
History, romance, feminism. Sometimes, though, I felt more that the main character had time-traveled back to Leornardo da Vinci's day than had actually lived and breathed there. I found the language in several places was so modern it was jarring in the context of the story. For instance, "Paco must have 'ditched'him." Maybe ditched is a very old expression but it seemed out of place in the story. Also I had a very hard time resolving the image of Elisabetta created by the story and the image of...more
I loved this book! It had my attention from beginning to end. It's the second of Donna's books I've read and really enjoyed. What impresses me most is her ability to capture and hold a scene from history, infusing it with sights, sounds and smells. Being a very visual reader, I rate a book on its ability to create, manage and hold a visual impression. Donna does this incredibly well.
The story centres around Elisabetta, a young, independent Florentine woman making her way in the world. She is in...more
The story centres around Elisabetta, a young, independent Florentine woman making her way in the world. She is in...more
If you're a fan of historical fiction blended with romance, then Donna Jo Napoli's YA novel The Smile is for you. It tells the story of fifteen-year-old Elisabetta, the girl later immortalized as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
Monna Elisabetta hopes to marry for love but knows she's destined for an arranged marriage. As members of the lesser nobility in Florence, Elisabetta's family needs her to marry well, and she is bound by the limited role prescribed to her.
But Elisabetta, unconventional and...more
Monna Elisabetta hopes to marry for love but knows she's destined for an arranged marriage. As members of the lesser nobility in Florence, Elisabetta's family needs her to marry well, and she is bound by the limited role prescribed to her.
But Elisabetta, unconventional and...more
What secrets lie behind the Mona Lisa’s smile? Elisabetta is 13, and her smiles are a rare thing. She dreams of her party where she will meet someone and become betrothed. After her mother dies, her plans are put on hold while her father remarries. In the meantime, she finds someone with whom she is smitten – a boy named Giuliano. He calls her Monna Lisa, and steals her heart. His friend, the great Leonardo Da Vinci, is entranced by Elisabetta’s smile, and vows to someday paint her portrait. How...more
Well, how do I start? Oh, I know... This is like the best book EVER!!! At least, I loved it to death. I mean- deep, thought-provoking, great detail, interesting, romantic... what more would you want? Oh, and uh... don't answer that question- it was meant to be retorical.
Anyhow, throughout reading this whole book I was just thinking: What will happen next? Ant I have to admit, I was soooooo shocked. The ending is as unpredictable as possible- and that was a GOOD thing.
I don't like books that ha...more
Anyhow, throughout reading this whole book I was just thinking: What will happen next? Ant I have to admit, I was soooooo shocked. The ending is as unpredictable as possible- and that was a GOOD thing.
I don't like books that ha...more
This book was ok. I think I liked the idea, better than i actually liked the book. It is about Monna Lisa in Florence Italy. However, I had a hard time thinking of the girl i was reading about and the woman in the actual painting as the same person. I also wished there was more of Leonardo Divinci through out the book. Again, like other books by this author that i have read, it is probably ok for older teenagers, but it talks freely of menstruation,pregnancy, and specifics of how one gets pregna...more
A beautifully crafted book about Mona Elisabetta and her relationship with Giuliano de Medici, Leonardo da Vinci, and the tumultuous times during the fall of the Medicis and the rise of Girolamo Savonarola. Betta is a dutiful daughter, expecting her 13th birthday party to result in a betrothal. However, while planning the party, her mother unexpectedly dies, leaving her and her father stricken with grief. Her papa quickly finds another wife, which is customary in these times, but Betta is incons...more
I expected a book about art and Leonardo da Vinci, with clues to reveal the secret behind Mona Lisa and her smile. But the process of painting is rendered insignificant. Instead, Napoli has created a tapestry of Florentine nobility in the age of the Medicis.
It helps to know a little history of the Italian Renaissance at the turn of the 15th century. It helps even more to be interested in that history. Politics play a very important role in this novel.
Napoli stretches and bends the facts, howev...more
It helps to know a little history of the Italian Renaissance at the turn of the 15th century. It helps even more to be interested in that history. Politics play a very important role in this novel.
Napoli stretches and bends the facts, howev...more
An interesting idea of who the woman in the Mona Lisa painting may have been. As often happens with Napoli's writing, her source material sometimes bogs down her story rather than adding to it. Also, the long stretch where (spoiler) the main character is being cold and rude to her stepmother went on way too long without good reasoning. Poor flow there. Yep. And the ending is ... well, I thought it was lame. It almost went toward making quite a nice coming together, but then the author tried to w...more
This was the worst book I've read in a long time. In this "historical fiction" piece of garbage, Elisabetta, an ordinary girl living during the Renaissance in Italy, meets famous painter Leonardo who thinks her smile is worth painting a picture of. This is not only very far from reality, but there is no drama, no suspension, and no good description. I had to read the passage regarding the funeral of her family friend over and over again to register that someone died. After Lisa's mother dies, he...more
This story is absolutely amazing. After starting and tossing aside so many dud YA novels lately, I was so excited when this story instantly drew me in--not because the story was instantly exciting, but because Elizabetta (Mona Lisa) is a compelling character. I was able to connect emotionally to the story, and I felt every joy and heartache that Elizabetta felt. It was also quite refreshing to read a story that doesn't nauseate me with the "he's so cute" romance (which I think I've had my fill o...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Donna Jo Napoli, carefully divulges the mystery behind the infamous painting. The story is set during the beautiful and creative Italian Renaissance. The Mona Lisa’s story is a tale of passion, intrigue, loss, and, most of all, love. Elisabetta yearns for romance, even though she thinks she is too plain. Then, on a fateful visit to the glittering city of Florence, she catches the eye of the great Leonardo da Vinci, and falls for a boy named Giuliano de Medici. Her love has come at the most inopp...more
I admit that I had a very hard time getting into this book. I wan't into it until at least page 150. Once I was in though.... I was lost.
The reason why I was so entranced with this book is because it mirrors my life in a strange way. I was living my worries all over again and living in the love like it was my own.
This book is very compelling and I know I will never be left the same.
The reason it is in my "Kind Of Favorites" Book shelf is because I'm still not sure why I can't stop thinking abou...more
The reason why I was so entranced with this book is because it mirrors my life in a strange way. I was living my worries all over again and living in the love like it was my own.
This book is very compelling and I know I will never be left the same.
The reason it is in my "Kind Of Favorites" Book shelf is because I'm still not sure why I can't stop thinking abou...more
This is the story of Elisabetta who lives in Florence in the 1490's. Her family hopes for Elisabetta to find a husband to take care of her, but Elisabetta is more concerned about love. At the funeral of a powerful man, Elisabetta and her family meet Leonardo da Vinci who takes a liking to Elisabetta and promises to paint her portrait one day. Da Vinci introduces Elisabetta to the powerful man's son Giuliano who Elisabetta falls in love with. A great story of the Mona Lisa by da Vinci. This was a...more
Set in Florence at the height of the Medici family's power. Elisabetta (also called Monna Lisa) is part of a noble family that lives outside the city. They are silk merchants so business often takes them into the city where she meets Giuliano, the youngest of the Medici brothers. She also meets Leonardo da Vinci.
Wonderful setting and portrayal of the arts and extravagances of the times but also of the deterioration of the economy and the revolt led by Savonarola.
The storyline also includes class...more
Wonderful setting and portrayal of the arts and extravagances of the times but also of the deterioration of the economy and the revolt led by Savonarola.
The storyline also includes class...more
In the Florentine countryside, Monna Elisabetta struggles to become the noblewoman she's destined to be. In those times that is what a young lady is supposed to do. It is practically a law. Although her father is challenged to keep his silk business thriving during difficult economic times, Monna's mother is planning to give her an elaborate 13th birthday party in order to meet a suitable husband. But upon Mamma's sudden death, the event is canceled, and Monna turns her grief into preparing meal...more
I really enjoyed this book. I think the author did an excellent job is weaving history and fiction together to provide a good story. I love the character of Elisabetta. She is unwilling to let life’s problems ruin her and does not allow heartbreak ruin her future. I love also the thought behind her being the Mona Lisa in the painting. I don’t think I will look at the painting without this story in my mind. I believe that everyone could enjoy this story but I can predict it being more popular wit...more
I enjoyed the author's portrayal of the life in Florence and the changes in society for the Medici family. The interesting parts could be added to with some more research and the young girls who does need to grow up is faced with choices that young people don't have to make today. Although a romance, it was a quick read and one that contained lots of material for discussions of life during this time, the conflict, history and changes faced by the people who dealt with the renaissance and reforma...more
The Smile was interesting. It was a story about the painting, the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci. It was about a young noble country girl, who's mother died and she has to make a living by way of keeping house for her father. But before her mother died she was to be married off. She fell for a young Medici boy. It's just interesting because all through Elisabetta's life she has to deal with hardship but in the midst of it Master Da Vinci paints her portrait. This book was very entertaining.
What is the story behind that Mona Lisa smile? Donna Jo Napoli presents one possibility in a story of love, loss, family, honor and loyalty with frequent appearances by Leonardo Da Vinci, of course. Elisabetta is a teenaged country noble who finds and loses love in a paternalistic society that is also a battleground between excessive, fraudulent leaders and morality-based dictators. It's interesting historical fiction, but it slows down at parts.
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From her website:
Donna Jo Napoli is both a linguist and a writer of children's and YA fiction.
Donna Jo has five children. She dreams of moving to the woods and becoming a naturalist. She loves to garden and bake bread.
At various times her house and yard have been filled with dogs, cats, birds, and rabbits. For thirteen years she had a cat named Taxi, and liked to go outside and call, "Taxi!" to...more
More about Donna Jo Napoli...
Donna Jo Napoli is both a linguist and a writer of children's and YA fiction.
Donna Jo has five children. She dreams of moving to the woods and becoming a naturalist. She loves to garden and bake bread.
At various times her house and yard have been filled with dogs, cats, birds, and rabbits. For thirteen years she had a cat named Taxi, and liked to go outside and call, "Taxi!" to...more
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