Mona Lisa’s Daughter

By: Belle Ami

Narrated by: Gillian Wiggin

A gripping and gut-wrenching historical novel about World War II

From acclaimed author Belle Ami, renowned for her poignant World War II epic, The Last Daughter, inspired by her mother's survival of the Holocaust, emerges a captivating saga that transcends the bounds of time. Mona Lisa’s Daughter entwines the fates of two remarkable women against the backdrop of history's glittering peaks and darkest depths.

In the resplendent glory of Renaissance Florence, Leonardo da Vinci meets Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a silk merchant, forging a friendship that transcends the conventional roles of artist and muse. Their bond yields what many consider the greatest masterpiece the world has ever known, but also harbors a shared secret that must be kept hidden at all costs.

Fast forward four centuries to the dawn of World War II, where in the shadow of fascist rule, fear grips the city of Florence. It is here that young nun Valentina Amati shoulders the duty of safeguarding a hidden cache of letters exchanged between Leonardo and Lisa. However, as the malevolence of Hitler’s Nazis marches ever closer, Valentina finds herself haunted by her own past and ensnared in a perilous web of secrets that threaten not only her life but also the sanctuary she has vowed to protect.

©2024 Tema N Merback (P)2025 Tema N Merback

A love story to Italy in two thrilling periods

I loved this book. You follow two tremendous women, one in the 1500s and the other in 1940, in the march up to and the agony of WWII. Joining their stories are not just the painting but letters between Leonardo DaVinci and Lisa.

Intrigue and the exploration of womanhood, outsider perspective and love across epochs, this kept me listening. The narrator, Gillian Wiggin, does a tremendous job not only lifting out these characters but does so in two languages.

Well worth the listen!