Signora da Vinci

A Novel

By: Robin Maxwell

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne

"I suffered much cruelty as an unmarried mother and I had no recourse when they took my boy away from me. I had no rights, no prospects, no future. Everyone believed I was ruined. But no one knew the secrets of my own childhood, nor could they ever have imagined the dangerous and heretical scheme I would devise to protect and watch over my remarkable son as he grew in to manhood.

"Some might call me a liar, since all I describe would be impossible for a woman of my station. But that is where my design unfolds, and I am finally ready to reveal it. They call me Caterina. And this is my story."

©2009 Robin Maxwell (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Re-creates Renaissance Italy in splendid detail." ( Publishers Weekly)

Not what I expected

This was picked as a book club book and I wasnt very thrilled, however, I was pleasantly surprised to thoroughly enjoy the storyline and the reader giving the audio presentation.

Beautiful! Journey into a fascinating past world!

Any additional comments?

I love this original story, wonderful fiction peppered with breathtaking historical details and takes you on a journey to a fascinating past world-Renaissance Italy.

Interesting story about a woman (Da Vinci's mother) perseverance in a society where women had few choices and very little power. Yes, there is romance, but it is an integral part of a woman's life, particularly in a time when it was almost impossible to survive without a man at her side- so in my opinion it is appropriate to the story.

Narration was good, and I couldn't stop listening!

Story: 5 stars, excellent historical fiction with some appropriate romance!
Narration: 4 stars
Relationship: appropriate development and some romance.

Overall: beautiful, definitely worth a credit and your time!

Fascinating and cant stop listening

Found this book very interesting and entertaining. This is one I may listen to again.

Non descriptive.

I read historical fiction because I love to know how things were made/done in previous eras. I didn’t find much of this throughout the book. I would have hoped to have heard more about the camera obscura and more detail about other forms of art. I probably missed the point. I assume I should have focused on the possible persons that da Vinci based his works on. I felt like the references were obscured and fleeting.

Lost steam.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, I wouldn't recommend it. Although it had some very interesting parts about DaVinci and the history of Florence, it degenerated into a "B" romance story very quickly.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Didn't make it that far.

What about Bernadette Dunne’s performance did you like?

She did a good job at different character voices and at presenting emotional inflections at appropriate times.

Was Signora da Vinci worth the listening time?

Meh. I'll probably finish it eventually, but it wasn't worth the credit.