Overall rating and opinion of "The Girl Who Knew da Vinci" by Belle Ami

Bookwormgirl1 · Post by **Bookwormgirl1** » 26 Jun 2018, 11:29

anwidmer wrote: ↑26 Jun 2018, 11:27
Bookwormgirl1 wrote: ↑26 Jun 2018, 11:24 I typically enjoy fiction books that incorporate art and history into the overall theme and mystery of the story. I have yet to read this book, but I am excited to read it and learn more about the time of da Vinci and see how he must have lived.
It is an excellent book, but as some have been arguing the title can be misconstrued. While leonardo Da Vinci is present in the book it does not revolve around him rather one of his paintings

Okay, yes that is misleading. Thank you for letting me know.

kfwilson6 · Post by **kfwilson6** » 26 Jun 2018, 12:03

Bookwormgirl1 wrote: ↑26 Jun 2018, 11:29
anwidmer wrote: ↑26 Jun 2018, 11:27
Bookwormgirl1 wrote: ↑26 Jun 2018, 11:24 I typically enjoy fiction books that incorporate art and history into the overall theme and mystery of the story. I have yet to read this book, but I am excited to read it and learn more about the time of da Vinci and see how he must have lived.
It is an excellent book, but as some have been arguing the title can be misconstrued. While leonardo Da Vinci is present in the book it does not revolve around him rather one of his paintings

Okay, yes that is misleading. Thank you for letting me know.

It's still a very enjoyable book, the history and art aspects aren't delved into very deeply, but they are integrated nicely. I found the art and history to be excellent inclusions in this book.

anwidmer · Post by **anwidmer** » 26 Jun 2018, 13:17

kfwilson6 wrote: ↑26 Jun 2018, 12:03
Bookwormgirl1 wrote: ↑26 Jun 2018, 11:29
anwidmer wrote: ↑26 Jun 2018, 11:27

It is an excellent book, but as some have been arguing the title can be misconstrued. While leonardo Da Vinci is present in the book it does not revolve around him rather one of his paintings

Okay, yes that is misleading. Thank you for letting me know.
It's still a very enjoyable book, the history and art aspects aren't delved into very deeply, but they are integrated nicely. I found the art and history to be excellent inclusions in this book.

I agree was an excellent story just if you rely on the cover alone your going to be a tad mislead. Again it doesn't take anything away from the story being phenomenal

AnnaKathleen · Post by **AnnaKathleen** » 26 Jun 2018, 13:22

As someone who loves art, I loved this book. Romance, mystery, tension and beautiful imagery were all utilized well. I think this can also appeal to many people, regardless of art history knowledge or art knowledge in general.

klwoodford · Post by **klwoodford** » 26 Jun 2018, 13:27

I really enjoyed this book. The mystery of the painting in addition to the incorporation of history, art, and paranormal aspects really made this anenjoyable read for me. I also enjoyed the romantic aspect of it, as I am a sucker for love stories. I found a solid number of typos in the book so I wouldnt give it 4 out of 4 stars, but I think 3 out of 4 stars accurately expresses my feelings towards the book.

Amy+++ · Post by **Amy+++** » 26 Jun 2018, 17:44

Sounds so exciting! I can't believe that it won't be the June Book of the Month in the next few days. The time has flown by and I still haven't gotten to read this book yet. I am hoping to read it next month. Thank you everyone for the great reviews and posts about this book. It sounds so good and I can't wait to read it.

Post by **bookowlie** » 27 Jun 2018, 08:54

This book has provoking an extremely lively discussion! In my in-person book club, the moderator has everyone give their rating before and then after the discussion. People sometimes change their opinion of the book, for better or worse, after listening to everyone's views.

Has anyone changed their opinion of this book after reading everyone's comments...and why?

Post by **bookowlie** » 27 Jun 2018, 09:09

Whatever my minor criticisms of the book are, there is no doubt the author has set herself apart with a unique series. I don't think there is any fiction series out there with so many different elements. The art and historical elements alone set this series apart, but combining those aspects with the paranormal genre puts it in a category by itself. I applaud the author for this ambitious undertaking.

anwidmer · Post by **anwidmer** » 27 Jun 2018, 09:30

bookowlie wrote: ↑27 Jun 2018, 09:09 Whatever my minor criticisms of the book are, there is no doubt the author has set herself apart with a unique series. I don't think there is any fiction series out there with so many different elements. The art and historical elements alone set this series apart, but combining those aspects with the paranormal genre puts it in a category by itself. I applaud the author for this ambitious undertaking.

I could not agree more! Im riveted waiting for the next book for sure!

Joy Boudreau · Post by **Joy Boudreau** » 27 Jun 2018, 12:03

This really isn't a favorite book for me. I did enjoy the foray into art history, but felt that the whole historical part was light. I couldn't tell if it was based on actual research or not. The book felt more like a romance book.

ifra · Post by **ifra** » 27 Jun 2018, 12:17

I believe that at times connecting history with the fiction may confuse the readers as facts are twisted to make the stroy readable and attractive which at the end seems to create confusion about the real history.

anwidmer · Post by **anwidmer** » 27 Jun 2018, 13:43

greenstripedgiraffe wrote: ↑27 Jun 2018, 12:03 This really isn't a favorite book for me. I did enjoy the foray into art history, but felt that the whole historical part was light. I couldn't tell if it was based on actual research or not. The book felt more like a romance book.

I can see your point. I felt though that it had a little bit of everything. The romance to me wasnt too bad as i normally stray away from romance novels in general. I felt the author balanced genres well. As far as the history being actual fact or not i wondered that myself throughout the book.

Joy Boudreau · Post by **Joy Boudreau** » 27 Jun 2018, 14:29

anwidmer wrote: ↑27 Jun 2018, 13:43
greenstripedgiraffe wrote: ↑27 Jun 2018, 12:03 This really isn't a favorite book for me. I did enjoy the foray into art history, but felt that the whole historical part was light. I couldn't tell if it was based on actual research or not. The book felt more like a romance book.
I can see your point. I felt though that it had a little bit of everything. The romance to me wasnt too bad as i normally stray away from romance novels in general. I felt the author balanced genres well. As far as the history being actual fact or not i wondered that myself throughout the book.

Someone googled some of the facts, and it turns out that the first couple was based in actual history, so there is that

anwidmer · Post by **anwidmer** » 27 Jun 2018, 14:51

greenstripedgiraffe wrote: ↑27 Jun 2018, 14:29
anwidmer wrote: ↑27 Jun 2018, 13:43
greenstripedgiraffe wrote: ↑27 Jun 2018, 12:03 This really isn't a favorite book for me. I did enjoy the foray into art history, but felt that the whole historical part was light. I couldn't tell if it was based on actual research or not. The book felt more like a romance book.
I can see your point. I felt though that it had a little bit of everything. The romance to me wasnt too bad as i normally stray away from romance novels in general. I felt the author balanced genres well. As far as the history being actual fact or not i wondered that myself throughout the book.
Someone googled some of the facts, and it turns out that the first couple was based in actual history, so there is that

Well thats pretty cool, i wonder how much of the rest was factual. Again i dont think it mattered enough to me personally though to do the research lol

Yoli García · Post by **Yoli García** » 27 Jun 2018, 15:37

I really enjoyed reading The Girl Who Knew da Vinci. I loved how Belle Ami mixed romance, mystery, art, and different time periods. She has a notable ability to build up the the three couple’s romances and the mystery surrounding the lost da Vinci. I am looking forward for the next book in the series.

I thought that she overdid it with Angela’s visions of the past. Near the end of the story I was ready for the mystery to be solved. This is a minor issue for me. But what bothered me were the grammatical and spelling mistakes for which I deducted a star. I hope she gets a better editor for the next books.

Yes, I would recommend this book! I think readers who like art, romance, history, and mystery will enjoy it like me.