Surprised just how much I loved this book!
I have only listened to a few novels on audio, so when I accidentally took this out from my library, I didn't realize it was fiction. It took me only minutes to realize this, but I was already drawn in. Signora da Vinci is Leonardo's mother, educated by her father, an apothecary and closet alchemist (not that kind) who teaches her more than most men of any status. When circumstances spur her on to live under a different identity, she finds herself in the orbit of the Medici, Popes, Botticelli, and a young Michelangelo. Yes, this book is a bit fantastical, but it is well-researched and the novel form allows the author to educate us a bit about the Renaissance in a highly digestible way. But for a few G-rated "romantic" interludes that made me grin rather than feel uncomfortable, I have nothing but good things to say about this book. I now know: it's okay to enjoy good historical fiction. It was a great vehicle for learning more about a time-period I already know a bit about, but rather than feeling scholarly and dry and about big things and important people, it feels like you're learning about regular folk caught up in extraordinary times.