In I, Mona Lisa, Natasha Solomons gives a voice and sentience to Leonardo da Vinci’s most recognised portrait. Brought to life by the genius of Da Vinci as he completes her portrait, Mona Lisa watches and questions the world around her as it changes through the years. The story weaves through time and space, from the dazzling and intriguing world of 1500s Florence to the French courts at Fontainebleau and Versailles, and finally right up to the Louvre of the twentieth century. In sweeping and often lyrical prose, Solomons paints her own vivid portrait and through the enigmatic eyes and voice of the real Mona Lisa invites us to think about the lost and forgotten women of history, the things they’ve seen, and the stories they could tell.
Reviewed by Mindful Puzzles Puzzle Editor, Nicole Kennedy.