4 out of 4 stars
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The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci by Belle Ami is an intriguing book that spans across centuries. It follows how a painting by Da Vinci affects three different couple’s lives. The current day story is about an art historian Angela Renatus at the Getty Museum and art theft detective Alex Caine. Alex is in search of a lost Da Vinci painting. Angela has intense visions of Fioretta and Giuliano as they are just embarking on a life together and have their wedding portrait painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. During World War II time, Sophie and Gerhard are protecting the painting from becoming a spoil of the war and ending up in the enemies’ hands. Angela and Alex soon become aware that the art director Alberto Scordato, at the Getty Museum is also in search of the missing portrait. The race is on to see who finds the painting first.
This book was a very quick read for me. It kept my interest so much I found it hard to put down. The mystery of the lost Da Vinci painting and the time travel aspect were intricately woven together beautifully. The visions of Angela pulled at the strings of my heart every time. The details of places including USA, Italy, and Rome were very well written. You felt like you were there. The descriptions of artwork and architecture included professional details that surprised me. However, be careful not to read this book while you are hungry because the food and wine descriptions will make you hungrier.
The romance between Angela and Alex were overpowering especially at the end of the story. I would have enjoyed more development of the plot surrounding the villain Alberto Scordato. He was introduced very well in the beginning of the book with little development until the end of the book. This is a personal preference, and I do not penalize the author for this.
The main characters of each set of couples were very detailed and grasped the issues of the century they were in. Many times during the book I felt the joy, love, fear, and sorrow the couples were experiencing. The time travel aspect was the most interesting part of the story.
I rate this book four out of four stars. I recommend this book to adults who enjoy reading mystery and time travel genres. The author is a wonderful story teller and includes intricate details of art, scenery, emotions, and period details. I would enjoy reading more adventures of Angela and Alex.
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The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci
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