Why is da Vinci’s name on the cover?

Use this forum to discuss the June 2018 Book of the Month"The Girl Who Knew da Vinci" by Belle Ami
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TashaCrispin
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Re: Why is da Vinci’s name on the cover?

Post by TashaCrispin »

I saw the title and it instantly caught my attention. I think it could be quite a marketing strategy but not unethical at all. However, many readers feel like it was a clickbait and it isn't good for the book at the end.
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Post by DancingLady »

It seems like the story starts with Fioretta, she is the leading female in the earliest date in the sequence of events and Da Vinci’s painting holds the secret that drives the story. So, the title is a little strange to me since Fioretta isn’t really THEain character, but the painting is a central figure.
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Post by Rosemary Okoko »

I don't find it unethical to use da Vinci's name on the cover. I think the author just wanted the readers to get attracted to the book.
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Post by holsam_87 »

cristinaro wrote: 03 Jun 2018, 04:12 Leonardo da Vinci is an episodic character in the novel. Considering the overabundance of fictional books using his life as a pretext, would you agree with such a marketing strategy?

Do you think that Fioretta and Giuliano’s story and the different references to Leonardo’s work are reasons enough to use his name in the title? Is it ethical or not?
I think it was fine. They made the connection in a way that was not overly overt, but it connected da Vinci due to his work.
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Post by Ashiyya Tariq »

I don't consider it unethical. Because da Vinci is a famous figure. And the book is set around this historical painting. So I don't consider it bad if the author has used it for cover.
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Post by Poppy Drear »

In all honesty, I've seen titles that are much more misleading than this one. Even some classics have titles that don't have much to do with the contents - The Catcher in the Rye comes to mind. This is a different situation, of course, because Da Vinci is a very well-known figure, but I still don't necessarily see anything wrong with it in this instance. I do agree that it's right to question these things, though.
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Post by Cecilia_L »

It seems like a clever marketing tactic, but since the name is related to the plot, I don't think it's unethical.
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Post by KRay93 »

Angela's main goal is to obtain a lost painting that supposedly belongs to Da Vinci, not to mention that some of her dreams include the presence of this well-known artist. It is clear that his presence in the title of this book is mostly dictated by the fact that he is a renowned artist, but it is not as if his persona/character had nothing to do with the story.
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Post by Tracey Madeley »

I'm a little late picking up the book, but my first thought was Dan Brown when I saw the title. Fortunately, I'm not taken in just by the title. There is a similar problem with Jane Austen and Mr Darcy being used in book titles. I wonder if anyone else noted the author's name 'Belle Ami' is also close to Belle Andre, the NY Times and USA Today bestselling author. Could be a coincidence, but it unlikely to be her birth name.
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Post by Katherine Smith »

I don't think that using da Vinci's name is unethical because the alleged missing painting is a da Vinci work. I think that the author could have emphasized that part of the story more, but the novel could have been mistaken as a Dan Brown work. When I first saw the cover, I had that initial impression.
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Post by Natalie_Taylor »

Fioretta knew Leonardo. Leonardo painted the portrait of her and Giuliano that went missing. That portrait is what Sophia and Gerhard were trying to save and what Angela and Alex are trying to find.

Fioretta was the girl who knew Leonardo, and his work ties the storylines together.

Granted, there was an abundance of famous Renaissance artists alive and in Florence at the same time as these characters (Michelangelo Buonarroti comes to mind) and they don't even make an appearance. The choice to name Leonardo could have been just because there's so much mystery surrounding his work (likely because of how his manuscripts, sketches, and paintings were scattered after his death).
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Post by bclayton13 »

Well, while he's not exactly a main character, I agree with the others in that he's the main person linking all of the storylines together. He's important in the novel. As for a marketing strategy, I admit that da Vinci's name is what drew me to this one, so perhaps. I have a weakness for his paintings and any lore surrounding them, and I'm sure many do, ever since the Da Vinci Code.
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Post by KitabuKizuri »

cristinaro wrote: 04 Jun 2018, 08:06 ...When I read the title "The Girl Who Knew da Vinci", what do I think of? I imagine I would learn a lot of things about da Vinci, things from his personal as well as his professional life. You've already said what a famous artist da Vinci was. Besides, there are so many things we don't know about his complex personality. He expressed himself in so many domains. Does the novel rise to the level of my expectations as promised by the title? I would say no, considering it turns out to be nothing more than a romance which uses da Vinci's name and the paranormal elements to lure more readers.
I agree with you on this one, I would expect the book to have at least some real girl-next-door dossiers on Da Vinci.
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Post by Al Chakauya »

I agree that it's a marketing strategy and a good one too. The moment I saw the title I thought of the daVinci Code and I couldn't wait to grab a copy for myself. I also think they are whole bunch like me who grabbed the book on the perception that it's a sequel to the daVinci Code without even bothering to look at the author's name. Unethical?, I don't know, but it works and I believe it's a bestseller because of that.
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Post by anwidmer »

I dont know, i believe possibly the use of the name was marketing strategy. To assume the author was banking on the fact that people would connect it to the davinci code is a stretch i think however. If people did that i think it was sheer luck for the author. The fact that those people would grab and read a book simply on its name alone is silly to me. I dont think its his fault they did not read the synopsis or engage in a discussion of said book before deciding to purchase it. Just my opinion =)
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