Smile, The Story of the original Mona Lisa

by Mary Hoffman

That smile is for someone. But who?

Florence, 1482

Lisa is just a baby when the great Leonardo draws her for the first time. This sketch becomes her most precious possession - one that fuels dreams of a life beyond the confines of marriage, childbirth and the turmoil that spills out onto the streets of her city.

But even as the bonfires of the vanities burn bright and Lisa's world fills with the responsibilities of home and family, she longs to see again the artist who once called her 'Lovely Lisa'.

A remarkable historical novel inspired by the world's most mysterious portrait.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Grief, Family, Fiction

96 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2018

About the author

See also works published under Mary Lassiter

Mary Hoffman is a bestselling British author and reviewer, born in 1945. She is a true enthusiast of Italy and spends a lot of her time there, which shows in her Stravaganza novels: a series currently in publication. In total, she has written over 80 books, including the aforementioned Stravaganza series and the bestselling picture book, Amazing Grace. Mary is also the editor of a review magazine Armadillo for kids.

Watch the book trailer for David, Mary Hoffman's most recent novel

Reviews

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank the publishers Barrington Stoke for sending me a copy of Smile for review! This book is part of their publishing line for dyslexic readers so this is a story that is suitable and beautifully formatted for anyone who is a reluctant reader or is dyslexic.

Disclaimer: I personally don't have dyslexia however I am on the bloggers mailing list for this publisher and am very happy to review all the YA books that they publish!

Smile is a historical fiction inspired by the famous portrait Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci and follows Lisa as she grows up and makes her way out into the world. When she is a baby, Leonardo does this sketch of her which she treasures all the way into adulthood and married life. Set in Italy, we follow Lisa in her own footsteps as she describes the husband she marries and the children she has. This was a quick read that I appreciated and personally, I love historical books. There was a lot of telling rather than showing and lots of details were thrown in throughout the majority of the book. The format itself was clear, easy to read and I loved the imagery world of Lisa which was creative and possibly my favourite part of the book.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5/5 stars. An interesting quick read about the life of the lady whose portrait is known as the world’s most famous painting.. have you ever stopped and wondered - who was Mona Lisa? An historical story that gives you insight into art of the 1500s and makes you realise how much times have changed - reference to artists Michelangelo and Leonardo was also pretty interesting. Many thanks to Allen & Unwin for sending me this advance review copy.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I borrowed this from one of my friends, as she knows I like historical books. I didn't realise that it was a children's book until I got it, but it wasted a quiet hour in work. (It's only 95 pages.)

This book is immensely boring, and even as a child, I would have found this boring. As proclaimed on the front cover, it's "the story of the original Mona Lisa", but it's her life, told in a very simplistic way (since it's aimed at children), but with talk of homosexuality and childbirth sprinkled throughout.

I think this is an OK book for children, as the book is well spaced, and short paragraphs/chapters, with easy to understand language, but it was just so dull. Most of it was from the author's imagination, (which she admits in the author's note), including Lisa being painted by Leonardo when she was three years old, and then again, when she became the Mona Lisa (or Monna Lisa, as the book frequently refers to her).

There's also a lot of talk about Michaelangelo, and the rivalry between him and Da Vinci, which didn't sit right, and almost detracted from the storyline.

Only a couple of pages are actually dedicated to the painting, towards the end of the book, and we hear more about Lisa's bad tempered husband than we do of the painting. I would have preferred the story to have been more centered around the painting, rather than tacked on at the end, almost like an afterthought.

I found it quite strange for Lisa to insinuate that Da Vinci had made her look like his partner at the time, Salai, and it seemed unnecessary to the storyline.

I wouldn't recommend this to read to your children, as they will likely be distracted by something else. There are much better books for kids out there - this one about the Mona Lisa is boring for an adult reading it, never mind a child.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story takes an interesting idea and uses it to paint a picture of Florence in the latter part of the fifteenth century. It is written in an easy to follow manner, and I found it easy to like her main character, the sitter for the Mona Lisa. I felt rather sorry for Lisa, having no choice in her marriage partner and being married at 15 to a man twice her age, though it is made clear that this was what would be expected of a girl in her social position in that time and place, and Lisa herself decides that she is going to be happy. And she is, most of the time.
The main difficulty that I had with this story is probably that although interesting and often disturbing things were happening in Florence at that time, we get a rather muffled view of events. This is doubtless in keeping with Lisa's likely view of them, but it does sometimes make it feel as though nothing much is happening, when it obviously is!
The book is written to attract the attention of those for whom a lengthier book would be too offputting. I am pleased that Mary Hoffman has tried hard to grab the reader's interest, and to some extent she does, but I wouldn't put it up there with her best work.

[Amy (Golden Books Girl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this historical novella, Mary Hoffman tells the story of Lisa, which is inspired by who could be the inspiration for the famous painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. It sees her from when she`s very young, to her marriage and adapting to that life in her teens. The narrative was pleasant and easy to follow, if a little heavy on exposition, and I sympathised with Lisa, who has spent her entire life being prepared for marriage. I also enjoyed the historical aspects of both setting and featuring historical figures. I`ve never seen a book focus on Savonarola before, so it was fascinating to learn about it in a bit more depth, and also find out more about da Vinci and other artists of the period. On the whole, this was an informative and interesting read that fans of historical books will likely enjoy. 4/5

[Josephine (Jo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting look at the fictional and imaginary life of the famous lady in Leonardo's painting, Mona Lisa. Little Lisa tells us her story from the age of 13 through to the time when her portrait is painted. Lisa tells us what it is like to live in Florence during the time of de Vinci, She describes life through the eyes of a young girl who is not very wealthy but who makes a good match when she marries. The description of the clothes and household is very good and Lisa also happens to know Michaelangelo as well as Leonardo.
This was a Young Adult story but I found it entertaining. I like imaginary stories about people who are famous but who we know very little about as the scope is limitless as to what the author can make up about them.

[Zibbernaut · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is not much substance to this book, just grabbed it from the library to read on a drive, and while it wasn't very thrilling, it was good enough to hold my attention for about an hour. I was disappointed to get to the end and find out that the author took some liberties in the story--mainly that one of the big plot devices was that Leonardo had drawn Lisa as a baby, and he drew her a second time in the end. I had found it interesting, and to get to the end and find it was made up.... well, I guess I should have expected it. lol. But I didn't know.

[Rania T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for reluctant readers and Literacy Group in schools. Historical fiction that is accessible. Also came to understand why Greeks don't usually call the painting Mona Lisa, but "Gioconda" instead.

[Anneke]

Het was wel aardig om te lezen maar een verhaal kan ik er niet in ontdekken. Het is meer een opsomming van de kinderen die Lisa heeft gekregen en verloren.