Lisabetta

by Veronica Knox

THE MONA LISA MAY BE PRICELESS... NOW SHE MUST BECOME A WOMAN WORTH SAVING
A biographical fantasy of reincarnation and lost identities based on the lives of Leonardo da Vinci, his kid-sister, Lisabetta Buti, and their 21st counterparts 500 years later

FATE IS MORE MYSTERIOUS THAN A SMILE

Lured from her iconic portrait in the Louvre by an autistic boy and his mother, the spirit of Leonardo da Vinci's sister, the true Mona Lisa, steps outside her painting to redress a five hundred-year-old case of mistaken identity.
Some artists break all the rules.
One only has to gaze into the eyes of a divine portrait to discover the undeniable truth - that a master artist can capture the soul of a subject. But sometimes it takes five-hundred years for the energy to cool.
During bouts of shared lucid dreaming and time-slipping, experiences of reincarnation reveal lost loves, stolen dreams, missing paintings... and, finally, the irony of an anonymous woman becoming the most famous face in the world.

In the spring of 1519, my brother Leonardo still believed he could fly!
- Lisabetta
the true face of the 'Mona Lisa'

356 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 4, 2018

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant historical novel which crosses the borders of time and space and meshes the lives of two woman and a very special young boy across a five hundred years difference. This is the story of Veronica Lyons who is bi-polar and her autistic son Jupiter both of whom are enthralled by art especially that of Leonardo Da Vinci. They travel to Europe and visit the Louvre to see their most beloved work of art, the Mona Lisa but they did not expect to experience what they did when they stood in front of her painting. Lisabetta was Leonardo's beloved sister, who always walked in his shadow as women were wont to do in the 15th century but she was happy to do so because he was like the sun to her. However she was not willing to live on through her painting in the shadow of none other than the Giaconda, a woman who she truly detested in real life, and she wanted out. Lisabetta felt left behind once Leonardo passed on and she wanted to break out of the gold frame which held her prisoner for so many to ogle her day in day out. Jupiter with his special abilities was the one to see the real Lizzie. I just love V. Knox's ideas of time being fluid, her belief in an afterlife and in reincarnation as these beliefs are very much in tune with my own, so her stories strike a strong chord for me. I also loved the way she wrote through the eyes of an autistic child and a very disturbed mother who idolised him. The similarities in the idea of twins, and how both women felt left behind by their brothers, strengthened the link between them. The woman sent to rescue Lisabetta can't release her until she fully lives, and Lisabetta cannot be reborn until she fully dies! Veronica Knox writing is very deep, gives one food for thought and it is not simply reading a novel for fun, she challenges ideas which are the 'norm' and her readers need to take time t analyse her philosophical thoughts and soak them in. I really think her writing is a bright shining light which many need to experience.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant historical novel which crosses the borders of time and space and meshes the lives of two women and a very special young boy across a five hundred years difference. This is the story of Veronica Lyons who is bi-polar and her autistic son Jupiter both of whom are enthralled by art especially that of Leonardo Da Vinci. They travel to Europe and visit the Louvre to see their most beloved work of art, the Mona Lisa but they did not expect to experience what they did when they stood in front of her painting. Lisabetta was Leonardo's beloved sister, who always walked in his shadow as women were wont to do in the 15th century but she was happy to do so because he was like the sun to her. However she was not willing to live on through her painting in the shadow of none other than the Giaconda, a woman who she truly detested in real life, and she wanted out. Lisabetta felt left behind once Leonardo passed on and she wanted to break out of the gold frame which held her prisoner for so many to ogle her day in day out. Jupiter with his special abilities was the one to see the real Lizzie. I just love V. Knox's ideas of time being fluid, her belief in an afterlife and in reincarnation as these beliefs are very much in tune with my own, so her stories strike a strong chord for me. I also loved the way she wrote through the eyes of an autistic child and a very disturbed mother who idolised him. The similarities in the idea of twins, and how both women felt left behind by their brothers, strengthened the link between them. The woman sent to rescue Lisabetta can't release her until she fully lives, and Lisabetta cannot be reborn until she fully dies! Veronica Knox writing is very deep, gives one food for thought and it is not simply reading a novel for fun, she challenges ideas which are the 'norm' and her readers need to take time to analyse her philosophical thoughts and soak them in. I really think her writing is a bright shining light which many need to experience.

[JBee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book. It is a rich multi-level read - occurring in the 1500’s and in 2008. The idea here is that the Mona Lisa represents Leonardo d’ Vinci’s sister with whom he had a symbiotic relationship. In painting her portrait he had captured her Soul and in death her portrait became her heaven. I liked how the author interwove the three main relationships - Lisabetta a peasant woman from the 1500s who due to societal circumstances lived her life vicariously through Leonardo. The two primary characters from 2008 include a young autistic savant boy Jupiter and his bi-polar mother Veronica. As I was reading I felt as if I was in each characters mind experiencing their thoughts - it was uncanny. The author includes a lot of information about art which was extremely interesting. A great read!

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story sets Mona Lisa as being the sister of Leonardo d' Vinci. Very interesting and complex historical read with complex characters.I received a free book from booksprout for an honest and voluntary review

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for a voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sandra Singleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.amazon.com/review/R28ZUGW...