Listen to a sample
Signora da Vinci
- Author
- Robin Maxwell
- Narrator
- Bernadette Dunne
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 27 August 2009
- Run Time
- 15 hours 11 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Caterina was fifteen years old when she fell in love with a man much above her station. The daughter of a humble village apothecary, she was considered unmarriageable by her lover’s wealthy and ambitious family. She had no recourse when they took her child away from her, leaving her bereft and rejected by society as a “fallen woman.”
But Caterina had always hidden a part of herself from society. Unlike most women of that time, she had been educated since childhood—not only in her father’s medicinal arts, but in Greek philosophy and pagan mysticism, considered heretical by the church.
Now, to be close to her son, she would carry that deceit further than she had ever imagined, taking up a new life under a dangerous new identity. In Florence at the height of Italy’s cultural Renaissance, Caterina would discover undreamed-of opportunities and freedoms—and her gifted son, Leonardo, would change the world forever.
Critics Review
-
“Maxwell re-creates Renaissance Italy in splendid detail…the setting and known events of the artist’s life are meticulously rendered.”
Publishers Weekly
-
“Lush and lusty, fascinating and smart, this fictionalized biography is a stroke of genius crafted by a gifted historian.”
Romantic Times
-
“A glorious novel of Leonardo da Vinci and his courageous, passionate mother.”
Sandra Worth, author of The King’s Daughter
-
“[An] exquisite gem of a novel…Signora da Vinci is a tour de force celebration of one woman’s unquenchable ardor for knowledge and of a secret world that historical fiction readers rarely see.”
C. W. Gortner, author of The Last Queen
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
“Signora da Vinci is without a doubt the best historical fiction I have read all year…remarkable…Maxwell takes us back to the turbulent times of the Italian Renaissance to give us a beautifully rendered and captivating portrait of Leonardo da Vinci’s mother…A masterful blend of fact and fiction, Signora da Vinci mesmerizes.”
Michelle Moran, author of Nefertiti and The Heretic Queen
-
“Thanks to Maxwell, we get a superbly imagined portrait of a woman living in turbulent times who boldy behaved as few dared…[A] sparkling epic…the novel continually delights with intriguing details.”
Vicki León, author of Uppity Women of the Renaissance
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Robin Maxwell
- Narrator
- Bernadette Dunne
- Duration
- 15 hours 11 minutes
- Release Date
- 27 August 2009
- ISBN
- 9781483066516
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Historical fiction, Fiction: general and literary, Biographical fiction
Synopsis
Caterina was fifteen years old when she fell in love with a man much above her station. The daughter of a humble village apothecary, she was considered unmarriageable by her lover’s wealthy and ambitious family. She had no recourse when they took her child away from her, leaving her bereft and rejected by society as a “fallen woman.”But Caterina had always hidden a part of herself from society. Unlike most women of that time, she had been educated since childhood—not only in her father’s medicinal arts, but in Greek philosophy and pagan mysticism, considered heretical by the church.Now, to be close to her son, she would carry that deceit further than she had ever imagined, taking up a new life under a dangerous new identity. In Florence at the height of Italy’s cultural Renaissance, Caterina would discover undreamed-of opportunities and freedoms—and her gifted son, Leonardo, would change the world forever.
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.