eight and counting...

Number eight is Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex. I have a decided preference for historical fiction, especially historical fiction that involves art and artists. Tracey Chevalier and Susan Vreeland are two of my favourite authors, probably because of this. I am immediately attracted to any cover that displays an actual work of art. Leonardo's Swans depicts events surrounding Ludovico Sforza's attempts to wrest the Duchy of Milan for himself from his ward from the point of view of his sister-in-law. The writing is good, and I can't speak for the research but it seemed thorough. My only issue was that there were several points in the book where I had to stop reading in order to do my own research to keep the personages straight and place them in context. The short biographies provided at the end of the book were insufficient. I will recommend this book, but only if you have google access.