Comments on: Book Review: Leonardo’s Swans by Karen Essex

By: BOOKS AND MOVIES » Help me celebrate my first bloggiversary – and, yes, there are prizes!

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 07:03:29 +0000

[...] Leonardo’s Swans by Karen Essex – previously read hardcover copy [...]

By: Mommy Brain » Links for Friday

Mommy Brain » Links for Friday — Sat, 02 May 2009 01:40:57 +0000

[...] ~ Review of Leonardo’s Swans by Karen Essex. [...]

By: BOOKS AND MOVIES » Favorite historical fiction

BOOKS AND MOVIES » Favorite historical fiction — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:16:19 +0000

[...] 1490s; Italy Leonardo’s Swans by Karen Essex – read my review [...]

By: CarrieK

CarrieK — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:15:27 +0000

S. Krishna – I’ve had my copy for quite a while – finally got to it for the Art History Reading Challenge.

By: S. Krishna

S. Krishna — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:13:27 +0000

I’ve got this one on my shelf and hope to get to it at some point. Nice review!

By: CarrieK

CarrieK — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:09:20 +0000

Karen – thanks for your kind comments! I have been following your blog and will be very interested in reading the book you’re researching now.

By: Karen Essex

Karen Essex — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:49:49 +0000

Carrie, thanks for that excellent review! I will share this with you and your readers—I had a terrible time in the middle of writing Leonardo’s Swans because I had to transition from the first part, which is about the more insular nature of the sisters’ relationship, to the second part, which opens up and takes place on the larger world stage of Italian politics. Oh, it vexed me, that middle! But these are the constraints a writer encounters when tackling historical fiction.

And in Stealing Athena, I suspect that the person who commented that THAT book dragged in the middle read an ARC. We heavily edited the middle for publication.

Also, we put a much more G-rated, and I think, more beautiful, cover on Leonardo’s Swans for the paperback edition.

Anyway, thanks so much, and your blog is terrific and very ambitious!

Karen Essex

By: CarrieK

CarrieK — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 20:37:33 +0000

Phyl – well, with a recommendation ilke that, who could resist? Our library doesn’t have any – I”ll have to add this one to my wish list at Amazon for someday…

By: Phyl

Phyl — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:31:28 +0000

Start with “The Game of Kings.” Wonderful beginning. And an introduction to one of the most charismatic, scintillating, brilliant characters in any book I’ve ever read.

By: CarrieK

CarrieK — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:31:19 +0000

Phyl – I haven’t read any of hers before – I’ll have to check her work out. Thanks for the recommendations!