An exciting, dual-timeline historical novel about the creation of one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings, Portrait of a Lady with an Ermine, and the woman who fought to save it from Nazi destruction during World War II. Milan, 1492: When a 16-year old beauty becomes the mistress of the Duke of Milan, she must fight for her place in the palace—and against those who want her out. … palace—and against those who want her out. Soon, she finds herself sitting before Leonardo da Vinci, who wants to ensure his own place in the ducal palace by painting his most ambitious portrait to date.
Munich, World War II: After a modest conservator unwittingly places a priceless Italian Renaissance portrait into the hands of a high-ranking Nazi leader, she risks her life to recover it, working with an American soldier, part of the famed Monuments Men team, to get it back.
Two women, separated by 500 years, are swept up in the tide of history as one painting stands at the center of their quests for their own destinies.
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This was my first Laura Morelli novel and I enjoyed it immensely. I am an Italophile who lived in Milan for three years, love art history and particularly admire The Lady with the Ermine so I was a pushover for this book.
Ms Morelli’s research is as meticulous as one would expect from someone with a PhD in Art History and I loved learning more about the story behind Da Vinci’s painting as well as the huge scale theft of artworks from across Europe by Nazi Germany and the efforts to recover it by the Monuments Men.
I’m not overly fond of dual timeline books but the fifteenth and twentieth century stories were skilfully interwoven and, as well as the two time periods, we had a range of different voices – Cecilia the subject of Lady with the Ermine, and Da Vinci himself (the only first person narrative), Dominic an American GI supporting the Monuments Men, and Edith an art conservator at the Munich Pinakotheck. But it is the painting itself which is the true hero of the book, hauntingly beautiful, ageless and captivating all who look on it. Cecilia herself was an ordinary woman, musically gifted, appealing on the eye, but in the final analysis someone who would otherwise have been justifiably forgotten. Faced with incarceration in a convent, she made certain to catch the eye of Ludovico il Moro in the naive hope that once she had secured her place as his mistress, she would graduate to wife and duchess. Were it not for the mastery of Da Vinci she would not even have earned a footnote in history. Thanks to him she endures, and I hope her painting will do so for centuries more.
It’s good to have a WW2 novel from a different angle and have no hesitation in recommending this.
Since I write books with dual timelines, I can testify to the difficulty and the joy of recreating two different periods in time. Laura Morelli has written an interesting tale of history that embroils none other than Leonardo da Vinci’s mesmerizing portrait of Cecelia Gallerani, Lady With an Ermine. Morelli envisions the painting’s creation at the court of Ludovico Sforza the Duke of Milan by the maestro and then continues its haphazard journey when it’s confiscated in Poland by the Nazis. We read about the relationship between the Duke and Cecelia, who becomes his mistress, and what follows for Cecelia when her romantic liaison ends. We also cross Europe multiple times in the company of Edith Becker, a German art conservator working at the Alte Pinakothek Museum in Munich, who is conscripted to work with the Nazis in the theft of Europe’s art treasures. Contrasted to Edith’s experiences during the war under the thumb of the Nazis is another story about an American soldier and part-time artist, Dominic, who ends up working with the Monument Men whose mission it is to find the Nazi horde of stolen art and repatriate everything to the rightful owners.
The Night Portrait is a worthy historical read.
THE NIGHT PORTRAIT is set in a dual timeline ranging from 1492, Milan, to Munich during WWII.
We meet Cecilia Gallerani who is the woman in Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous portrait Lady with An Ermine. We follow her life as the mistress of Ludovico il Moro. It isn’t a life I would have wanted to live.
We then meet American soldiers who are helping the Monuments Men retrieve stolen paintings and Edith Becker a German art expert ordered by the Reich to find the most valuable paintings that were hidden by families that were forced to evacuate.
These stolen paintings were to become part of a private collection of German officers.
Edith wanted to protect the art at all costs, but she also had to protect herself.
This book is an extremely well written history lesson and interesting to me because of the art as well as WWII.
Ms. Morelli’s marvelous research and telling of the events in both timelines had me looking up more information on Leonardo Da Vinci, the German officers, the Monuments Men, and Cecilia Gallerani.
Ms. Morelli’s writing style and descriptions brought the characters and situations to life.
Historical fiction fans and art connoisseurs will not want to miss this book.
THE NIGHT PORTRAIT is superb and a work of art in itself.
It is a beautiful tribute to artists of the world and to those who fought to preserve it.
You will be shedding tears of joy as well as sadness as you read this phenomenal book. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I was looking forward to reading The Night Portrait. It is a dual timeline novel told through the eyes of four narrators. Cecelia is a young girl who becomes the mistress of the Duke of Milan in the 1490’s. The Duke commissions Leonardo da Vinci to paint Cecelia’s portrait. I enjoyed learning about this time period.
The second time period takes place in WWII. At the beginning of the war Edith is an art conservator whose father has dementia. She is drafted to go to Poland to assist in documenting art stolen by the Nazi’s. The last narrator is Dominic who is an American soldier and one of the monument men who looks for the art the German’s stole.
While I loved learning about these two time periods, I felt the author took on too much in creating this story. I had a difficult time staying focused. I received an ARC from Harper Collins UK in exchange for an honest review.
While I enjoyed this extremely well written book, and feel I learned quite a bit about how the priceless treasures of art were handled during WWII, and the origins of the painting The Lady with an Ermine, it is not written in a style I enjoy. The multiple time lines and points of view, break my concentration and develop frustration to me while reading. I do understand why the book is written in such a manner. It definitely makes the story more meaningful. I personally prefer a story with one time line. I was reading, very interested in what was unfolding, and then the story abruptly stops, to then continue with different time line.
The author does a great job of the character development, scenery description, research and plotting. I believe it is rather difficult to keep the story flowing with several time lines being told. The multiple time lines shows that things are the same, yet years apart.
This is the first book I have read by this author. I would like to read her books in the future, but not if they have the same style of multiple time lines.
I received the advance reader copy of this book from the publisher, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter through NetGalley. My review is my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.
Laura Morelli’s The Night Portrait is simply a masterpiece. Morelli imagines a sophisticated plot, fleshes it out with historically significant characters, and spins it into a truly spectacular read. Rarely have I been so caught up in a book as I was with this unforgettable tale of bravery and love, hope and redemption. Fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale and Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See will delight in this epic novel.
This historical fiction novel by Laura Morello is an excellent read. I really enjoyed reading about the history of the Portrait of a Lady with an Ermine and how it was stolen by the Nazis and recovered by the Monument Men. I loved this book and recommend it highly. I received this free book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
460 pages
5 stars
It is 1939 in Germany. The Nazis are set to move against Poland. Hitler plans to build a museum to house all of the world’s great art there.
Edith Becker, an art conservator, is central to this story. She is determined to keep the beloved painting Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo Da Vinci out of the hands of the Butcher of Poland, Hans Frank. In 1939, she is ordered to go to Poland to “conserve” the art there. What he really means is to steal the great artworks to give to the Nazis. He especially wanted Leonardo Da Vinci’s art in addition to many others.
Through a series of flashbacks, we meet the woman who is the subject of the painting titled Lady with an Ermine, Cecilia Gallerani and the painter, Leonardo Da Vinci.
Edith is ordered to go to Poland to “collect” the artwork of a very wealthy family. This is where sahe first sees the Lady with an Ermine. She knows she must protect this work. A figurative fight breaks out over the painting between the Butcher of Poland Hans Frank and the acquisitive Hermann Goering. A deal is made and it won’t be one that Edith likes. Frank is a horrible man. He has sat by while thousands have been killed.
Meanwhile, we also meet an American soldier Dominic Bonelli. He is also a very talented artist and would love to see a Da Vinci. He survives the landing at Omaha Beach on D-Day. He and his pal are assigned to protect a new detail. These men are called the Monuments Men. Their task is to repatriate the stolen art. But, first they must find it.
We meet several displaced people, starving and homeless. Their eyes filled with suspicion and hopelessness. We see the horrors of Dachau. Dominic’s task finds him all over Poland.
This is a very well written book. It is very readable and moves quickly. I don’t believe that there are any wasted words. All of the major characters are fascinating and very true to life. Ms. Morelli colorfully paints them with words. The reader is right there – a witness to all of it, Cecilia and Edith’s stories as well as Dominic’s are very well told. This is my first book by Ms. Morelli, but it won’t be my last. I immediately went to Amazon to look at her other books.
I want to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter for forwarding to me a copy of this very excellent book for me to read, enjoy and review.
The Night Portrait by Laura Morelli is Split Time Historical Fiction that revolves around a painting by Leonardo Di Vinci. When I was invited to read and review this book I hesitated for awhile. I was not familiar with the author and my pile of books to be read was high. After reading the description I was hooked and put everything else aside until I read the last word including the acknowledgments and historical information.
This book has historical information about art, World War II, people, Europe and life during each time period. It is well researched with exciting incidents and conflicts that add to the real historical events. The author brings each character, event and place to life with vivid details. I’m delighted to find a new favorite author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I appreciate the opportunity and thank the author and publisher for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this book. 5 Stars
This historical novel is set in two very different times – da Vinci’s Renaissance Italy and World War II Europe. There are multiple narrators. With multiple narrators and two different timelines, it is hard for the reader to get involved with either the timelines or the narrators.
The reader doesn’t really get an opportunity to be immersed in either timeline. The characters, except da Vinci, are underdeveloped and da Vinci may appear to be well developed but only because most readers know something of his life and times.
The ending is weak and just sort of peters out. All-in-all, this book could have been so much better had the author given us more details either about her characters and/or the times in which they lived.
My thanks to Morrow and Edelweiss for an eARC.
The Night Portrait by Laura Morelli is a fascinating dual timeline novel with its roots in reality. It is set in 1490’s Milan and 1940’s Poland and Germany. The link is Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of a lady in ermine. Facts and fiction blend to produce a fabulous tale.
The action is told from several points of view in both the first and third person as the reader immerses themselves in two very different cultures.
The 1940’s follows an art historian employed by the Nazi regime to plunder artefacts from across occupied Europe. From 1944 we also follow an American soldier trying to trace these stolen artefacts to recover and return.
Laura Morelli has perfectly captured the period as we ‘feel’ the fear and ‘see’ the horror that is Dachau concentration camp.
I found the book a compelling read and can highly recommend it.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
The Night Portrait by Laura Morelli is an excellent historical fiction that takes the reader through two different locations and centuries: late 15th century Florence and Milan and Poland/Germany 1939-1946. Within each timeline, the author weaves a tale between two main characters. In 1496: Leonardo da Vinci himself and Cecilia Gallerani, a young girl who ends up posing for one of his beautiful paintings. The WWII timeframe alternates between Edith, a German art restorer/curator that is asked to partake in illegal activities for the “common good of the motherland” and Dominic, an American GI that we first see being involved in D Day and then eventually gets caught up in becoming part of the Monuments Men group that helped rescue, take, and return stolen works of art to their rightful owners.
One would think that taking four different people with their own side stories and secondary characters within two different timelines, and weaving all of that together so that the reader can slowly pull the layers apart and find how all of these people come together and have something in common could be ambitious and intimidating to say the least, however the author was able to accomplish this flawlessly and impressively.
What the reader is left with is a gorgeous tale that gives us so many unique and wonderful experiences. Mystery, loss, suspense, love, passion, evil vs good, scheming, adventure, heroism, and triumph ensue. All of these human emotions are intertwined perfectly with the magnificence of art, art history, and preservation.
This was an excellent book that was special, unique, and kept me enthralled from beginning to end. Very impressive and most excellent.
5/5 stars
Thank you EW and William Morrow for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.