I enjoy historical fiction so I was excited to read this book about the Mona Lisa which follows a split time line between the the Renaissance and WW2. The writing is decent and these fascinating historical events appear well-researched, but this book never really grabbed me. The story is told from multiple viewpoints with frequent jumps in time that interrupted the flow of my reading. I didn’t feel a strong connection to any of the characters and this lack of empathy made the overall story drag.

During World War II, the Nazis under Hitler ravaged museums and stole art pieces that were priceless, which caused people to hide the national treasures . Laura Morelli has taken the story of hiding the Mona Lisa during World War II and worked in the history of the painting from 500 years previously. There are a lot of characters in this book, each in their own setting and with their own sets of issues. Laura has also brought out the historical tensions in both of the situations, making this an informative read as well as an entertaining read.

The stories are told in serial chapters focusing on one character at a time, and bringing the lives of the characters into their own spotlights. This book will require a concentrated effort to keep with the plots and people, but the effort will be rewarded in the end.

Four Stars.

William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

art-theft, artist, art-history, Italy, France, dual-time-frames, historical-novel, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture*****

Impressive storytelling backed by solid research. This entwined presentation involves a Louvre employee during the occupation of France tasked as a member of a team to thwart the German accession of fine art, a woman who becomes a servant to a wealthy family at a young age in the time of the famous Leonardo painting, and Leonardo himself. The story is actually riveting as I wanted to find out multiple things about each of the protagonists. No spoilers here, just READ IT!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from William Morrow and Custom House via NetGalley. Thank you!

What an interesting read! I find it hard to enjoy WWII historical fiction because it’s been done so much but I loved the focus of the art being moved from the Louvre to protect it. It wasn’t something I knew much about so getting some form of history from it was wonderful.

I’ve been to the Louvre and seeing the Mona Lisa in person made the connection to the love of that museum and it’s art all the more real! I loved the split timeline and follow Da Vinci through his creation process of the Mona Lisa. I would love to talk to the author about where those ideas came from, especially Bellina’s perspective. Was it based in fact?

This book really transports you to two very different times in history and the characters are so different each of their stories being something different to the whole book.

Thank you NetGalley and William Marrow and Custom House for the ARC!

(Review is up on Goodreads. I will share a more extensive review to my bookstagram, BookishlyShan, within the next week or so. And will reshare it on pub day)

One woman is the person in the painting while the other woman is trying to save it.

We meet Lisa Gherardini in 1497 whose wealthy husband wanted a portrait of her, and we meet Anne Guichard in 1939 who is employed at the Louvre and trying to keep this famous painting, The Mona Lisa, out of the hands of the Nazis.

Leonardo Da Vinci is the artist who painted Lisa's portrait.

Many interesting facts about this painting that traveled far and wide to keep it safe.

All three people are tied together by this one painting even though the connection is hundreds of years apart.

Lisa's maid, Bellina Sardi, is a side part of this trio, but she has an important role of keeping her mistress safe, but is also asked to spy on and steal from the wealthy family she works for by the Medici.

Marvelous research as always and an educational trip through history as we learn about the woman behind that Mona Lisa smile, Leonardo Da Vinci, how the Mona Lisa took many trips and was hidden many times, and life during this time in history. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advance reader copy of The Stolen Lady by Laura Morelli in exchange for a fair review.
Set in a dual era, with three points of view, we meet Leonardo Da Vinci, Bellina (a house servant to Lisa Gherardini) and Anne (a young archivist at the Louvre Museum) and see how the famous piece of art, the Mona Lisa, becomes part of their individual experiences.
Not much is truly known about the Mona Lisa. Art historians for years have been trying to piece together the who, how and why behind this painting. Based on historical events and other information about the respective timelines, Morelli weaves together a story of how the painting came to be, who Lisa was, and how it was saved during WWII from the advancing German Army.
As a lover of historical fiction, I was intrigued by the plotline. I've been to the Louvre a few times as well as Florence. It was easy for me to place myself in WWII France and Renaissance Italy with a little help from Google Maps. The stories were intriguing and easy to follow. I rather liked the Leonardo and Bellina segments more than the Anne segments and thought the latter went off the rails just a little in the climax. I found the brother storyline unnecessary and a little overdone.
Overall and for my patrons, it is a clean story and intriguing for lovers of history and especially of the renaissance and of art. I wouldn't categorize this first as a WWII historical fiction even though that is what the cover and title portray. 4*

Thank you to NetGally and William Morrow Paperbacks for the digital ARC of this title. This was a breathtakingly sublime novel. There have been quite a few novels out recently about women doing incredible things during war, and this one is a standout. It is evident within the pages that Morelli spent time researching as much as possible, as the novel is infused with history, glimpses and feels of the time periods, and a powerful voice that weaves its way throughout the book. I recommend this to anyone who loves art, history, and the power of choice.

Thank you so much William Morrow Paperbacks and NetGalley for this outstanding ebook copy!

The Stolen Lady by Laura was such a beautiful book!
This incredible, captivating story will take you on a journey full of art during the WWII!
You can tell Laura did some research here! And it shows. This writing is one for the books. Because I was simply hooked and amazed. Its beyond great!
The story is about the most famous painted portrait in history Mona Lisa.
And just how far the people of Louvre went through to stop the Nazis from getting their hands on it!
The Stolen Lady is a brilliant, exhilarating and fascinating story will keep you hooked. Promise!

The Stolen Lady is told from three perspectives: Anne in France during WWII, and Leonardo and Bellina in Italy in the late 1400s and early 1500s. It is the story of the creation of the Mona Lisa and the painting's journey while hiding from the Nazis.

What I liked:
-I love historical fiction, especially during WWII. This was a perspective I hadn't followed before and it was interesting to see how the Louvre staff took care of priceless artwork.
-I like how the author ended one POV with an idea and began the next POV with the same idea. It was a great way to link these three experiences together and I wish it had been consistent throughout the book.
- It was intriguing to learn about the subject of the Mona Lisa, Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo.

What I didn't like:
-This book started out great but really lagged in the middle. I understand it was setting the scene and the history in Italy, but it didn't add to the story.
-I feel like the POVs of Leonardo and Bellina could have been combined. Only one perspective from that time frame was needed, and Bellina's didn't bring much new information. Her details could have been added to Leonardo's story.
-I was underwhelmed with the ending. Everything just suddenly went back to normal but was very lackluster. I feel there were missed opportunities.

3.5 Stars

I cannot say enough about how happy I am to have received a review copy of this book. I cannot say enough about how the much I loved it. One of the best historical fiction novels I've read this year - and I have read a lot! Laura Morelli's writing is exquisite, her research impeccable. Her characters believable and well developed. A true pleasure to read.

I loved The Stolen Lady by Laura Morelli. The characters were so well-developed I felt I knew them. The writing was excellent and plot was so intriguing. I’ve been hooked on reading historicals lately, WW II and European history are among my favorite reading topics. I really enjoyed the two timelines,too. I highly recommend both this author and this novel.

This book had me Googling locations the entire time I was reading it! In this new book, Morelli again highlights the impact of WWII on cultural treasures. Readers travel with employees of the famous Louvre museum as they attempted to stay one step ahead of the invading German army. With limited resources, precious art works were packed, cataloged, and transported from one location to another. Not only did the art pieces need to be kept safe from the Germans, but they also had to be kept safe from the negative impacts the environment could have on their stability. It was a monumental task and one that was not guaranteed to succeed.
With a dual timeline twist, Morelli gives the reader a tale of how the now famous Mona Lisa almost didn't come to fruition and survive its early years. With DaVinci's noncommittal attitude and the ever-changing political climate, it took the insight of a lonely maid to trigger the story of one of history's most famous works of art.
Morelli provides an amazing amount of historical content within this book's pages without bogging down the pace. Interesting, educational, and enjoyable read.
I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

A nice book that tells the story of the creation of the Mona Lisa and of her "travels" during the Second World War. Two important voices are heard during the story, Rembrandt and the savior of the Mona Lisa during the war.