This short historical novel traces the life of Leonardo da Vinci from the time of his birth in 1452, through to his death in 1519. It focuses on Leonardo the person rather than specific achievements with a rare focus on his childhood and early development. In reality little detail is known about Leonardo’s childhood other than his actual birthplace and parents, but the book takes what is known and has been published about his early years by L.H. Heydenriech and G. Vasari and then places the reader in the home of Leonardo the child.
His early development years are also dealt with in the same style in order that the reader gets to know Leonardo the Young man and later the troubled artist, anatomist, thinker and engineer.
All Leonardo’s major accomplishments from the Virgin of the Rocks to Mona Lisa in painting, the Sforza horse in sculpture, his anatomical experiments and engineering drawings are dealt with. His ongoing interest and contribution to flight is included and even the famous letter to Ludovico Sforza is included. Thus the book is historically and biographically accurate, but primarily the book brings Leonardo to life and places the reader there amongst the action that surrounded one of histories great original thinkers. Kevin Streat was born and raised in rural New Zealand. He has lived and worked in differing countries for the last 30 years. He and his Canadian wife now call Cooroy in Queensland Home. (from jacket notes)
The Florentine, Kevin Streat, Createspace, 2012
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