This breathtaking novel tells the story of Leonardo Da Vinci and one of his paintings, switching from the 1490’s when he paints it to World War II when it was stolen by the Nazis from its rightful owner. The author transports you to Italy to the courts of a powerful man and the mistress he loved and adored. He requested that the new artist Da Vinci come and paint her portrait. While doing so Da Vinci and Cecelia became close friends. The novel allowed me to picture the castle and Cecilia’s rooms along with her magnificent clothing and beauty.

The jump from the 1490’s and WWII was done superbly, as each era was centred around the same thing, the portrait. Dominic and Edith, from the WWII chapters were developed nicely and they came across as real people to me, allowing me to feel their pain. The storyline gave me new information and backgrounds into Da Vinci and to the damage and pain the Nazi’s cost people. I liked how Dominic and Edith had separate stories to tell yet both stories were again centred around the same thing, art.

This is a long book but it doesn’t seem like it as you are quickly drawn in to the various storylines And you want to keep reading to see how it will all end. Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read this sweeping story. This is it just another book about WWII, it is a story of the beauty and love of art and how it is meant to be seen by all. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this epic tale.

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 book centres on a famous portrait by Leonardo de Vinci called Lady with the Ermine and spans 2 periods - 15th Century Milan (when the portrait was painted) and WW11 Poland/Germany (when the portrait was stolen by the Nazis so that Hitler and Germany could have the finest art collection in the world).

The story is told through the eyes of 4 main characters. Leonardo himself, Cecilia Gallerani (the lady in the portrait), Edith (the art conservator who is forced to find and list priceless art for the Nazis) and Dominic (An American soldier who ends up tracking down the stolen art at the end of the war).

I loved the way the author connected the main characters through the painting and how it wove between the 2 periods. She would end a chapter with a sentence from one of the characters and then use it to start a new chapter from one of the other characters some 500 years apart.

I found myself racing through the last chapters to see how the story ended and would definitely recommend this book to historical fiction lovers.

The Night Portrait by Laura Morelli is historical fiction at its best taking us through two different geographical locations and the late 15th century Florence and Milan and Poland/Germany 1939-1946.
In 1496 Leonardo da Vinci himself and Cecilia Gallerani, a young girl who ends up posing for one of his beautiful paintings. The timeline alternates between Edith, a German art restorer/curator that is asked to partake in illegal activities for the good of the Germany 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 group that helped rescue, take, and return stolen works of art to their rightful places.

A lovely tale that gives us so many heartbreaking and yet wonderful experiences. Love, loss, mystery, suspense, passion, good vs evil, adventure, unsung heroes, and sheer determination All of these emotions fit perfectly with the wonderful descriptions of art, art history, and preservation.

This was an excellent book that and kept me glued to the pages. Highly recommended.

Quite a remarkable story about a painting and people that really existed. I'm always curious why famous painters came to paint what they did and this is along those lines. There's some great characters and oh the world of art! I know little about it but I was almost tempted to go and pick up a paintbrush. I started to believe I was one of them. Of course reality hit and I'm not , but this book makes me want to go and see a museum with his paintings now.

Brushtrokes of magic here

“I have come to accept that war is inevitable. Beauty is fleeting. Only love and art endure.”

Laura Morelli’s The Night Portrait is a work of historical fiction told in 4 voices across 2 timelines: in 15th Century Milan and during WWII in Poland and Germany.

It centres around The Lady with the Ermine, one of Leonardo Da Vinci’s most beautiful & famous works, around its creation and its journey during the Nazi occupation of Poland.

What jumped out to me in this story was how multidimensional the characters were - how the author detailed their internal conflicts about their journeys and decisions, which was particularly interesting in the WWII timeline with both characters questioning their missions & their importance.

I also thought it was really interesting how the book portrayed Cecilia Gallerani (the subject of Da Vinci’s painting) and her strength and bravery in wanting to find her place in the world, and in Milan’s court. Her passion for art and culture are so beautifully detailed, it made me really curious to learn more about her life.

Beyond historical fiction, this book also covers the devastation of war, both to the cities and the people who live through it. It talks about the guilt facing those actively involved - and those on the sidelines.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Night Portrait - and was really moved by the idea that’s repeated through the book that art gives people something to live for, so it has to be preserved and shared. Isn’t that such a beautiful way to look at the world?

*eARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

A book, from several points of view, about one of the most beautiful portraits ever painted. The story alternates between the late 15th century, and World War II, and the fate of Leonardo's 'Lady with an Ermine'. The four main characters are well-drawn, and believable, and the events, some 'imagined', are believable.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for an ARC.

I love Laura Morelli's The Night Portrait. Beautifully written, well researched. The dual time line and the different perspectives from different voices was perfectly fine and the story one I was totally immersed in.

Beautiful story that will pull you in from the very first page. The characters are so engaging and the story written so beautifully, you will not be able to put this one down! My first book by Laura Morelli, but will definitely not be my last. Highly recommend!
Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by this author so I went in with no expectations.

I enjoyed the story a lot because it tells a part of WWII you normally don’t read a lot about. the stealing of art and other preciuous artifect by the Nazi’s and the effect by the allies to return those stolen items.

The story is told from different points of views and also in different times. Central to the story is the painting by Leonardo da Vinci known as The Lady with the Ermine.

Even though the story switches around a lot, it is easy to follow and it held my attention from beginning to end. The main characters were well rounded showing their good and lesser traits.

I would recommend this book.

This is a really enjoyable historical novel that takes place over several different time periods and is told in four different characters voices. The different time periods and voices work well together to tell one well woven story; the story of a famous piece of art by Leonardo da Vinci. I would have happily immersed myself for longer in any of their stories, but I especially would have loved to stay with Cecilia in Renaissance Italy for just a little bit longer. This story brings home beautifully the reality of history and particularly World War 2 and the impact it had on so many lives regardless of which country you were from but ultimately like any good history novel they bring you hope for the future.

A DaVinci portrait of a young girl in the 15th century is desired by the 3rd Reich. A German woman and an American soldier must save it. There is an underlying story of love and heartache that binds you to the three lives and their bittersweet stories.

A beautifully written terrific story.A book that engrossed me from the first pages the characters came alive stayed up late couldn’t put it down.Highly recommend.#netgalley#Thenightportrait.

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
First time reading this Author and thoroughly enjoyed reading this book it really was quite exquisitely entertaining I can highly recommend this endearing book.

It is difficult to write a book where the story is told from more than one viewpoint, add the complexity of two totally different times and this is multiplied. In this case there are two different main viewpoints at the end of the
15th century, that of Cecilia, the young mistresses of a Duke, and Leonardo da Vinci who is employed to paint her portrait. Then during the second World War there are Edna, an art conservator who is forced to catalogue arrestors stolen by the Nazis, and Dominic, an American soldier who is tasked with guarding the Monument Men who are trying to rescue these stolen items and return them to their rightful owners. The common theme is the portrait of Cecilia by Leonardo, Lady with an Ermine.
With the background of war this is not a light read, but the author has done an excellent job of bringing the characters to life. In with the darker side there are also moments of hope, people trying to make the best of what they can. I ended up really enjoying this book and looked into the history of the portrait, Lady with an Ermine, to find t that this was based around real people which made the story more poignant. Don't worry about the multiple viewpoints, these are clearly signposted, and just enjoy this well written book that shows that the author carried out extensive research to back up the real side of the story.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

I absolutely love historical fiction books but it takes a lot to impress me at this stage as I've read quite a few over the years. However, I can honestly say I adored the Night Portrait and it has been one of my favourite reads of 2020.

The Night Portrait has three view points, very different from each other and it takes a while to find out how they are connected to each other. Edith is a young German woman who is given the task of identifying famous pieces of artwork during WW2 for the Nazis, a task she finds difficult. Her most important discovery is a portrait by Leonardo da Vinci. Dominik is a young American soldier who is involved in the hunt for the stolen treasures of the Nazis. Cecelia's story is very different, she is a young woman that becomes a mistress of a powerful Italian man in the 1400's. She sits for a portrait by Leonardo da Vinci.

I loved this book and I simply couldn't put it down. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to any fellow historical fiction lover, it was an absolute pleasure to be asked to review this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

The ARC of this book was kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley.
The premise of this novel was intriguing enough, I thought the split perspective sounded interesting. However, I don't think this particular split worked for me. I struggled to connect with the narrators and I think this is due to the short chapters and how jarring the switch between time and perspectives was. The characters were compelling and I thought certain parts of the writing was wonderfully poetic and beautiful. Overall, I do think this was a unique story and I did enjoy the weaving of the people and places through the centuries. It was a solid historical fiction.

This was an amazing book that kept me fascinated throughout the entire journey. The characters were engaging and believable. Can’t recommend it enough!