i was very engrossed in the life of La Maestra, an amazing woman I'm horrified I didn't know before. This version of her is inspiring, to say the least, and also a relatable friend, sister, daughter, woman, artist and, most of all, individual self. The ambience of Bologna felt real to me as a reader and I felt as if I too was walking around and mesmerized at the art of such a young lady. The characters were lovely and real, but my frustration and anger at the parents was real too. It proved to be quite the challenge not to google her article on Wikipedia to find out if this man was truly as portrayed, fearing to spoil the story, which was so richly done. And in the end, it was clear how much research has come together to give this book the most precise, even if romanticized (perhaps) life of Elisabetta Sirani. I couldn't, however, give this 5 stars, for one simple reason: the words were accurate, but lacked the flow and delicacy that would make this an absolute masterpiece.

When I began reading this book, I was a little confused. I thought it was a narrative biography, and almost didn't want to continue. However, I'm glad I continued reading about this unique artist, with her amazing talent!! I loved reading about all her various art commissions and her process of creating them. I felt as irritated as she did when people didn't believe she was the one doing the work, as if a woman couldn't be that talented. I get that women were seen as inferior (not that such attitudes don't still exist), but I really wanted to slap some sense into her father. His level of jealousy was so annoying and, quite honestly, sad. Thank goodness she had her sisters and the two older gentlemen as agents who were supportive. Yet, with all her talent and fame, her life ends in such a sad and painful manner. I also appreciate the author providing information at the end of the book, giving actual historical facts about Elisabetta Sirani, her father, her siblings, and others in the book. It serves as a springboard for learning more about female artists of the Renaissance and beyond. I definitely recommend this book. The author does a fantastic job of portraying the life of Sirani in a most vivid way.
Thank you to NetGalley and Eska Publishing for this advanced copy, which I voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely adore any book that explores the lives of women in a male-dominated world. In that, I loved learning about Elisabetta Sirani.

The story of La Maestra, The Elizabeth Sirani is the one that will cut through you heart and soul. The legend she is and the legacy she left is rich and the turbulence her life was filled with will keep your attention and give you something to learn from. An absolute phenomenal book.

Absolutely wonderful book about a true life artist Elisabetta Sirani. You will get lost in her world as she creates. You will get angry with her, laugh with her and cry for her. Her short life was consumed by her art and the stress of supporting her family. The author does her a great service in honoring her life. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Absolutely loved this book about Elisabetta Sirani (known to her family as Isabet). Elisabetta isi born into an artistic family; her father is a well known artist and several of her siblings also have considerable artistic talent. Against all odds, Elisabetta takes over her father's studio and students, and develops a devoted following of her own, in a time when women just didn't do that. Elisabetta sacrifices love and children of her own for her art. She also had to content with others (including her father) claimer her art as their own. Isabet was an inspiration to aspiring female artists of her time. Her's is a story you won't want to miss!

I absolutely loved this book! I loved this book so much that I could not put it down!

To be honest, I knew nothing of Elizabetta Sirani before reading this book, so I was starting with a blank slate. I saw a story of a daughter of an artist growing up and then she bloomed and came into her own. She won the hearts of many, including her father. And as the story was unfolding, I felt Evans was doing the same! Needless to say, I felt like I was watching everything up close and personal vs just reading words.

I look forward to reading more from Kelly Evans!

Interesting
Elisabetta Sirani was an Bologna artist in the 1600’s who became well known and who had a talent for seeing compositions and being able to sketch them out very quickly, something not often done at the time
Although this is a work of fiction inspired by the known facts about Elisabetta, it reads like a biography and gave me a window into something I didn’t really know anything about until I started reading this book. I learnt so much about the symbolism in art, how different things can mean different things and that portrayals that aren’t always traditional can give the viewer a different perspective of the figures depicted
The book does jump about a bit in terms of time frames with the main focus being on the artwork and the relationships Elisabetta had with her family and those she did works for and it could be a bit odd but the story did flow although I will admit to not being sure on the timeframe a few times but this didn’t really impact on my enjoyment of the story
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a story with a biographical theme, but who also enjoy art, history and another world to our normal one