Book Review + Giveaway: The Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola

Book Details:

Book Title: The Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola - the most famous woman you've never heard of 

Author: Melissa Muldoon
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+), 345 pages
Genre:  Historical Fiction, General Fiction
Publisher:  Matta Press
Release date:  December 2020
Content Rating: PG-13 + M. includes mature themes (suicide, adultery, sexual relations, murder)

 

Book Description: 

Set in the sixteenth-century, The Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola tells the story of a woman’s passion for painting and adventure. In a world where women painters had little to no acknowledgment, she was singled out by Michelangelo and Vasari who recognized and praised her talent. Gaining the Milanese elite’s acclaim, she went on to become court painter to Spanish King Philip II and taught his queen to paint.

One can’t live such an extraordinary life without having stories to tell, and tell them Sofonisba does to Sir Anthony Van Dyke, who comes to visit her toward the end of her life. During their meeting, she agrees to reveal her secrets but first challenges the younger painter to find the one lie hidden in her tale. In a saga filled with intrigue, jealousy, buried treasure, unrequited love, espionage, and murder, Sofonisba’s story is played out against the backdrop of Italy, Spain, and Sicily. Throughout her life, she encounters talented artists, authoritative dukes, mad princes, religious kings, spying queens, vivacious viscounts, and dashing sea captains—even a Barbary pirate. But of all the people who fell in love with Sofonisba, only one captured her heart. The painter may have many secrets but the truth of her life is crystal clear from the beginning.

Always a strong, passionate woman with a dream, she was an intelligent artist who knew her self-worth and in the end, as Michelangelo had done for her, Sofonisba passed her brush to a new generation.

My Thoughts: 

The fascinating life of a little-known Renaissance painter is brought to life in Melissa Muldoon's latest book, The Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola. The atmosphere is wonderfully described through the senses -- from the style of dress to the aromas of the streets and the glamor of royal life in sixteenth century Europe. Though women artists went largely unrecognized at the time, Sofonisba's father had faith in her talent and educated both his sons and daughters. As a result, Sofonisba arrives in Italy to study and, after a chance meeting in the Sistine Chapel, she is taught by Michelangelo. Her incredible talent is further and as Sofonisba develops her ability in portraiture, she finds herself teaching art to Queen Elizabeth in Spain and becoming the court painter. I really enjoyed the structure of the story. Taking a tiny piece of historical fact -- that Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck visited Sofonisba late in her life -- the story unfolds through the tale she tells to him. In this way, readers feel that Sofonisba is telling us her own story -- the way she wants it told. For anyone wanting to read about Italian painters on a visit to Italy or Spain, The Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola is a wonderful choice in historic fiction to bring along.

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Autographed from Author
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Also by Melissa Muldoon:

Book Details:

Book Title: Eternally Artemisia—some loves, like some women, are timeless by Melissa Muldoon
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+), 305 pages
Genre:  Historical Fiction, General Fiction
Publisher:  Matta Press
Release date:  March 2019
Content Rating: PG-13 + M. includes mature themes (suicide, adultery, sexual relations, murder)

 

Book Description:

They say some loves travel through time and are fated to meet over and over again. For Maddie, an art therapist, who wrestles with the “peculiar feeling” she has lived previous lives and is being called to Italy by voices that have left imprints on her soul, this idea is intriguing. Despite her best efforts, however, proof of this has always eluded her. That is, until one illuminating summer in Italy when Maddie’s previous existences start to bleed through into her current reality.

When she is introduced to the Crociani family—a noble clan with ties to the seventeenth-century Medici court that boasts of ancestors with colorful pasts—she finally meets the loves of her life. One is a romantic love, and another is a special kind of passion that only women share, strong amongst those who have suffered greatly yet have triumphed despite it. As Maddie's relationship develops with Artemisia Gentileschi—an artist who in a time when it was unheard of to denounce a man for the crime of rape, did just that—Maddie discovers a kindred spirit and a role model, and just what women are capable of when united together.

In a journey that arcs back to biblical days and moves forward in time, Maddie encounters artists, dukes, designers, and movie stars as well as baser and ignoble men. With Artemisia never far from her side, she proves that when we dare to take control of our lives and find the “thing” we are most passionate about, we are limitless and can touch the stars.

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ Audible
B&N ~  Bookshop ~ BookBub
Autographed from Author
Add to Goodreads 

Book Details:

Book Title: Waking Isabella—because beauty can't sleep forever by Melissa Muldoon
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+), 271 pages
Genre:  Historical Fiction, General Fiction
Publisher:  Matta Press
Release date:  November 2018
Format available for review:  ebook (mobi for Kindle, epub), and audiobook (audible download
Tour dates:  Feb 1 to Feb 26, 2021
Content Rating: PG-13 + M. includes mature themes (suicide, adultery, sexual relations, murder)

 

 

Book Description:

Waking Isabella is a story about uncovering hidden beauty that, over time, has been lost, erased, or suppressed. It also weaves together several love stories as well as a few mysteries.

Nora, an assistant researcher, is a catalyst for resolving the puzzle of a painting that has been missing for decades. Set in Arezzo, a small Tuscan town, the plot unfolds against the backdrop of the city’s antique trade and the fanfare and pageantry of its medieval jousting festival.

While filming a documentary about Isabella de’ Medici—the Renaissance princess who was murdered by her husband—Nora begins to connect with the lives of two remarkable women from the past. Unraveling the stories of Isabella, the daughter of a fifteenth-century Tuscan duke, and Margherita, a young girl trying to survive the war in Nazi-occupied Italy, Nora begins to question the choices that have shaped her own life up to this point. As she does, hidden beauty is awakened deep inside of her, and she discovers the keys to her creativity and happiness. It is a story of love and deceit, forgeries and masterpieces—all held together by the allure and intrigue of a beautiful Tuscan ghost.

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ Audible
B&N ~  Bookshop ~ BookBub
Autographed from Author
Add to Goodreads 

Meet the Author:

Melissa Muldoon is the author of four novels set in Italy: Dreaming Sophia, Waking Isabella, Eternally Artemisia, and The Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola. All four books tell the stories of women and their journeys of self-discovery to find love, uncover hidden truths, and follow their destinies to shape a better future for themselves.

Melissa is also the author of the Studentessa Matta website, where she promotes the study of Italian language and culture through her dual-language blog written in Italian and English (studentessamatta.com). Studentessa Matta means the “crazy linguist” and has grown to include a podcast, Tutti Matti per l’Italiano and the Studentessa Matta, YouTube channel, Facebook page and Instagram feed. Melissa also created Matta Italian Language Immersion Programs, which she co-leads with Italian schools in Italy to learn Italian in Italy.

Through her website, she also offers the opportunities to live and study in Italy through Homestay programs. Melissa has a B.A. in fine arts, art history, and European history from Knox College, a liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, as well as a master’s degree in art history from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. She has also studied painting and art history in Florence. She is an artist, designer, and illustrated the cover art for all four of her books. Melissa is the managing director of Matta Press

Connect with the author:  Website  ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ Goodreads

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Tour Schedule:

Feb 1 - The Pen and Muse Book Reviews - spotlight of all 3 books / giveaway
Feb 1 - Sefina Hawke's Books - spotlight of all 3 books
Feb 2 - Working Mommy Journal - review of Sofonisba / giveaway
Feb 2 - Books for Books - book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 3 - Working Mommy Journal - review of Isabella / giveaway
Feb 3 - Books for Books - review of Isabella
​Feb 4 - I'm All About Books - book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 5 - History from a Woman’s Perspective - review of Sofonisba 
Feb 8 - Olio by Marilyn - review of Sofonisba / author interview / giveaway
Feb 8 - Literary Flits - review of Sofonisba / giveaway
Feb 9 - History from a Woman’s Perspective - review of Artemisia
Feb 10 - Sadie's Spotlight - book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 10 - Gwendalyn’s Books - review of Sofonisba / author interview / giveaway
Feb 11 - History from a Woman’s Perspective - review of Isabella
Feb 11 - Books for Books - review of Artemisia
Feb 12 - Book Corner News and Reviews - book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 12 - Stephanie Jane - spotlight of all 3 books / giveaway
Feb 15 - Elizabeth McKenna - Author Blog - book spotlight / giveaway
Feb 16 - Deborah-Zenha Adams - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Feb 16 - Rockin' Book Reviews - review of Sofonisba / guest post / giveaway
Feb 17 - Gwendalyn’s Books - review of Isabella
Feb 17 - Locks, Hooks and Books - review of Sofonisba / giveaway
Feb 17 - Splashes of Joy - spotlight of all 3 books / author interview / giveaway
Feb 18 - Locks, Hooks and Books - review of Isabella / giveaway
Feb 18 - Books and Zebras @jypsylynn - review of Sofonisba / giveaway
Feb 19 - Locks, Hooks and Books - review of Artemisia / giveaway
Feb 19 - 30-something Travel - review of Sofonisba / guest post / giveaway
Feb 19 - Books Lattes & Tiaras - review of Sofonisba
Feb 22 - Books Lattes & Tiaras - review of Isabella
Feb 22 - Rockin' Book Reviews - review of Isabella / giveaway
Feb 23 - Rockin' Book Reviews - review of Artemisia / giveaway
Feb 23 - Jazzy Book Reviews - spotlight of all 3 books / giveaway
Feb 24 - Library of Clean Reads - review of Sofonisba / giveaway
Feb 25 - Olio by Marilyn - review of Artemisia / giveaway
Feb 26 - High Society Book Club & Reviews - review of Sofonisba + spotlight previous books / guest post / giveaway
Feb 26 - 30-something Travel - review of Isabella / giveaway
Feb 26 - Books Lattes & Tiaras - review of Artemisia

Enter the Giveaway: Click here to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to WIN a print copy of THE SECRET LIFE OF SOFONISBA ANGUISSOLA plus the audiobook edition. Good luck!