Dianne Hales is a prize-winning, widely published journalist and author. The President of Italy awarded her an honorary knighthood in recognition of her bestselling book, La Bella Lingua. Her other works include Just Like a Woman; Caring for the Mind; and the leading college health textbook, An Invitation to Health. She has served as a contributing editor for Parade, Ladies Home Journal, Working Mother, and American Health and has written for many national publications, including Family Circle, Good Housekeeping, The New York Times, and Woman's Day. She lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay area.
"I'm enthralled by every page of Dianne Hales's Mona Lisa. The
mysteries of the painting remain, but through Hales's portraits of
the people and her skilled rendering of customs, politics, and
daily habits of the time, you come to know the painting in profound
new ways. The great pleasure of her prose brings Lisa Gheradini's
world to vivid life. Anyone who loves art and Italy-and who
doesn't-will adore this book. -- Frances Mayes, author of Under the
Tuscan Sun and Under Magnolia
"This is cultural history that reads like a detective novel as
Dianne Hales tracks down the real woman behind one of the world's
most famous and enigmatic faces. Expertly sleuthing her way through
the treasure troves of archives and palazzos, she offers her own
fascinating portrait not just of Lisa Gherardini but also of the
vibrant Renaissance world that nurtured both Lisa and Leonardo's
painting." -- Ross King, author of Brunelleschi's Dome and Leonardo
and The Last Supper
"Biography, history, and memoir are woven together in Hales'
lyrical biography of Lisa Gherardini...her quest endows human
subjectivity to one of art history's greatest icons." * Booklist
*
"Engaging...a rich tapestry of family life, mercantile society,
politics, and artistic development...enthralling." * BookPage *
"Veteran journalist Dianne Hales shares with us the tumultuous
lives of both Gherardini and the artist who immortalized her, and
brings us along on the travels of a work of art for which love and
esteem have increased markedly over the centuries." * New York Post
*
"A readable and affectionate my-search-for-story for art lovers and
anyone interested in glorious and gory Florence in the 15th- to
16th centuries, and in the divine Leonardo in particular...Hales'
assiduous research has made it possible for us to know Mona Lisa
just a bit, enough to wonder if this otherwise ordinary Florentine
housewife could ever have imagined her portrait enchanting millions
for centuries." * USAToday.com *
"Now, thanks to meticulous research, Hales'
biography-memoir-history lesson brings to life Lisa Gherardini
(1479-1542), the unforgettable face behind Leonardo da Vinci's Mona
Lisa." * Fort Worth Star-Telegram *
"Combining history, whimsical biography, personal travelogue, and
love letter to Italy...an accessible, vivid examination of women's
lives in Florence of the period....Entertaining." * Publishers
Weekly *
"It's a joy to follow Dianne Hales' fascinating exploration into
what's behind the world's most famous smile-an enchanting mix of
fascinating history and passion-filled memoir." -- Susan Van Allen,
author of 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go
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