Leonardo Da Vinci: Flights of the Mind

by Charles Nicholl

Reviewed by: Marj

Summary: This book is a review of Leonardo’s life.

Review:

I was somewhat disappointed by this book. My expectations were maybe too great. I really looked forward to reading this volume because I’ve always thought Leonardo Da Vinci was an amazing and fascinating person. I was hoping to get a glimpse into who Leonardo was, but this book reads much more like a gossip column than anything else because the author spends a great deal of time writing about other people and events of Leonardo’s time.

One part I do like about the book is that it gives some background information on some of Leonardo’s works that has been enlightening.

Perhaps I would like this book better if I had a broader familiarity with Leonardo’s peers and the history of Florence and Milan, but all the details this author provides about these other people and places leaves me feeling more lost than anything. On the positive side, Charles Nicholl has done a tremendous amount of research and has an extensive list of references and documentation for what he writes. Considering Leonardo was born over 500 years ago, I guess it would be hard to describe Leonardo in any other way since the author has obviously tried to stick with information he could verify.