Everybody knows her smile; but no one knows her story: Meet the flesh-and-blood woman who became one of the most famous artistic subjects of all timemdash;Mona Lisa.A genius immortalized her. A French king paid a fortune for her. An emperor coveted her. Every year more than nine million visitors trek to view her portrait in the Louvre. Yet while everyone recognizes her smile; hardly anyone knows her story. ldquo;Combining history; whimsical biography; personal travelogue; and love letter to Italy...Mona Lisa is an entertainingrdquo; (Publishers Weekly) book of discovery about the worldrsquo;s most recognized face. Who was she? Why did the most renowned painter of her time choose her as his model? What became of her? And why does her smile enchant us still? Dianne Hales; author of La Bella Lingua; became obsessed with finding the real Mona Lisa on repeated trips to Florence. In Mona Lisa: A Life Discovered; she takes readers with her to meet Lisarsquo;s descendants; uncover her familyrsquo;s long and colorful history; and explore the neighborhoods where she lived as a girl; a wife; and a mother. In the process; we can participate in Lisarsquo;s daily rituals; understand her personal relationships; and see; hear; smell; and taste ldquo;herrdquo; Florence. Hales brings to life a time poised between the medieval and the modern; a vibrant city bursting into fullest bloom; and a culture that redefined the possibilities of manmdash;and of woman. Mona Lisa is ldquo;a readable and affectionate my-search-for-story for art lovers and anyone interested in glorious and gory Florence in the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries; and in the divine Leonardo in particularhellip;Halesrsquo;s 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 centuriesrdquo; (USATODAY.com).
#4415119 in eBooks 2013-12-04 2013-12-04File Name: B00H47KMWI
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. For the beer enthusiastBy R. Van AndaThis book gives all of the information to someone interested in opening a brewery or at least visiting a lot of them should know. Anyone who would like to do a beer pilgrimage around Vermont...and this is a most worthwhile adventure...should carry both Vermont Beer: History of a Brewing Revolution and Farm Plate Vermont Beer along for the ride.0 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Not Travel FriendlyBy Gregory P. MaklaeA lot of information; but somewhat awkward to use as a travel guide; as the breweries are listed by when they were founded; and not by region. It would have made more sense to be able to go to a chapter of say; The Northeast Kingdom; and find all the breweries in that region; than have to thumb through the entire book for lesser known spots.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Read up on the amazing Vermont brewing explosion...By C. StaffaThe writing is surprisingly uneven; but its a lot of fun to read up on the really quite amazing phenomenon of Vermonts craft brewery explosion. Its not a travel guide. Some of it is straight history; the recent years of history are given in a sometimes breathless tone; one sentence after another of time-sequenced tidbits of what was going on in the given year. Then there are sections that detail individual breweries; in the order of their founding. These are better as a reference. Reading them all; one after another; is the only time things start to feel a bit tedious.We follow the history of Vermont brewing from its beginnings from virtually nothing in 1989 - Vermont was a dry state before Prohibition and had nearly nothing going on afterwards. Its probably not an exaggeration to say that we have one man to thank for the revolution: Greg Noonan; who started Vermont Pub Brewery. All local brewers agree and pay him homage; as a brewer; educator; and human being. R.I.P and raise a glass to Greg whenever you enjoy the fruits of this revolution!Personal note: The years of absolute explosion in microbrewing since then roughly corresponds to the years my husband I have lived in the state (COINCIDENCE?!). And to think before moving here; my repertoire of beers consisted of "light" and "dark." Now I can and will tell you about the IBU difference among SEVERAL locally brewed Goses; and turn up my nose at any IPA and most porters and pilsners. Its amazing how much beer knowledge I have absorbed while living here; just through osmosis. OK; I didnt absorb it all through osmosis. Some was by the ordinary processes of digestion.
