The Night Portrait: A Novel of WWII and Da Vinci’s Italy

The ambitious mistress of the Duke of Milan. A German art conservator. An Italian-American working to keep priceless art and artifacts from the Nazis. Leonardo da Vinci. Each one of these people could merit a novel of their own, but in Laura Morelli’s hands, their narratives weave together to create a seamless, compelling whole that proves greater than the sum of its parts.

In quick, tantalizing chapters, the novel takes us from the late fifteenth century to World War II, dipping us into the lives of its four protagonists one by one. As each chapter ended, I found myself wanting more of what I had just had, but it wasn’t long before I was engrossed in the next. Unlike some books with multiple points of view, there are no slow points, no characters whose perspectives I would have gladly skipped past. Morelli has a knack for giving only what might interest the reader, making for a tight, fast-paced novel.||With so many recent novels set during World War II, it would be easy to pass this one by. You shouldn’t. The Night Portrait blew me away, and it stands far and above the rest for its blending of time and settings. I fell in love, and I know you will too.