3 Medici Sons (The Fool, The Wise, The Good)
1 Sanctimonious (but Influential) Friar
1 Significant Class Divide
1 Ingenious Famous Painter/Inventor

2 Teenagers Seeking to Choose Their Spouse
2 Funerals
3 Weddings
1 Mischievous Goat
1 Secret Betrothal

1 Famous Portrait ( )

A fluffy historical fiction piece about the hypothetical youth of Mona Lisa. I was relieved to find from the blurb at the end that Napoli writes mainly for young adults. ( )

Quite interesting -- really makes you want to know more about that period of history. I also had to take the time to really look at some images of the Mona Lisa.

Not my favorite by Napoli, but this was a quick, easy read and well worth it. ( )

Donna Jo Napoli is the author of one of my favorite books (Zel), but generally, I think her books are just "okay". I did, however, enjoy The Smile. Unfortunately, I don't have that much to say about it because it's been a while since I read it... But here's what I do have:

There are a couple of deaths of Elisabetta's loved ones and they are quite abrupt and jarring. That seems appropriate, though, given the nature of those deaths. It's realistic. You can't always see death coming.

[SPOILERS BELOW]
I will also say that I totally called her marriage to her brother-in-law. I'm glad that she was able to be content despite not being able to marry Giuliano.
[END SPOILERS]

Overall, I enjoyed reading about the life that Napoli gave this unknown woman. It was engaging and interesting. ( )

Napoli writes wonderfully. Only a few pages into this book and I truly felt like I was in Renaissance Italy. The writing is urgent which makes the story move quickly. All the characters are well rounded. As you may know from other Napoli books, she doesn't shy away from tragic yet undeniably realistic endings. This book will make you sad, but it's incredibly good and adds much to the mysterious Mona Lisa painting. ( )