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Sign up todayLeonardo's Swans - Abridged
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Learn moreLEONARDO'S SWANS is the story of the powerful Este sisters, Beatrice, Duchess of Milan, and Isabella, Marchesa of Mantua, as they compete for the affections of Italy's most influential prince, the Duke of Milan, and for the larger prize, to be immortalized in oil by his court painter and engineer, Leonardo da Vinci. Sexy, inspiring, and intelligent, her story of love, intrigue, and art is truly unforgettable.
KAREN ESSEX is the author of Kleopatra (Warner, 2001) and its sequel Pharoah (Warner, 2002), two biographical novels about the queen of Egypt which she has adapted into a screenplay for Warner Bros. She has also adapted Anne Rice's novel The Mummy of Ramses the Damned into a screenplay for Titanic director James Cameron and 20th Century Fox, and has written a screenplay about Kamehameha, the first king of Hawaii, for Columbia/Tristar.
Essex's articles, essays and profiles have been published in Vogue, Playboy, The L.A. Weekly, L.A. Style, and many other periodicals. After being awarded highest honors from the Los Angeles Press Club for her thought-provoking cover story about the missing 1950s pinup icon Bettie Page, Essex co-authored the biography Bettie Page: Life of a Pinup Legend (Stoddart, 1996). Essex is the first and only journalist with whom the reclusive Ms. Page has ever agreed to meet and cooperate.
Essex was born and raised in New Orleans. She graduated from Tulane University, attended graduate school at Vanderbilt University, and received an MFA in Writing from Goddard College in Vermont.
Reviews
“Privileged sisters compete over men, attention—and the chance to be immortalized on canvas by Leonardo da Vinci in this instantly absorbing tale.” —Redbook magazine“Two very different sisters, two very different husbands, and one of the greatest geniuses of all times, Leonardo da Vinci. In this sizzling historical novel set in fifteenth-century Italy, Essex combines art, political intrigue, family feuds and sex to create a page-turner that also probes the experience of being painted and whether it can offer immortality.” —USA Today
“Acclaimed author Karen Essex spins a wild yarn about sexual politics and the struggle for immortality.” —Harper’s Bazaar (“Hot Reads” pick)
“Meticulously researched. Exquisite detail . . .” —Chicago Tribune
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