McKean, James - QUATTROCENTO

[LJ Roberts]

QUATTROCENTO (non-mystery) – Good+ James McKean – 1^st book

Matt O’Brien, assistant curator and art restorer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, has always been passionate about the Italian Renaissance. When he discovers a long-neglected portrait of a beautiful woman among the museum’s storage bins, he becomes obsessed--and not only because he suspects that the painting is by Leonardo da Vinci. Something about the mysterious woman’s exquisite face stirs his memory, and transports Matt across the centuries into Quattrocento Italy.

There are some significant holes in the plot and the characters could have been more developed but, for me, that was offset by the richness of the descriptions and the wonderful dialogue. It is not a classic time-travel romance, although that is an element, but it made me think and taught me some things about art, science and music. I very much enjoyed this book, find myself still thinking about it and hoping he writes another book.