Dating da Vinci by Malena Lott is a well-written story that examines friendship, starting over, sibling rivalry, self-confidence and more. I call it “chick-lit plus.” It’s mostly a light romance, but as I said, the other plot elements (as well as great writing), give it something extra.
I enjoyed getting to know Ramona Elise — her sense of humor, her matter-of-fact way of describing the difference between Normals and Grievers. She herself is a Griever, still recovering from the sudden death of her husband two years ago. But as most moms would agree, life goes on. But she shares some of the things that are different, “I had become Linus and Pigpen all in one. Neatness had become a part of my past” (page 6). She’s been busy raising two boys and teaching adult English classes.
Life has gone on, but it’s missing some of “La Dolce Vita.” When Leonardo da Vinci, a man almost a decade younger than she is, comes into her class in Austin, Texas one day, things begin to change. Her sense of self reawakens, and she begins to try to reclaim that joyful life with his help.
Another extra plot twist is that since she’s a linguistics PhD candidate and a language teacher, there are little fun facts throughout that interest those of us who are word geeks.
Jennifer Donovan enjoys living La Dolce Vita in Connecticut with her husband and two children. She blogs at Snapshot.