Leonardo da Vinci

De: Walter Isaacson

Narrado por: Alfred Molina

Now a docuseries from Ken Burns on PBS!

The #1 New York Times bestseller from Walter Isaacson brings Leonardo da Vinci to life in this exciting new biography that is “a study in creativity: how to define it, how to achieve it…Most important, it is a powerful story of an exhilarating mind and life” (The New Yorker).

Based on thousands of pages from Leonardo da Vinci’s astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Walter Isaacson “deftly reveals an intimate Leonardo” (San Francisco Chronicle) in a narrative that connects his art to his science. He shows how Leonardo’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy.

He produced the two most famous paintings in history, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. With a passion that sometimes became obsessive, he pursued innovative studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying machines, botany, geology, and weaponry. He explored the math of optics, showed how light rays strike the cornea, and produced illusions of changing perspectives in The Last Supper. His ability to stand at the crossroads of the humanities and the sciences, made iconic by his drawing of Vitruvian Man, made him history’s most creative genius.

In the “luminous” (Daily Beast) Leonardo da Vinci, Isaacson describes how Leonardo’s delight at combining diverse passions remains the ultimate recipe for creativity. So, too, does his ease at being a bit of a misfit: illegitimate, gay, vegetarian, left-handed, easily distracted, and at times heretical. His life should remind us of the importance to be imaginative and, like talented rebels in any era, to think different. Here, da Vinci “comes to life in all his remarkable brilliance and oddity in Walter Isaacson’s ambitious new biography…a vigorous, insightful portrait” (The Washington Post).

Worthy.

The narration is excellent. Even at 1x speed, the pace is quick, so it's very dense value. Alfred Molina is perfect.

The content itself is excellent too.

Stay Curious

Alfred Molina does a fantastic job. Love the story. Truly inspirational creator. Write down your thoughts!

A lifetime of discovery.

This book was a joy to listen to. The presentation of Leonardo da Vinci’s life is extensive and inspired. I will carry the tales of Leonardo’s imagination for the rest of my life.

great writing

great book! tons of detail, well written and informative. a treasure to listen to. highly recommend it.

Poor narration

The narrator is too soft spoken at points, o I have to keep increasing and decreasing the volume while I am driving, and that is very distracting and annoying. The narrator needs to speak clearly and at a consistent level.

Requires too many views of pdf files

It was often not enough about his biography, but sometimes about what his state of mind was and discussions about some of his paintings.

I wanted hard facts, not personal opinion from historians thrown it.

Underwhelming and disappointing

I have read/listened to Isaacson’s books on Einstein and Jobs and loved both of them. They were well written, captivating and compelling. In Leonardo da Vinci Isaacson has gone full fan-boy and seems to have lost a coherent storyline. It’s a piecemeal and uncritical look at da Vinci. No, the fact that da Vinci failed to finish so much isn’t just a mark of genius. It’s also highly unfortunate and unproductive. No, having relationships with 15 year old boys shouldn’t be passed over without comment. No, blindly following a brutal warlord is not merely an interesting detour. Isaacson’s invariable support and largely superficial descriptions are not compelling or convincing. I am left underwhelmed by both Isaacson and da Vinci, and I’m surprised by both.