Why is da Vinci’s name on the cover?

[TheTrueNyree]

I dont see it as being unethical and it is relevant to the story to use his name. DaVinci was indeed a gifted artist, and the story is about an imaginary piece of art that was lost over time that he created. It was the main focus of the book, and all the past lives outside of the love story.

[Sharill Rasowo]

I think it is a marketing strategy that most probably helped distinguish the author's book from the sea of books readily available everywhere.

[Sumra Abbas]

No. The use of Da vinci's name isn't unethical. Moreover, it creates a beautiful connection and keeps impressive harmony in the story. Further, according to the nature of contents, it justifies the use of Da vincis name. Undoubtedly, its good selling stratgy as well

[TessaC]

More than the reference to Da Vinci, this book uses the now popular phrase; “ The Girl Who” . This has been done to death. It is ethical but not very imaginative. I won’t read books with these titles anymore or $$$”daughter”

[Aditi1992]

I think his name is on the cover because Da Vinci is the renowned name and his mention on the cover must sell the book. So it is marketing strategy.

[Swat3737]

Great job noticing the similarity to the cover of The Da Vinci Code! I would not have noticed that! I personally feel like it was a great marketing ploy but disappointing to learn very little about da Vinci. I would have loved some discussion of the details of the painting and symbolism!

[Peace+07]

It's purely marketing but also daVinci had a bit to do with the storyline

[Mumanyi]

There's a lot of mysteries every time Da Vinci's name is mentioned, I think it was used because the novel is about secrets and discoveries.

[Car1932]

Because it tells the ppl what's really going on in the book

[KMSingh]

I think it's a good title for marketing purposes. It is somewhat descriptive Fioretta, so not really integral to the story. Based on the title, I expected da Vinci to play a larger role than he did. Also, I was disappointed that his character was barely developed, at all. He could have been anyone.

Another thing that bugged me was the description of the portrait. It didn't sound like anything da Vinci ever painted. I can't think of a single wedding portrait he did. Also, he worked so slowly that I didn't find it believable that he'd done the painting. And on a side note, the white wedding dress was an anachronism (which was yet another thing that bugged me). Women didn't start wearing white until after Queen Victoria created the trend roughly 400 years later.

[ross_offscript]

I also think that the name has much marketing value than its relevance to the story. Yet, it is da vinci, the character who holds the strands of story together so, I don't think that is unethical

Once again, I agree with Sushan.

The use of Leonardo Da Vinci's name is a brilliant marketing strategy. I actually started to read the description of Belle Ami's book because of Da Vinci's name.

Furthermore, using Da Vinci's name also allowed Ami to keep her novel short. The readers were able independently determine the different time periods throughout the book without the author needing to thoroughly describe the background scenery or setting.

Lastly, since "The Girl Who Knew Da Vinci" is part of a series, Da Vinci might play a larger role in Ami's future books.

[CasualBookReader]

Since da Vinci is a very well-known artist, it might spark as a marketing strategy but there's nothing unethical in doing so despite the fact that the author is using his name. I agree with what Dael Reader said, "The name is in the title because the "alleged" missing painting by da Vinci is a thread that holds the storylines together."

For the sake of argument, have patience with me for a second. When I read the title "The Girl Who Knew da Vinci", what do I think of? I imagine I would learn a lot of things about da Vinci, things from his personal as well as his professional life. You've already said what a famous artist da Vinci was. Besides, there are so many things we don't know about his complex personality. He expressed himself in so many domains. Does the novel rise to the level of my expectations as promised by the title? I would say no, considering it turns out to be nothing more than a romance which uses da Vinci's name and the paranormal elements to lure more readers.

Initially, I expected it to be similar to The da Vinci Code based upon its title, The Girl Who Knew da Vinci. But, that notion quickly dispelled as soon as I read the plot summary of this book on Amazon. I wonder how was it that after having read the plot summary on Amazon or the tags about this book on this website, were you still misled?

So far, I have read about 70% of the novel and the only thing about it that hasn't meet my expectations are the parts that were tagged as "thriller", unless Ami is saving that to be the conflict/resolution for the remaining 30% of the novel.

[CasualBookReader]

I think it's a good title for marketing purposes. It is somewhat descriptive Fioretta, so not really integral to the story. Based on the title, I expected da Vinci to play a larger role than he did. Also, I was disappointed that his character was barely developed, at all. He could have been anyone.

Another thing that bugged me was the description of the portrait. It didn't sound like anything da Vinci ever painted. I can't think of a single wedding portrait he did. Also, he worked so slowly that I didn't find it believable that he'd done the painting. And on a side note, the white wedding dress was an anachronism (which was yet another thing that bugged me). Women didn't start wearing white until after Queen Victoria created the trend roughly 400 years later.

I agree with you. I felt as though Ami could have done a little more research about da Vinci since his name is in the title. His presence did seem a little generic, but the title is about the girl who knew da Vinci, so it's not really about da Vinci himself as it's more about a girl who knew da Vinci. The women in the story know da Vinci. In all honesty, I don't know what da Vinci's social circle was back in his era.

Currently, da Vinci's caliber is like a modern day celebrity.

Also, it is possible that da Vinci could have painted a portrait of a very good friend of his if that friend were part of his social circle. Artists often create for their friends. Something as intimate as a wedding portrait would be a gift of love and respect for that friend. I think where Ami failed was describing the families of Fioretta and Giovani as more elite because I never got the sense that they were.

I think that Ami may have disrespected da Vinci's reputation a bit. I think that if he was alive, he would be a bit upset that someone would use his likeliness in such a generic way. But, Ami seems like a novice writer and this novel is less than 300 pages, so I think mistakes should be forgiven.

[CasualBookReader]

Leonardo da Vinci is an episodic character in the novel. Considering the overabundance of fictional books using his life as a pretext, would you agree with such a marketing strategy?

Do you think that Fioretta and Giuliano’s story and the different references to Leonardo’s work are reasons enough to use his name in the title? Is it ethical or not?

I don't have a problem with the author using da Vinci's as a muse for her story. The cover is a bit of a imitation of a bestselling novel and I think that the author is trying to bait readers. Clearly it is a marketing ploy, but everything is about marketing. That being said, I read the summary and realized that this novel has it's own story to tell that is completely separate from The da Vinci Code. I do think that the author could have used another picture as the cover. The title alone is enough to peak a reader's interest.

[Jsovermyer]

I think it was a very smart tactic to get the book noticed. It makes people think of the Da Vinci Code, which was a very successful movie. And I agree with the previous poster who said that the Da Vinci painting is the thread that holds the story together.