I only read this because my son picked it out for me and I didn't have the heart not to. It took me well over a month to finish and I felt every day of it. I'm no stranger to epic-length biographies, but this one was more plodding than most. It didn't help that the editors made the bizarre decision to not reproduce in color all of Da Vinci's major paintings, despite there being in-depth analysis of each one. Some, such as the Virgin and Child with St. Anne, were excluded all together. Very strange. But, in the end, I learned a lot about Da Vinci and I'm better for it. Thanks, son. ( )