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Title: A good, though, romantic view of Isabella d'Este.
Review: I am happy to know that this book is being reissued. I have been scouring bookstores for it for over a year. I used Cartwright's book extensively while I was working on an undergraduate thesis project on Isabella d'Este's patronage. The main pitfall of the book-which is by far the most complete "portrait" of Isabella d'Este-is Cartwright's own sentimentality. She creates a true Edwardian heroine of the Renaissance, however, she provides enough epistilary evidence to allow the reader to interpret for herself what Isabella was like. I have read a few books on Isabella, and each of them use the Marchesa for their own purposes. Isabella's unique position as a patron of the arts makes her a frequent target of lavish praise and damnation. In Cartwright's book, the reader is allowed to see a more complete picture of Isabella, although much work still needs to be done on the Marchesa in order to really understand her and her milieu.
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