Customer Reviews

The Mona Lisa Stratagem: The Art of Women, Age, and Power

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Author Harriet Rubin follows up her first leadership book for women, the bestselling The Princessa: Machiavelli for Women, with The Mona Lisa Stratagem: The Art of Women, Age, and Power. Taking cues from Da Vinci's piece-de-resistance, Rubin's book plots out how a strong midlife presence can yield happiness, strength, accomplishment and fulfillment.

Time and mortality are the last big enemies at the midpoint in a woman's life, according to the book. Using the mystery, beauty and strong femininity from the Mona Lisa, Rubin outlines 10 tactics to actually achieve fulfillment--sexually, emotionally, and internally--from age 45 and beyond. Her tactics are interspersed with iconic women who emanated a commanding presence later in life--everyone from Catherine de Medici, Emily Dickson and Queen Elizabeth to Georgia O'Keefe and Martha Stewart.

While the historical and mythological references were intriguing, Rubin's 10 tactics are convoluted and disjointed, making it difficult to discern one tactic from the other. After a while, the meat of the book gets lost in a sea of prose, broad personality generalizations and little-known historical references.

Her writing style, seemingly articulate use of words and soothing but commanding voice, show that Rubin herself is a powerful woman enjoying her midlife, but her efforts into unlocking the secrets of older women remain as cryptic as the Mona Lisa's smile.

Armchair Interviews says: Rubin has help others get published and now has written her second book.

If you've known or loved remarkable women, or if you are a remarkable woman grappling with the march of time, I believe you'll enjoy this book. What reading "The Mona Lisa Stratagem" did for me was it unpacked the code behind what I found so attractive in certain older women who I love, admire, or whose lead I find myself anxious to follow. In "The Mona Lisa Stratagem" glass ceilings are turned to ice and melted by an inner radiance.

A warning - don't expect the typical business "how to" book. Harriet Rubin may be advising women, but she is also helping men to understand the force of attraction they feel from these women by illustrating the book with a series of mini-portraits of great women throughout history - from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Eleanor Roosevelt - from Ayn Rand to Jackie Kennedy. Of course there is also Harriet Rubin herself, I've also read and enjoyed some of her other books... The Princessa: Machiavelli for Women - Soloing: Realizing Your Life's Ambition - Dante in Love: The World's Greatest Poem and How It Made History

I dont' view life as a 'strategy' so I found the title rather odd, but i was fascinated by the contents. Harriet is a great narrator, soothing, balanced voice and great prose/language that flows. That said I had a hard time differentiating the 10 points she seems to want to make, one flows into another and there is no real boundary or clarity between them. Her anecdotes are fascinating but to bear in mind that not all women want to be a Jackie O whom she quotes as role model several times. I have never liked Jackie O and neither do several people I know. Second, on the chapter on sexuality also she seems to exalt women who have extreme affairs with men less than half their age and the emphasis of 'playing love as a game' and 'findng pleasure'. That might not be every woman's goal either and playing love as a manipulative game is completely unadvisable past mid age when one wants to live with what is true in ourselves and others. The book makes for interesting listening definitely, and absolutely loved her takes on Mona Lisa.

Harriet Rubin empowers the woman within. Who we are on the outside doesn't always reflect who we are on the inside.

Harriet gives us many role models who have achieved inner richness. Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Georgia O'Keefe come to the forefront.

When one reaches this moment in her life, one doesn't look for acceptance from others because one has already accepted oneself with all one's blemishes and all of one's beauty. One doesn't look at the wrinkles on her face but looks within the beauty of her soul. One doesn't look at her uneven breasts or not so perfect body but one looks at the wisdom of newly found knowledge.

By accepting oneself, one can better accept circumstances that might not be what one would want to choose. Physical deformities, slower mobility, slower thinking etc. One begins to realize that a person can develop other qualities that are sometimes more meaningful than 100% physical health and/or 100% mental health.

Thank you Harriet for empowering us to become and evolve.

Other books for your consideration:
Firstlight: The Early Inspirational Writings by Sue Monk Kidd
Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen by Matthew Fox
Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential by Caroline Myss

Harriet Rubin empowers the woman within. Who we are on the outside doesn't always reflect who we are on the inside.

Harriet gives us many role models who have achieved inner richness. Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Georgia O'Keefe come to the forefront.

When one reaches this moment in her life, one doesn't look for acceptance from others because one has already accepted oneself with all one's blemishes and all of one's beauty. One doesn't look at the wrinkles on her face but looks within the beauty of her soul. One doesn't look at her uneven breasts or not so perfect body but one looks at the wisdom of newly found knowledge.

By accepting oneself, one can better accept circumstances that might not be what one would want to choose. Physical deformities, slower mobility, slower thinking etc. One begins to realize that a person can develop other qualities that are sometimes more meaningful than 100% physical health and/or 100% mental health.

Thank you Harriet for empowering us to become and evolve.

Other books for your consideration:
Firstlight: The Early Inspirational Writings by Sue Monk Kidd
Illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen by Matthew Fox
Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential by Caroline Myss

I don't approach living & being who I am via strategy so it felt weird to be advised in the form of "tactics." That said, there were approaches she articulated that affirmed how I live & the woman I want to mature into. I appreciated the examples she gave of women from history and culture, such as Gertrude Stein, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Georgia O'Keefe, Jackie Kennedy, Barbara Jordan... I have a new list of models to pursue.

I couldn't finish this book. It read like it was put together by a committee. No depth to a single thread. Save your $$.