The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland

In her introduction to her book the author states: "Steeping myself in her artistic milieu, I wanted to translate the baroque style of visual arts into storytelling". Did she succeed? I think so.

Certainly she weaves a vivid story around a real life charecter, Artemisia Gentileschi, who survives rape and torture, betrayal and prejudice, and an arranged marriage to become a celebrated painter- an an extraordinary achievement in itself for a woman in 16th Century Italy.

The characters of Artemisia's husband, daughter and father are sensitively drawn- flawed but still able to elicit sympathy. Her relationship with her father (who "taught her to paint and then made it difficult for her to do it") runs throughout her story as a constant irritant, and it is only at the end of his life that she can come to terms with her anger against him for his betrayal of her in his own interests and come to forgive him in touching scenes at Greenwich.

It is obvious that the author herself has a passion for paintings of this period (she must really have enjoyed researching this book) and she portrays the workings of Artemisia's creative imagination very convincingly. She also paints a broad and colourful canvas with her pen of the cities of 16th century Italy, the intense beauty of which is offset by the squalor and the putrid smells of the streets and rivers.

Who knows what was really in the real Artemisia Gentileschi's mind, but at least the paintings described are for real, and I would love some illustrations of them to accompany the text.

I am not a devotee of historicals novels, but I did enjoy this one, for its clear and vivid prose, convincing characters and an insight into the life of a serious woman painter in 16th century Italy.

Member of Raheny Libraries Readers Group, Dublin, Ireland