A Rare and Curious Gift (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780393327472)

Loosely based on the life of Artemisia Gentileschi, A Rare and Curious Gift tells the story of Sofonisba, a brilliant painter gradually taking over her father's studio. Determined to avoid the depredations of men, she is fighting her own intensely erotic attraction to Matteo Tassi; sculptor, goldsmith, notorious and irresistible rogue. Then a young female slave, her skin strangely mottled by nature, enters their lives and those of their friends. The fascination of these artists and scientists with the exotic creature in their midst; often cruel, sometimes humane; inevitably alters their relationship with one another and the world around them forever. Through this fearless story of utterly convincing human passions, Pauline Holdstock paints a rich, beautifully textured portrait of the Italian Renaissance and its material and spiritual visions of human nature. Reading group guide included.

Author: Pauline Holdstock
ISBN-10: 0393327477
ISBN-13: 9780393327472
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English
Published: 02/01/2006
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.24h x 7.00w x 0.94d

Review Citation(s):
Foreword 05/01/2005 pg. 1