The Portrait (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781643136189)

"Electric. A wildly astute plunge into the depths of love, rivalry, betrayal and the power of women."--Bill Clegg

An internationally renowned writer, Valeria Costas has dedicated her life to her work and to her secret lover, Mart n Acla, a prominent businessman. When his sudden stroke makes headlines, her world implodes; the idea of losing him is terrifying. Desperate to find a way to be present during her lover's final days, Valeria commissions his artist wife, Isla, to paint her portrait--insinuating herself into Mart n's family home and life.

In the grand, chaotic London mansion where the man they share--husband, father, lover--lies in a coma, Valeria and Isla remain poised on the brink, transfixed by one another. Day after day, the two women talk to each other during the sittings, revealing truths, fragilities and strengths. But does Isla know of the writer's long involvement with Mart n? Does Valeria grasp the secrets that Isla harbors? Amidst their own private turmoil, the stories of their lives are exchanged, and as the portrait takes shape, we watch these complex and extraordinary women struggle while the love of their lives departs, in an unforgettable, breathless tale of deception and mystery that captivates until the very end.

Author: Ilaria Bernardini
ISBN-10: 1643136186
ISBN-13: 9781643136189
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Language: English
Published: 01/05/2021
Pages: 432
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.35lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.00w x 1.70d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 10/26/2020
Foreword 12/26/2020