Rating: 
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: I had never heard of Artemisia Gentileschi until I opened this book. I realize that it is a fictitious account of her life, but it made for an interesting read.Set in the 17th century, the story opens with Artemisia having been raped by her father's assistant, Agostino Tassi. Her father has accused him of this rape and sets into motion a trial that will continue to haunt Artemisia for the rest of her days. The rapist is released and Artemisia, her reputation ruined, is forced into an arranged marriage. She begins to paint her collection, most notably her "Judith" collection. Her art becomes famous with the most renowned people of her day. She portrays the women in her paintings as strong and independent, retribution being the key. I found Vreeland's account of how the paintings came about and why to be extremely interesting. Artemisia soon becomes the first woman to be accepted into the Academy of Sciences in Florence and this causes a rift in her marriage. The people along the way are also wonderful characters brought to life, especially Graziela who is wise beyond her years and helps to put things into perspective for Artemisia. Her passion for painting brought her the utmost joy and pain. A lesson not lost on Artemisia. I was so fascinated by Artemisia's story that I looked on the internet for her paintings and was not disappointed. I discovered a few inconsistencies in the story and the real life of this painter, but overall I think the book is worth the read. Another book similar in theme to this one is Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier.
Rating: 
Summary: A novel of Moral Consequence
Review: Artemisia Gentileschi, born in 1593 was an artist of great import in 17th century Rome. In her teens she was raped by a friend of her father, setting her painting on a course that showed not only Rome and Italy, but a world of pain as well as the strength she emanated. Her paintings wreak havoc on the senses. Her women are portrayed as independent and strong, something unheard of in this period. She was the first woman to be recognized in the male dominated world of art. Artemisia spends time with Galileo, an apt pupil to his musings on the theory that the Earth orbits around the sun, a blasphemous idea at the time, for which Galileo was placed under house arrest. He found her to have a meditative mind with a different perspective. She was a woman with vision and was admitted to the Academy of Sciences in Florence, an unprecedented happening for a female painter. This book is beautifully written. It is a story of healing and forgiveness. Her relationships with her father, daughter and even the husband that is so often absent are developed to perfection. This is a fictitious account of her life and should be read as such. Another book that I enjoyed by this author is GIRL IN HYACINTH BLUE. Kelsana 7/23/02
Rating:
Summary: Why Can't More Books Be Written Like This?
Review: This book was so beautifully written, I could not put it down! It is about the true artist Artemisia, who lived in the 1600's in Europe. At the beggining of the book, she has to be put on trial for her own rape. She is accused of being a whore and has to endure the sibille (a series of ropes tied to your fingers, attached to a screw that is turned tighter and tighter) while being questioned. Then she is married off to a stranger, who happens to be a painter. They get along okay at first and have a beautiful daughter, Palmira. But then she has to choose between staying with her husband and going off to become a painter. Which path will she choose? Read it to find out! I loved the characterization! I felt like I was right there in the room with Artemisia. It was beautifully written and I read it in just two days!
Rating:
Summary: I Was Surprised and Captivated
Review: The main reason I read this book was because of a friend who wanted to read this and discuss it. I really didn't think that I would like this book at all but it turned out that I was wrong and I was really captivated by the story of Artemisia Gentileschi, who was the first women to be admitted into Accademia dell' Arte in Florence. The story of Artemisia Gentileschi begins with the trial of Agostino Tassi, who raped Artemeisia and is her fathers assistant. During the trial it is Artemisia that is physically tortured by the trial and its outcome. This experience becomes the inspiration for some of the violence that is displayed in her paintings. Susan Vreeland has done an excellent job in describing the meaning and reasoning behind each of the paintings and creates strong characters who remain in your memory for a long time. I especially liked Sister Graziela who was sort of a surrogate mother to Artemisia. I intend to read Girl in Hyacinth in Blue also because I really enjoyed this book and Ms. Vreeland writing style.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating!
Review: I had studied Artemisia in a Women's Art History class in college, so I had some idea about her biography. And I think Vreeland did an amazing job of stringing out a believable tale of what her life was really like. This book really captured the essence of "Judith" and offered a believable account of what Artemisia must have been thinking when she painted it. It's the only Susan Vreeland book I've read (and the least known, unfortunately!), and I can't wait to read another! I couldn't put this one down!
Rating:
Summary: Vreeland's Artemisia: Incandescent
Review: Vreeland's character of Artemisia brings to life a 400 year old story, revising the myth surrounding women in art. Here is a strong woman full of passion, overcoming adversity to fulfill her basic necessity: the need to paint. Her visions were innovative, and her will unbreakable. Vreeland captures the harsh reality of the patriarchy and displays humanity at its finest and its worst. It is under this construct that Artemisia struggled, and we struggle today, with the constant purgatory of the artist versus Woolf's "angel in the house". This book is a worthy historical account written in the truest emotions of fiction. Brava, Susan Vreeland.
Rating:
Summary: a novel of . . . novel substance
Review: Pardon the pun, but this is a novel approach to a novel subject, taking the form of a novel. Like Vreeland's GIRL IN HYACINTH BLUE, the canvas she paints is extrordinary and beautiful, with it's well-drawn characters and moving descriptions. The trial involving the rape is an especially heart breaking and disturbing scene as well as an unfortunate comment on human nature (or the lack thereof). THE PASSION OF ARTEMISIA is destined to become a classic. Also recommended: McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD
Rating:
Summary: Italian canvas
Review: This book certainly hooks you in early. I couldn't put it down and I knew nothing of the real Artemisia Gentileschi, so I had no other story to compare to. I found this book fulfilling in some places and disappointing in others. I can see with Susan Vreeland's description all the beauty of seventeenth century Italy; Rome, Florence, Naples, Genoa, she paints a vivid portrait of a struggling and talented woman.
While some places I thought came off the pages and touched me, others left me hanging and a little sad. I don't really think she had a rich life just for her wonderful paintings, what about love? She never did have love. Arranged marriage, a womanizing cheater for a husband, befriends a distinguished man and yet nothing more than friendship blossoms. She lives her entire life as a struggling painter working for comissions and taking care of her daughter. I was rooting for Artemisia, I was hoping since life hadn't been so great to her, something was going to turn around in her favor.
It isn't a bad story, it should be read at least once, it has some beautiful lines and some great characters. I liked it, but had Susan Vreeland made the character a little more anxious about love and attaining love, perhaps I would have liked it even more.
Rating: 
Summary: Great story, poor writing, good audio tape
Review: Oh, how I wanted to like this novel. But the writing is second-rate, at best. The story is of Artemisia Gentileschi, the great post-Renaissance painter, contemporary of Galileo. She is raped as a young woman by a colleague of her painter father, and tortured to test the "truth" of her accusation. Later, she goes on to become a recognized artist with commissions from the Medicis and other nobles of Italy and England. The writing is embarrassingly flat and unsurprising. Though occasionally, Vreeland has a fine passage about the art of seeing, most of the telling is pedestrian. After the exciting first chapters, this novel falls flatter than a coat of latex. The audio tape is a good production, the narration by Gigi Bermingham is wonderful, with the actress able to produce character voices with changes in timbre and tone, effortlessly. Her Italian pronunciation is perfection. Sad that she must be reading second-rate material. I enjoyed the tapes, the book, but I wish the writing had excelled. Vreeland can do better. Wish she had done so here with the rich material at hand.
Rating: 
Summary: Betrayed!
Review: This book may be fascinating, but is it not nearly as fascinating as the real story. I thought Vreeland gave us a rather flimsy tale, and decided to give a more scholarly work a try. And after all, what can one expect without historical records of the time? Well, turns out one can expect a lot, and there were a lot of records. What they tell is a very different story from that Vreeland gives us. In fact, her version omits many astonishing details, and really misrepresents Artemisia's life for cliches and trite dramatic purposes. The real story -- skillfully presented by Alexandra Lapierre (translated by Liz Heron) in Artemisia: A Novel -- does our Artemisia justice. What I can't figure out is why would someone take a really rich and lively story and water it down for a series of vignettes, when the true story is one ripping read? Although Lapierre entitles her work "A Novel", she refers to her primary sources -- and she expounds on the manners of the day -- to make a vibrant portrait. I felt more than disappointed by this version when I read Lapierre's - I felt betrayed. This is one author who will not get a second chance.
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