Blood Water Paint
2018 • 298 pages • 3h 51m
Ratings9
Average rating4.4
15
Ratings9
Average rating4.4
Her mother died when she was twelve, and suddenly Artemisia Gentileschi had a stark choice: a life as a nun in a convent or a life grinding pigment for her father's paint.
She chose paint.
By the time she was seventeen, Artemisia did more than grind pigment. She was one of Rome's most talented painters, even if no one knew her name. But Rome in 1610 was a city where men took what they wanted from women, and in the aftermath of rape Artemisia faced another terrible choice: a life of silence or a life of truth, no matter the cost.
He will not consume
my every thought.
I am a painter.
I will paint.
I will show you
what a woman can do.
Reviews with the most likes.
Not a fan of novels in verse but my weakness for historical fiction won out. It is well-done, the verses echoing the cadence of the story. However, the lack of detail (which would have been offered in standard prose) left me unable to get into the story or learn the sorts of things I normally do via historical fiction.
“And listen to me love, when a woman risks her place, her very life to speak a truth the world despises? Believe her. Always.”
TRIGGER WARNINGS
sexual assault, misogyny, physical torture, victim blaming, slut shaming, murder, betrayal, and suicidal thoughts.
I don't even know where to begin with this because wow. This book was such a surprise for me. I was expecting to not like it as much as i did. I was expecting to rate it 3 to 4 stars just because I'm really picky with the books i give the big 5 to, you feel me. And even when I finished it i fist gave is 4 stars. But then after thinking about it non stop and wanting to reread it i knew.... this was it.
Artemisia's story was so hard to read but oh so powerful. This is a story about what is like in the 1600s where being a woman was a crime in itself. Women couldn't do what they wanted just do what men wanted them to do. And men could do or take whatever they pleased. This book tells the realities of an era where women were raped and were put to death or were shamed if they spoke out about it. Yes it was infuriating to read, but when a book can bring out so many different emotions out of me at the same time. That's when I know it will be a book that sticks with me for a long time.
I don't really want to write a long review for this right now because i want to reread it and annotate my copy of it. But y'all if you aren't triggered by any of the topics that I mentioned and haven't yet read it, please read it!
“I will show you what a woman can do.”
