Today I welcome Sophia Rose back to review, The Color Storm by Damien Dibben a historical fiction set in Renaissance Venice and based on the life of artist, Giorgio “Giorgione” Barbarelli.
Enjoy!
Historical Fiction
Publisher: Hanover
Square Press
Published: 9.6.22
Pages: 336
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Hardback
Source: Hanover Square Press
Sellers: Amazon
ADD TO: GoodReads
Goodreads Blurb:
Enter the world of
Renaissance Venice, where the competition for fame and fortune can mean life or
death, in this immersive novel of art and the Inquisition.
Giorgio “Giorgione” Barbarelli’s career hangs in the balance. A student of
Bellini and a mentor turned rival of Titian, he’s seen his reputation fall out
of favor and his debts pile up. When he hears a rumor of a mysterious,
otherworldly new pigment brought to Venice by the richest man in Europe, he
sets out to acquire the rare color and secure his name in history.
Winning a commission to paint a portrait of the rich man’s wife, Giorgione
thinks he has found a way into the merchant’s favor. Instead the woman draws
him into her confidence, revealing the true reason her husband’s come to
Venice. Giorgione finds himself caught up in a conspiracy that stretches across
Europe and a marriage coming apart inside one of the floating city’s most
illustrious palazzos.
Atmospheric and suspenseful, and filled with the famous artists of the era, The Color Storm captures the
fascinating world of Venice at the height of its power and a moment of artistic
invention that echoes through the centuries.
Sophia Rose Reviews:
An art historical set in Renaissance Venice was just the
enticement I needed to pick up A Color Storm.
New to me author, Damien Dibben had my attention from the first scene of
a prologue that takes place after the events in the story and teases the reader
into needing to know what happened.
Set in the sixteenth century when many amazing artists were
achieving renown this historical based on real life figures delves into the
world of Renaissance art. The
descriptions of the often stark world of the artist and those who apprenticed
in the artist’s studio, the intrigue both political and personal surrounding
the wealthy patrons and the artists in their sphere, and of course the personal
relationships and characters who peopled The Color Storm particularly Zorzo.
The first half of the book was slow going as Dibben built a
huge front porch, so to speak. But, this
was necessary so the reader would understand the artists’ world back then and
understand that achieving beautiful colors in a painting was not as simple as
trotting down to the closest art supply store and purchasing the tubes or cakes
of paint in a wide array of ready-made colors.
There is also a plethora of artists then who are all in competition for
the small numbers of wealthy people who could afford art. Giorgio ‘Zorzo’ Barbarelli is brought to life
and I enjoyed getting to know him and his story.
With the in depth description, the atmosphere of the time
period as well as the art world is brought out.
It could be a dangerous time and Zorzo doesn’t even realize the danger
he’s in when his need for success to take care of himself and the people he
employs sets him on a course to procure the mysterious new color a wealthy
merchant holds. Zorzo is absorbed in his
work painting Sybille the foreign wife of a wealthy man who holds the secret to
a new color pigment that can raise Zorzo above all the other grand artists
while conspiracy swirls around him and the plague approaches Venice.
The very end gutted me and I held out hope that it would end
differently. Not sure how I feel about
it- it works for the story, but I personally wanted something different. I saw some of it coming and The Color Storm was
based on history so there wasn’t a big surprise even though I was unfamiliar
with the real Giorgio Barbarelli’s career until now and I could Google his art.
And, so this was bittersweet, but I definitely felt swept up
in the world of the story and the author’s writing. I can recommend it to historical fiction
lovers, lovers of art and the renaissance and those who like historical
intrigue.
Author’s Bio:
Damian Dibben is a best-selling British author. His novels
have been translated into 27 languages, in over 40 countries. His latest, THE
COLOUR STORM, a love story and thriller set in the art world of the
renaissance, is published by MichaelJoseph/Penguin in the UK in June 2022 and
HarperCollins in the US this September.
His previous novels include the critically acclaimed TOMORROW, (2018) as well
as the international sensation, THE HISTORY KEEPERS series.
Damian has worked extensively as a screenwriter on projects as diverse as
Phantom Of The Opera and Puss In Boots. He lives on London's Southbank with his
partner Ali and three dogs, Dudley, Daphne & Velvet.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DamianDibben
Website: https://www.damiandibben.com/
Sophia’s Bio:
Sophia
is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing,
piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments,
restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible
man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes
Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and
Chocolate.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that
Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a
prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many
wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading
tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and
romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose
I don't always like books that start off slow but it sounds like the payoff was worth it with this one.
ReplyDeleteI am so ignorant about Renaissance artists and the mechanics of art that I needed all that slow build up stuff. But, a slow start and lots of explanation is the exception rather than the norm for me, too. :)
DeleteAwww bittersweet
ReplyDeleteYeah, it hurt and had me sobbing. I had to go with a light and cozy read afterward. :)
DeleteI'm glad you still enjoyed it despite the ending Sophia Rose :)
ReplyDeletexx
Vanessa @ Blushing Geek
Actually, even though it made me cry, I liked the ending too. But, in truth, I usually don't deliberately read books that make me cry.
Delete