Five hundred years ago, there was an embarrassment of riches in Italy with artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Sebastiano Luciani, Raphael and Michelangelo all striving for artistic merit and success within the confines of Rome during the sixteenth century. Margarita Luti, despite being of lowly status, is a headstrong woman who knows that her virtue is her greatest quality or asset and it is her virtue as a woman in a patriarchal society that is fought over, questioned and ultimately denigrated.

According to the premise of this novel, a love story may have developed between the artist Raphael and Margarita, the baker's daughter who became his muse and even today is written about as one of Raphael’s many mistresses. The author has written a tale that is strongly rooted in truth and yet is also a fantasy of what might have been. It is beautiful and takes the reader into the world of an Italy well defined by its strata of status and the world of the artists of the day.

This story is told from the point of view of Pietro, a questionable character throughout the course of the novel who even in his redemption isn’t true, honourably redeemed. He is an unloved son of a higher status family who is unsuccessfully apprenticed to different artists until his luck changes and Raphael takes him on in his own studio. Pietro has his own demons to bear, falling in love with Raphael, but his behaviour, his duplicity in his behaviour towards Margarita is sickening and thoroughly unnerving.

Beautifully written, it helps reveal the magic and wonder of the period when artists were demi-gods and society upheld the worthiness of the artistic endeavours. It takes the reader into a world in which now days could never exist and makes it real, vital and knowable. It requires concentration from the reader to enter this world, but it worth the time and effort.

The Woman in the Painting by Kerry Postle
Source: NetGalley and Harper Collins
Rating: 2/5 stars

**MINI-REVIEW**

The Bottom Line: As an Art Historian, I have spent a great deal of my adult life studying and learning about the various periods of history and the art that defined those periods. My point? I am not, by any means, an uneducated reader (and I am NOT suggesting those who enjoy this book are!) when it comes to this particular type of historical fiction. Though I certainly don’t profess to know everything about this time and place, I do know a great deal and I think that’s what turned me off this book so completely. While I certainly concede there was a great deal of misdeeds, misguided behavior, and corruption during the time of the Renaissance, not every man in a position of power was corrupt and that isn’t at all made clear in this book. In truth, there are roughly two characters in this book who exhibit only good intentions and good behavior, and those traits are all but beaten out of them by ALL the corruption, scheming, and power plays surrounding their lives. I found it tedious to find so much awful all the time and very little goodness to come out of this story. While I realize all the drama makes for a good story, it just didn’t come together for me in this book. The only aspect of this book I truly enjoyed was the discussion and placement of Raphael’s art. Knowing what I know about Art and Art History, I find it hard to believe, even in historical fiction, that every person, every action, and every motivation could be as evil and awful as presented here. For me, the bad intentions and the constant scheming was simply too much to make this read enjoyable.

A compelling read that inspired me to look further into the life of Raphaël and his Margarita, the little baker’s daughter. Impeccably researched, the writer drew me into Sixteenth Century Italy from the beginning. The writing style is delicious., a joy to read. Postle has earned her place at the table alongside other great historical writers with this book. If you liked The Girl with a Pearl Earring about the life of Vermeer, you’ll love this.

I was so excited to receive an ARC of this book, I wanted to learn more about Raphael, Michelangelo, and the other artists of the time. However, the style of this book detracts so much from the story that it was disappointing. Because this is the first book by this author I had read I searched another of her works to look at and the writing style was the same. In reviews people refer to the beautiful prose, unique style and other descriptions. I could say it's unique but that didn't make it an enjoyable read. I honestly felt that I was reading one of those old primers "See Spot" "See Spot Run". I would hope that as this was an unedited copy, the book will improve through that process, because the story itself was good. Thank you #NetGalley, for the opportunity to review #TheWomaninthePainting, I wish I could have given it a better review.

I saw this book on bookstagram and knew I wanted to read it. I absolutely loved it. It drew me in and I didn't want to take a break. Definitely did not disappoint!