可借阅:*
图书馆 | 资料类型 | 排架号 | 子计数 | 书架位置 | 状态 | 图书预约 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
正在检索... Central | Book | ARMEL A. | 1 | Fiction Collection | 正在检索... 未知 | 正在检索... 不可借阅 |
链接这些题名
已订购
摘要
摘要
The book tells two tales: that of the painter Piero della Francesca and his wife, Silvia; and that of the Queen of Sheba's journey to Jerusalem to meet King Solomon. The novel alternates between Renaissance Italy and Sheba. But as the plague spreads to Arezzo, Silvia finds herself fighting for greater stakes than simply the chance to complete her narrative.
评论 (2)
Kirkus评论
A subtle and quietly compelling double look back: at the life of Piero della Francesco (d. 1492), then, from there, at the life of the Queen of Sheba in the tenth-century b.c. From the moment Piero first sees the young Silvia, he wants to marry her, and he does so, even though she's an orphan of mysterious origin, raised by monks. The marriage is happy except for two things: the pair remain childless; and Silvia fears that if Piero heeds those calling him to Rome to pursue his painting there, he will be tainted and corrupted by that sinful place. So, to keep him at home, she begins the Scheherazade-like tactic of writing the story of the Queen of Sheba from notes (provided by Fra Bartolomeo, one of the monks from her childhood) said to be those of a traveler to the east. What Silvia hopes is that her story will inspire Piero with ideas for paintings that he will start on right away, not in Rome, and so vivid is the tale she writes that Piero is indeed obsessed by it--as is Silvia, the teller of the tale, as the story becomes wholly intertwined with the novel itself. When Sheba's king dies in battle, his daughter Bilqis is only 16, yet she must take over the reins of government as he had trained her in the years of her growing up. Like Silvia, Bilqis is lovely and sensitive; like Silvia, she has a mysterious mother; and, like Silvia, she loves a great man: Piero in Silvia's case, King Solomon in that of Bilqis, whose long journey to Jerusalem--on diplomacy--and her stay there in the court of Solomon, both as diplomat and lover, are beautifully realized. The fate of each, Silvia and Bilqis, must be left for the reader to learn. First fiction from French historian Armel (and biographer of Marguerite Duras): a skillful, knowledgeable, and moving double-historical. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
《图书馆杂志》(Library Journal )书评
Armel, a French critic and historian, blends fact and fancy in this spellbinding feminist first novel about Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca's renowned frescoes in the chapel of Arezzo. As she tells it, Piero's wife, Silvia, becomes unhappy when her spouse is summoned for a papal commission. Fearful that the religious court will have a negative impact on Piero's creativity, she concocts a strategy to keep him nearby. In daily installments, she recounts the story of Queen Bilqis of Sheba, a 16-year-old woman who assumed power following the death of her father. The story mesmerizes Piero, and like a modern-day soap opera fan, he eagerly awaits each episode. And who can blame him? Silvia's account is full of sharply drawn imagery, provoking philosophical musings, and deeply felt romantic exploits. What's more, the queen's travels, her interaction with the sexist King Solomon, and Piero's eventual painting The Queen of Sheba in Adoration of the Wood are vividly detailed. Clever, moving, and beautifully written, this highly original novel is recommended for all public and academic libraries.-Eleanor J. Bader, Brooklyn, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.