It’s so hot,
wicked hot,
turn you into,
a raving lunatic hot,
yep,
that kind of hot,
I’m melting, I’m melting.
The fans and AC,
have been going,
full blast,
for 48 hours,
and,
the respite seems to be,
far off,
not good for us cranky types,
oh well,
drink lots of water stay indoors,
and,
read.
That’s what I did today.
I finished Ellis Avery’s The Last Nude.
A good friend,
my brilliant librarian/writer friend,
lent this to me,
on my last Toronto visit,
and,
since we are meeting up,
tomorrow for breakfast
🙂
I had to finish it.
I liked this book,
a good novel,
takes place in a time period,
I adore,
Paris,
roaring twenties,
it’s main character is an artist,
who’s work I admire,
it speaks to me,
the art deco esthetic of it,
the curves,
the lines,
the strong women,
the androgyny.
Tamara De Lempicka,
love her work,
have for decades,
some of her prints,
have graced the walls of,
my apartment,
my bookstore,
really like her stuff.
Secondary characters,
include one of my,
bookseller idols,
Sylvia Beach and her fellow bookseller/lover,
Adrienne Monnier.
This is a fictionalised account,
brilliantly researched,
of an affair De Lempicka had,
with one of her models,
the beautiful Rafaela.
Stylistically strong,
and,
a very good read.
I will admit I had my problems,
with it.
I put it down several times,
in the last month or so,
it wasn’t the story,
which is fascinating,
it wasn’t the writing,
never boring or cliche,
no my biggest problem,
was the main character,
I didn’t like her.
De Lempicka,
isn’t a nice person,
she is manipulative and materialistic,
and,
I guess that was hard for me,
because I had always admired her.
I know it’s silly,
the art is the important part,
and,
this is a novel,
after all,
but,
it bugged me,
that she wasn’t very nice,
what a naive ole butch, I am, sometimes.
This novel is a look inside,
the art world,
the wide open sexual times,
that 1920’s Paris,
represents,
a look at power and manipulation,
and,
inequity,
in relationships,
and,
so much more,
two big thumbs up.
But,
be warned you will,
perhaps??
come away not liking,
De Lempicka,
or maybe you aren’t, as hero worship afflicted as I am
😛
This novel was very well reviewed,
and,
reading it is a transporting,
food for thought experience.
More than worth,
your time.
I imagine more than a few of you read it,
I’d like to know,
what you all thought.
Later girls,
keep cool,
be well,
BB