Love, the Painter's Wife and the Queen of Sheba [Hardcover]

Aliette Armel (Author), Alison Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004

The book tells two tales: that of the Piero della Francesca and the wife, Silvia; and that of the Queen of Shebas 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 the greater stakes than simply the chance to complete her narrative.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Delicacy and finesse in a subtly articulated double narrative." --Le Monde

About the Author

ALIETTE ARMEL, a historian by training, is the critic of the Magazine Litteraire. She has written a biography of Michel Leiris, and made a trip to Yemen in 2000 to research this, her first novel. Allison Anderson translated the original French, Le voyage de Bilqis.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: The Toby Press, LLC; 1st English Language Ed edition (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592640532
• ISBN-13: 978-1592640539
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,834,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Perception and nuance, December 15, 2004

By 

Linda Pagliuco "katknit" (CT, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Love, the Painter's Wife and the Queen of Sheba (Hardcover)

This is an odd little book. It probably reads better - perhaps more poetically - in the original French, but this seems a decent translation. Sort of a third party stream of consciousness narrative, "Love, the Painter's Wife etc" deals with the evolution of the artist's creativity, the young queen's growing sense of purpose and mission, and the loss of a love. It attempts, with reasonable success, to depict Piero della Francesco's perceptions of his experiences of the world around him, and the process by which he translates his perceptions into art. It helps if you have access to photographs of Piero's frescos to refer to as you read. This is a very erudite presentation with musings on the great questions of life. It requires careful thought and sensitivity to nuance to appreciate.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, January 11, 2007

By 

Josette Valenti "Bookworm" (Marseille France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Love, the Painter's Wife and the Queen of Sheba (Hardcover)

You think you knew everything about the Queen of Sheba? Well, you were mistaken & if you read the book, you'll also learn a lot about Piero Della Francesca. OK, it's all apocriphal; so what? Aliette Armel, who's a historian, makes all the characters come alive & the book reads as a thriller, with 2 related stories entwining the Bible with the Italian Quattrocento. A real page turner! You won't let go!!!