As I’ve stated before, I’ve been working my way through novels in verse, and Joy McCullough’s Blood Water Paint was one I’d been eagerly anticipating for a while. It just released this year and is a phenomenal book based on the life of painter Artemisia Gentileschi, who lived during a time when women were not recognized for their art and were, in fact, stifled in their art.
This was such a lovely book that it’s difficult not to go on and on about its language and its structure and its beautiful yet difficult narrative.
Here are three things I enjoyed most about it:
- The strong character. Artemisia was a strong woman living during a time when women weren’t supposed to be strong. She also had a talent that was highly desired in her community, which means she painted many things but did not get credit for it—because this was the reality for a woman during her time period. I hated this but also loved it, because it was a good window into the history from which we come.
- The painting. Many of the poems in this book shared the emotional elements of painting, and I really loved that. The poems were spectacular in communicating how important painting was to Artemisia.
- The structure. Not only was the poetry in this book compelling and lyrically satisfying, but it was also interrupted by stories Artemisia’s mother had told her about Susanna and Judith, strong women in their time, and whom Artemisia would paint at different times in her life.
Fans of novels in verse will love the beautiful language and sparse prose and the way they are woven together. Blood Water Paint was an incredibly powerful book.
The above is an affiliate link. I only recommend books that I personally enjoy. I actually don’t even talk about the books I don’t enjoy, because I’d rather forget I ever wasted time reading them. But if you’re ever curious whether I’ve read a book and whether I liked or disliked it, don’t hesitate to ask.
