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Stone Virgin
A mysterious sculpture of a beautiful and erotic Madonna holds the key to the Fornarini family's secrets. When Raikes, a conservation expert, tries to restore her, he is swept under the statue's spell and swept under the spell of the seductive Chiara Litsov, a member of the Fornarini family now married to a famous sculptor. Raikes finds himself losing all moral grounding as his love for statue and woman intertwine in lust and murder.
309 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
15 people are currently reading
460 people want to read
About the author
Barry Unsworth
56 books186 followersBarry Unsworth was an English writer known for his historical fiction. He published 17 novels, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize three times, winning once for the 1992 novel Sacred Hunger.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
February 28, 2011
The history. The art. The romance. The city (of Venice). The mystery that sucks you right in and carries you along until the last page. What a wonderful book.
March 1, 2021
Barry Unsworth is described as a historical fiction writer but many other authors have placed their stories in earlier times. He, however, has done much more than tell a story of the past, casting doubt on it being the right literary genre for him. In most of his novels he wants to communicate his own interest in history, make it relevant to the modern reader, bring it closer. Realising how little I know about history, I'd love to invite him to dinner, but the man is no longer with us, will write no more.
This novel is one of his best. The virgin of the title was carved in the 15th century Venice but the novel's focus is on the 20th century restorer by name of Raikes, English, reserved, competent, aged 33. He is interested in the provenance of the statue, gets the pieces of the puzzle nearly in the right order only to find that he has become involved in a puzzle of his own.
This is the art of Unsworth that he can make his novel about a dead statue almost into a murder mystery. I wish I could write something like this. Vivid characters, fascinating setting (Venice) and food for thought. I have certainly been to museums where the object itself has not been as interesting as the label that describes how it was made or used or lost, then found again. Unsworth puts plenty of flesh on thoughts of this kind. The novel is rich, erotic and multi-layered. Highly recommended.
This novel is one of his best. The virgin of the title was carved in the 15th century Venice but the novel's focus is on the 20th century restorer by name of Raikes, English, reserved, competent, aged 33. He is interested in the provenance of the statue, gets the pieces of the puzzle nearly in the right order only to find that he has become involved in a puzzle of his own.
This is the art of Unsworth that he can make his novel about a dead statue almost into a murder mystery. I wish I could write something like this. Vivid characters, fascinating setting (Venice) and food for thought. I have certainly been to museums where the object itself has not been as interesting as the label that describes how it was made or used or lost, then found again. Unsworth puts plenty of flesh on thoughts of this kind. The novel is rich, erotic and multi-layered. Highly recommended.
November 25, 2009
The Stone Virgin is set in Venice in 3 different periods in time, the 1400s, the 1700s and in present day. The story opens in the 15th century with the artist facing his accusers on a murder charge but most of the novel is set present day where Simon Raikes is restoring a statue of a Madonna, a Virgin Mary, and while he works on it he is intrigued by who made the statue and what happened to the statue over the years.
I thought it interesting that there 3 stories in 3 different periods all directly related with the statue, or the men interest in the statue. All of them seem to focus on the sexual relationships the men had with the women in their life and the feelings, good and bad, that those evoked. I was expecting to find more interesting desciptions of Venice in those different periods and I didn't for which I'm sorry. I do understand that art appeals to the senses but lately it seems that most of the art related books I read are more than sensual, they are downright erotic, I think that's okay in a story well told but I'm starting to wonder if this is a pattern in today's art related literature...
I did like the mystery approach, who made the statue? What happened to him? Especially after that intriguing start. But Raikes affair and indeed his interactions with his colleagues take too much space and I kept wishing we got back to mystery.
As I mentioned in my review of Dunant's The Birth of Venus maybe it's just that these are not my type of books. I will definitely have to think twice before picking up another such as these.
Grade: 3.5/5
I thought it interesting that there 3 stories in 3 different periods all directly related with the statue, or the men interest in the statue. All of them seem to focus on the sexual relationships the men had with the women in their life and the feelings, good and bad, that those evoked. I was expecting to find more interesting desciptions of Venice in those different periods and I didn't for which I'm sorry. I do understand that art appeals to the senses but lately it seems that most of the art related books I read are more than sensual, they are downright erotic, I think that's okay in a story well told but I'm starting to wonder if this is a pattern in today's art related literature...
I did like the mystery approach, who made the statue? What happened to him? Especially after that intriguing start. But Raikes affair and indeed his interactions with his colleagues take too much space and I kept wishing we got back to mystery.
As I mentioned in my review of Dunant's The Birth of Venus maybe it's just that these are not my type of books. I will definitely have to think twice before picking up another such as these.
Grade: 3.5/5
July 13, 2009
Simon Raikes is restoring an enigmatic stone Madonna that graces the front of a medieval church in Venice. As he prepares his work, he is overtaken by visions, and he soon becomes obsessed with discovering the history of the unusual, subtly erotic statue. Simon’s own fate becomes inextricably enmeshed with that of the original sculptor, and he finds himself making choices that would previously been abhorrent to him.
Stone Virgin is a complex, proficient morality tale that examines the dark underside of desire, whether it be carnality, pride, ambition, or cupidity. Within these pages, the age old adage that history repeats itself plays out in the lives of individuals, rather than on the world stage. How easy it is to succumb to temptation when one’s secret heart’s desire is within reach.
Stone Virgin is a complex, proficient morality tale that examines the dark underside of desire, whether it be carnality, pride, ambition, or cupidity. Within these pages, the age old adage that history repeats itself plays out in the lives of individuals, rather than on the world stage. How easy it is to succumb to temptation when one’s secret heart’s desire is within reach.
October 22, 2014
Italy in 1432, a Madonna statue has been commissioned and is being carved in Venice by a relatively unknown but talented sculptor.
The book is written in three different times: 1432 when the Madonna statue was being carved, 1793 when the statue is in a private garden, and 1972 when the statue, which has since been installed on a church property, is being restored.
In 1432 the sculptor chooses a whore as his model and they get along very well. Unfortunately she gets murdered and the sculptor is accused of the crime.
In 1793 we hear the memories of an old man as he writes his exploits of adulterous sex with the lady of the house where the statue is in the garden.
In 1972 the man who is cleaning the statue is inexplicably aroused all the time. He also seems to have epileptic incidents, or are they? And he is attracted to the wife of a metal sculptor.
The name Fornarini keeps coming up. And there is some element of paranormal here although the idea is not developed or explained.
The main idea here is the possibility that an inanimate object can absorb the feelings, actions and memories of the creator and those involved with the creator of said object, which then can effect the people who come into contact with the object later.
The book was not uninteresting, the writing was not bad. It is one of those books that seemed to have the potential to work but somehow didn't.
The book is written in three different times: 1432 when the Madonna statue was being carved, 1793 when the statue is in a private garden, and 1972 when the statue, which has since been installed on a church property, is being restored.
In 1432 the sculptor chooses a whore as his model and they get along very well. Unfortunately she gets murdered and the sculptor is accused of the crime.
In 1793 we hear the memories of an old man as he writes his exploits of adulterous sex with the lady of the house where the statue is in the garden.
In 1972 the man who is cleaning the statue is inexplicably aroused all the time. He also seems to have epileptic incidents, or are they? And he is attracted to the wife of a metal sculptor.
The name Fornarini keeps coming up. And there is some element of paranormal here although the idea is not developed or explained.
The main idea here is the possibility that an inanimate object can absorb the feelings, actions and memories of the creator and those involved with the creator of said object, which then can effect the people who come into contact with the object later.
The book was not uninteresting, the writing was not bad. It is one of those books that seemed to have the potential to work but somehow didn't.
July 15, 2021
I'm not really sure what I made of this book. There were some interesting moments and the descriptions of Venice and the surrounding areas are extremely detailed but a lot of it irritated me. When the various characters record diary entries, for example, the writing is in a smaller font that can be difficult to read.
Much of it felt like a Carry On Venice and objectification of women. Perhaps that was the point but much of it felt like it was written by a teenager on his first escapade into erotic literature. You don't need to read this book.
Much of it felt like a Carry On Venice and objectification of women. Perhaps that was the point but much of it felt like it was written by a teenager on his first escapade into erotic literature. You don't need to read this book.
January 8, 2019
A lovely but frustrating book. The story cuts between three time periods but I found that just as each historical section got up a head of steam it would end and we were back with Simon Rakes in modern Venice. The Rakes story is worthwhile and the final third of it is the strongest part of the novel for me but it takes so long to get there that I twice put the book aside completely before coming back to it. There is an enormous amount of time spent on the minutiae of stone restoration and the effects of atmosphere on materials. It certainly makes one believe in Rakes as an expert and fleshes him out as a character but it is at the cost of the book's pace. We are forced to live off his investigating the mystery of the statue's origins (which frankly I found not all that mysterious given how much we the reader witness for ourselves in those sections). Finally Rakes catches up with our own knowledge and we get a slightly rushed and unsatisfactorily concluded romance/murder plot far too close to the book's end. It feels to me as if the Rakes story has too much scene setting before reaching its crisis and several characters come and go without adding anything much (the Tintoretto people and the various experts Rakes speaks to could probably have been consolidated somewhat) and we don't get enough time with the more important characters like Chiara, Litsov and Lattimer.
I'm also beginning to see a pattern with Mr Unsworth's female characters (and perhaps his male protagonists too). The echoes between Rakes/Chiara and the couples in the historical sections were clearly deliberate, but there was also more than a bit of Thurston / Alicia I thought, from The Ruby in her Navel.
I'm also beginning to see a pattern with Mr Unsworth's female characters (and perhaps his male protagonists too). The echoes between Rakes/Chiara and the couples in the historical sections were clearly deliberate, but there was also more than a bit of Thurston / Alicia I thought, from The Ruby in her Navel.
July 21, 2014
After being impressed by Songs of the Kings a few years back, I was pretty disappointed with this one. Honestly, the look into the world of art restoration was the most fascinating thing about it; the rest was a pretentious look at male sexual arousal with a bit of paranormal activity thrown in. The modern-day murder mystery might have offered a bit more variety too, so too bad it didn't come in till towards the end of the book and then is pretty glossed over! Finally, the protagonist is an unsympathetic and pompous character who glorifies the "perfect" female body through objectifying it, perhaps (it is indicated) as a result of his work. I wonder how many art-restorers have read this book and subsequently punched the air in frustration? I didn't enjoy how the author decided to concentrate on the thinking of this character rather than the actual plot. It was tiresome.
Spare yourselves. Only read this if you're too curious.
Spare yourselves. Only read this if you're too curious.
March 20, 2013
Great classic read. Initially based in 1432, the language is accordingly stilted to fit the era. But then the reader is taken forward to the 1970's where parallels between the past and the present seem to occur as the sculptor Raikes works on restoring a Venetian Madonna. The story is on the one hand an erotic love story and on the other hand a mystery. About 50 pages into the book and you want to find out exactly what happens-in the past and in the present.
July 6, 2016
Entertaining story about a man who cleans statues for a living who gets all wrapped up in trying to figure out what happened to the sculptor and model for the 15th century Madonna he is reviving. Really gives one the feel for Venice. Gives the city an air of mystery unlike anything else I've ever read with the same setting. There is whimsy and deceit. There are questions about mixing art and reality. All in all, quite satisfying.
May 22, 2013
Had a 'written by a man for men' feel for me. Some titillating ott sex scenes. Story took a long time to get going but become more interesting in the last third. Some stuff did not ring true though making it slightly unbelievable at times. Other stuff seemed to add nothing to the plot or storyline.
September 29, 2017
A lovely, intriguing, erotic, mysterious book concerning a 500+ year old beautiful Venetian sculpture of the Virgin Mary at the time of her visitation by the Angel Gabriel. Set mostly in 1975 when a lot of restoration work was going on in Venice a young man restoring the sculpture to its original beauty becomes entangled in her history. Very good book!
February 5, 2008
I wouldn't say the book was boring, but it just didn't hold my interest. Seemed pretty pointless.
June 21, 2013
Wonderful story, beautifully written. Have read it twice and will probably read it again, just for its prose.
February 18, 2021
Although the story was interesting I couldn't engage with this book. All the main male characters were unlikeable and the female ones were only there for sexual interest. Maybe it's a man's book?
November 19, 2023
It scarcely seems possible that I should have picked this up - without knowing anything about its contents - on a work trip flying from Birmingham to Venice. The cover looked historical, so may have influenced my decision to opt for 'Stone Virgin' over something by William Trevor or Thomas Keneally, but the parallels were still uncanny.
I think many of my favourite books can be about timing as much as content. I've been enjoying my read through of Unsworth, so would probably still have scored this highly, but staying around Venice undoubtedly heightened it's immediate appeal. The descriptive passages certainly didn't have to work so hard for me to imagine the cultural richness under the encrusted stonework, the moody stake-skewered canals, or the palazzo-framed window views.
Even so, I think 'Stone Virgin' rates with the very best of his work, including Booker-nominated 'Pascalli's Island' and Booker-winning 'Sacred Hunger'. Given how poor 1985's shortlist was for the award (barring the winner, Keri Hulme), not only should Unsworth have made the list, he should have been a contender to win it.
The three interplaying stories from the fifteenth-, eighteenth- and twentieth-centuries convey a mastery not only of periodization, but of plot and character. The weaving feels effortless to read, much as the best of Dickens drew upon fiendishly intricate plotting. The parallels are deft. While the calamities possess a credulity-testing psychogeographical spookiness very similar to his contemporary, Peter Ackroyd (this felt very much like 'Hawksmoor'), it also manages a similar sense of both portentousness and fun. I felt like Unsworth was peeling back the hard realities of human motives (lust, power, esteem), which he chiselled away at with craftsmanlike skill.
At the very least, I recommend this for your holiday to Venice. At the most, 'Stone Virgin' may endure as a classic.
I think many of my favourite books can be about timing as much as content. I've been enjoying my read through of Unsworth, so would probably still have scored this highly, but staying around Venice undoubtedly heightened it's immediate appeal. The descriptive passages certainly didn't have to work so hard for me to imagine the cultural richness under the encrusted stonework, the moody stake-skewered canals, or the palazzo-framed window views.
Even so, I think 'Stone Virgin' rates with the very best of his work, including Booker-nominated 'Pascalli's Island' and Booker-winning 'Sacred Hunger'. Given how poor 1985's shortlist was for the award (barring the winner, Keri Hulme), not only should Unsworth have made the list, he should have been a contender to win it.
The three interplaying stories from the fifteenth-, eighteenth- and twentieth-centuries convey a mastery not only of periodization, but of plot and character. The weaving feels effortless to read, much as the best of Dickens drew upon fiendishly intricate plotting. The parallels are deft. While the calamities possess a credulity-testing psychogeographical spookiness very similar to his contemporary, Peter Ackroyd (this felt very much like 'Hawksmoor'), it also manages a similar sense of both portentousness and fun. I felt like Unsworth was peeling back the hard realities of human motives (lust, power, esteem), which he chiselled away at with craftsmanlike skill.
At the very least, I recommend this for your holiday to Venice. At the most, 'Stone Virgin' may endure as a classic.
April 14, 2020
I love art history and am fascinated by art restoration. I love the setting. I love the concept: somewhat paranormal, that an inanimate object such as a statue, can absorb the feelings, actions, or intentions of its creator and affect and impart those on other people who cross its path.
It's not terrible, but it could have been so much more. It's mostly about male sexual arousal—though there is a moment of vindication when a woman calls a guy out on his Madonna/whore dichotomy. I wish it explored more of the magical, paranormal aspect. I thoroughly enjoyed the well-researched details on sculpture and art restoration. Overall an entertaining read, but I wouldn't recommend it.
It's not terrible, but it could have been so much more. It's mostly about male sexual arousal—though there is a moment of vindication when a woman calls a guy out on his Madonna/whore dichotomy. I wish it explored more of the magical, paranormal aspect. I thoroughly enjoyed the well-researched details on sculpture and art restoration. Overall an entertaining read, but I wouldn't recommend it.
November 30, 2025
Could have been better. Charactors were dull & shallow. Far too much time spent on repeated descriptions of what the water loooked like today, how the main protagonist felt from one day to the next & irrelevent people & events along the way. As if BU were trying to fill the book out.
Would have been more readable with 100 pages lopped off.
Shame, as I enjoyed The Quality of Mercy & Losing Nelson.
Would have been more readable with 100 pages lopped off.
Shame, as I enjoyed The Quality of Mercy & Losing Nelson.
August 27, 2021
This reviewer said it best: "No brief synopsis could suggest the sinuous intricacy of Stone Virgin or the adroitness with which Barry Unsworth manipulates the weighty mysteries of love, death, creation, faith, evil and the lure of history. . . . Consistently astonishing." (Amanda Heller, Boston Globe)
October 5, 2025
I loved the intertwining stories and how the author brought the past and present together. Even though very descriptive I still looked up the Italian phrases that were used. I could not imagine how the end would turn out. Girolama’s letters said it all.
October 27, 2025
interesting concept, it caught my eye, but you can so tell this was written by a man. in every description of female characters, even in their interactions. they are only ever presented as either an extension of a male character or a sexual figure. male gaze in every word. ugh.
September 11, 2017
dnf at 50%
Well researched and even poetic at times, but too dense and self-important for my taste. I got the main gist, and I think that's enough for me.
Well researched and even poetic at times, but too dense and self-important for my taste. I got the main gist, and I think that's enough for me.
January 4, 2022
One of the best books I ever read.
April 19, 2025
As marvellous as Sacred Hunger.
Read
November 5, 2025read in the 90's.. a mystery.. i liked the writing...
February 22, 2017
I'm rounding up from 3.5. There were some wonderful things about this book but overall I think it was more slight than what I have come to expect from Unsworth.
June 19, 2024
Stone virgin
This tale is of the mystery surrounding a fine Venetian sculpture of the virgin at the annunciation being cleaned by restorer Simon Raikes. It is full of evocative descriptions of Venice, its back alleys and canals, as well as its grand houses, churches and monuments, the ever changing light on the water that has so entranced artists over the centuries, the odours and then the decay that has set in. It starts with a backstory from the 15th century, of the sculptor of the virgin, that casts some light on the history, then forwards to the 18c and then early 70 ‘s.
All the lead male characters are driven by unsettled and priapic urges, realistically described, and become to some degree dupes of the women that captivate them. The academic and artistic world of modern times, its rivalries and anxieties, feels authentic. There is an element of magic realism, a luminosity around the statue that seems to transcend the centuries.
The writing appears informed by a real depth of knowledge of Venetian and Italian art, and the difficulties of tracing biography from patchy documents and knowledge.
I enjoyed this more than I expected, for its reminder of a short stay in Venice, its main characters well drawn, Raikes is sympathetic, and a neat linking across the centuries, less a mystery than an unravelling.
This tale is of the mystery surrounding a fine Venetian sculpture of the virgin at the annunciation being cleaned by restorer Simon Raikes. It is full of evocative descriptions of Venice, its back alleys and canals, as well as its grand houses, churches and monuments, the ever changing light on the water that has so entranced artists over the centuries, the odours and then the decay that has set in. It starts with a backstory from the 15th century, of the sculptor of the virgin, that casts some light on the history, then forwards to the 18c and then early 70 ‘s.
All the lead male characters are driven by unsettled and priapic urges, realistically described, and become to some degree dupes of the women that captivate them. The academic and artistic world of modern times, its rivalries and anxieties, feels authentic. There is an element of magic realism, a luminosity around the statue that seems to transcend the centuries.
The writing appears informed by a real depth of knowledge of Venetian and Italian art, and the difficulties of tracing biography from patchy documents and knowledge.
I enjoyed this more than I expected, for its reminder of a short stay in Venice, its main characters well drawn, Raikes is sympathetic, and a neat linking across the centuries, less a mystery than an unravelling.
December 21, 2021
Im 15. Jhd schuf in Venedig ein Bildhauer eine aussergewöhnliche Madonnenstatue. Dann wurde er des Mordes an der Prostituierten angeklagt, die er als Modell und Geliebte genommen hat. In der Gegenwart wird die Statue restauriert. Ihr Ursprung ist verloren gegangen. Der eigenbrötlerische Restaurator (und verkappte Bildhauer) entfernt akribisch über Wochen die Verkrustungen. Nebenher versucht er, die Geschichte der Statue rauszufinden.
Die Themen, die das Buch behandelt, interessieren mich so gut wie gar nicht. Erstaunlicherweise blieb ich trotzdem am Ball. Der Autor ist geschickt. Allerdings missfallen mir die Einsprengsel des Übersinnlichen, die recht vage gehalten werden. Auch dass das Buch in x Richtungen geht, ist etwas unbefriedigend. Zum Schluss war ich nicht böse, dass es zu Ende war. Trotzdem insgesamt recht gut
Die Themen, die das Buch behandelt, interessieren mich so gut wie gar nicht. Erstaunlicherweise blieb ich trotzdem am Ball. Der Autor ist geschickt. Allerdings missfallen mir die Einsprengsel des Übersinnlichen, die recht vage gehalten werden. Auch dass das Buch in x Richtungen geht, ist etwas unbefriedigend. Zum Schluss war ich nicht böse, dass es zu Ende war. Trotzdem insgesamt recht gut
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews