Play Book Tag discussion

Perspective by Laurent Binet - 4* - My Review

Set in Florence in 1557, painter Jacopo da Pontormo is found dead in a church, stabbed through the heart with a chisel. He had spent over a decade painting the church’s frescoes. His home is searched, and a scandalous painting of Maria de' Medici is found, portraying her as a nude Venus. Art historian Giorgio Vasari is asked to investigate. The narrative is framed as a discovery of 180 letters by a mysterious figure called “B.” who visits a Tuscan antique shop in the nineteenth-century.

The letters were exchanged among (real) historical figures of the day. The correspondence reveals political scheming, speculation about the killer, and debates about morality. The novel addresses enduring questions about art: who controls representation, the role of the observer, and whether any single viewpoint can serve as an ultimate authority. I found this book very enjoyable. It is beautifully written and entertaining. It looks at questions about art and power under the guise of a well-constructed whodunnit.

I just bought this on Kindle in French (original language it was written in, although it takes place in Italy). Glad to see you liked it.

I belong to a group of women who are either retired French teachers, lived/worked in France, were born in France - instead of just conversing, we read books and talk about them in French. I thought this might be a good one for us.

I read the English translation from the original French (which I probably should have mentioned in my review). I'll be interested in what you think of it, and how it goes reading it in French with a group!

Binet is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors. I've also read and recommend: HHhH and Civilizations.