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The Passion of Artemisia - STALLED RAY
by Susan Vreeland | Literature & Fiction
Registered by kz4ufo of Panama City Beach, Florida USA on Monday, October 27, 2003
Average 7 star rating by BookCrossing Members 

status (set by hathyia): reserved


7 journalers for this copy...

Journal Entry 1 by kz4ufo from Panama City Beach, Florida USA on Monday, October 27, 2003

This book has not been rated.

INSIDE COVER:

At age 18, Artemisia Gentileschi finds herself humilated in papal court for publically accusing her painting teacher, Agostino Tassi, of raping her. When even her father does not stand up for her and she realizes that she will never live down her reputation of a loose woman if she stays in Rome, she begs to have a marriage arranged for her. Her new husband, an artist named Pietro Stiattesi, takes her to his native Florence, where their life together offers the promise of love and family. Here Artemisia's talent for painting blossoms and she becomes the first woman elected to the Accademia dell' Arte. But marriage clashes with her new-found fame as a painter, and she begins a lifelong search to reconcile painting and motherhood, passion, and genius.

This is a hardback novel. 

Journal Entry 2 by kz4ufo from Panama City Beach, Florida USA on Tuesday, November 25, 2003

This book has not been rated.

This book will be offered as an International Book Ray.

Participants so far are:


kz4ufo ~ Florida
WarEagle78 ~ Alabama
jamieh2003 ~ West Virginia
Enidq ~ Illinios
ahythloday ~ Washington
historygeek ~ Canada
haythia ~ Malaysia <- HERE
meganh ~ Australia (Ship Anywhere)
Clawdia ~ Spain (Ship Europe, Int. if needed)
LeighBCD ~ U.K. (Ship Int.)
lyssrose ~ Texas (Ship US)
Ilios ~ Florida (Ship US/Canada)
Jenvince ~ California (Ship Int. if needed)


** The very last person on the list can release the book any way she sees fit. 

Journal Entry 3 by kz4ufo from Panama City Beach, Florida USA on Monday, December 01, 2003

6 out of 10

* I just finished reading this and was a bit disappointed.

I didn't feel at all for the main character. Perhaps if the story was written from her view, it would have been different. Although I thought all of the characters were rather flat - one dimensional.

Of course, I am a bit biased perhaps, as I just finished reading "Girl With a Pearl Earring" and was extremely moved. "Passion" is an interesting story, I just feel it could have been told better.

Shipped out December 5, 2003 via Media Mail.
 

Journal Entry 4 by WarEagle78 from Hoover, Alabama USA on Monday, December 08, 2003

This book has not been rated.

Arrived today (along with 2 other ring books and a bookbox). What riches! I'll be on it soon so it can visit West Virginia. 

Journal Entry 5 by WarEagle78 from Hoover, Alabama USA on Saturday, December 13, 2003

8 out of 10

I finished this book last night. I enjoyed it more than kz4ufo did. While many of the characters were not well-developed, I thought the characters of Artemesia and Graziela were gracefully written. Maybe I just read a lot of assumptions into the author's nuances of character, but I felt I understood them and sympathized with them. The addition of Galileo as a character was a plus.

The story was interesting, especially the settings in various cities of Italy and the details of Artemesia's art and the concepts of its development.

I've mailed the book on to jamieh2003 this morning. I hope you enjoy it! 

Journal Entry 6 by jamieh2003 from Wiley Ford, West Virginia USA on Monday, December 29, 2003

7 out of 10

Received today in the mail. I'll be starting this no later than tomorrow night and moving it on to the next in line for it. Thanks for including me in the ring.

Update:
Finished this book this evening with a sense of disappointment. I kept expecting more...more about her relationship with Pietro, more emotion.
Even during the horrific scenes of the torture and examination in court fell flat...they seemed so dispassionately written. It bothered me the way it skipped ahead...anywhere from several weeks to several years. I found it disorienting. We go from Artemesia at 18 to Artemesia at 24 to Artemesia at 30 something, next thing she's middle-aged and marrying off her daughter. Maybe there was something I missed here.  

Journal Entry 7 by jamieh2003 at on Friday, January 02, 2004

This book has not been rated.

Release planned for Monday, January 05, 2004 at Mailed to a fellow Bookcrosser in n/a, n/a Controlled Releases.

mailed to enidq via usps media mail 

Journal Entry 8 by Enidq on Wednesday, January 21, 2004

This book has not been rated.

Just got in the mail today and I am seriously behind. Two rings and a ray ahead of this one. Need some speed reading courses! 

Journal Entry 9 by Enidq at Post Office in South Elgin, Illinois USA on Saturday, March 20, 2004

This book has not been rated.

Released on Saturday, March 20, 2004 at Post Office in South Elgin, Illinois USA.

Controlled release to fellow BCer.

Could not get into this one so I just passed it on. 

Journal Entry 10 by ahythloday from Richmond, Virginia USA on Monday, March 22, 2004

This book has not been rated.

yay! i've been wanting to read this one for awhile.... i'm getting started right now! well, maybe after "cash in the attic" is over. 

Journal Entry 11 by ahythloday from Richmond, Virginia USA on Thursday, March 25, 2004

6 out of 10

I would have to agree with some of the other readers that the characters of this story were sadly undeveloped. i thought that if vreeland had put half the thought into artemisia that she had into her hatred and pain then she would've done a fine job. its interesting that one can put so much into a character's pain and not into the character herself, isn't it? but even so, the pain itself could've taken a much more vivid form. but i suppose that is where character got into the way. pain and all, artemisia is a very flat and uninspiring personality. orazio was, i felt, the most developed of the characters though even he could've used some more scrutiny. i think that in his situation, he could've been one of the great characters in literature. but the story is what it is and as such was not entirely unpleasant! i enjoyed the scenes of the observation of the art of italy. the author truely has an artistic sensibility though it remains to the original artists themselves to let us know if her interpretation is an accurate one. as it stands however, vreeland is a keen observer of art and feeling, even if she fails in character.

i will send this as soon as possible to historygeek, who is next on the list. 

Journal Entry 12 by historygeek from Prince George, British Columbia Canada on Monday, May 24, 2004

8 out of 10

I really appreciated this book for its lush imagery. I feel like I have been on a field trip! Despite some shortcomings (I agree with other journaler's comments about lack of character development), I decided early on to relax and just enjoy the book as an escape. It has been the kind of book that I can't put down, and can't wait to get back to. I will reserve final judgement though, as I still have a few pages to go.

 

Journal Entry 13 by historygeek from Prince George, British Columbia Canada on Wednesday, June 02, 2004

8 out of 10

As stated before, I enjoyed this book for nothing more than a nice light read. Sometimes it is good to just escape into a book and not worry about details, accuracies, form, etc.

I will forward this on to hathyia as soon as I receive an address. 

Journal Entry 14 by historygeek from Prince George, British Columbia Canada on Tuesday, August 17, 2004

This book has not been rated.

Hyathia, the book is in the mail! Sorry it took so long. It should arrive within a few weeks. 

Journal Entry 15 by hathyia on Tuesday, November 30, 2004

This book has not been rated.

30/11/04
It's here!!!!! Thank you.....Thank you 



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