Howdy Bookworms,
It’s Tuesday and you know what that means! The ladies of The Broke and the Bookish have tempted me with yet another list prompt. Today they’ve asked us to list our top ten books in ANY GENRE WE WANT. I can make up a genre, right? I mean, if I can think of ten books with a similar theme it should count as a genre, shouldn’t it? Historical fiction with a work of art as a centerpiece is my genre of choice today… I’m going to call it Hist-ART-ical Fiction!
1. Girl in Hyacinth Blue
by Susan Vreeland: This book follows a fictional Vermeer painting back through time from the present day to its inception. It’s chock full of interesting historical tidbits throughout the eras. I also learned a surprising amount about flooding in the Netherlands… And windmills. Bonus!
2. The Virgin Blue
by Tracy Chevalier: The dual narrative is a popular style when it comes to hist-ART-ical fiction, so it’s lucky I love it. A modern American woman moves to France with her husband and uncovers her ancestral history… Along with a very particular shade of blue paint.
3. I, Mona Lisa
by Jeanne Kalogridis: Based on the fictionalized life of the woman who modeled for the world’s most famous painting, I, Mona Lisa takes you deep into Renaissance Italy. You really can’t go wrong with Florence as a backdrop, I tell you. Add DaVinci and throw in Savonarola (the dastardly art hater) and you’ve got yourself a tasty piece of hist-ART-ical fiction!
It’s the mother-flipping Mona Lisa, y’all! (Source)
4. I Always Loved You
by Robin Oliveira: (my review) Mary Cassatt meets up with Degas and Renoir and Monet and Manet in this book and it’s a heck of a good time. I love me some French Impressionists! Funnily enough, I was watching The Simpsons earlier today and Sideshow Bob referred to the Impressionists as “the boy band of the art world.” The art snobbery of a cartoon character can’t destroy my enthusiasm. It’s all so pretty!
5. The Birth of Venus
by Sarah Dunant: Ah yes, back to Renaissance Florence! The young daughter of a cloth merchant is enthralled by the painter the family brings in to decorate their chapel. Art and love and Florentine drama ensue… There’s a rather scandalous tattoo involved as well.
6. The Girl with a Pearl Earring
by Tracy Chevalier: Another Chevalier? Don’t mind if I do! This book is based on a very real painting by the Dutch master Vermeer. It’s some kind of amazing, I tell you, even if there’s a rather cringe inducing ear-piercing scene…
7. The Girl You Left Behind
by Jojo Moyes: (my review) More delicious dual narratives! This book is half set during WWI in occupied France and half set in present day England. A (fictional) painting vastly important to two women at the two points in time interweaves the stories. It’s Jojo Moyes, so it rocks pretty hard.
8. Leonardo’s Swans
by Karen Essex: Renaissance Italy and the master of them all, DaVinci! This book explores the lives of the models of some of DaVinci’s lesser known pieces. The fame obsessed were as desperate to be immortalized on canvas as reality show contestants are to be immortalized in trashy television. Plenty of scandal to be had!
9. The Painted Girls
by Cathy Marie Buchanan: (my review) Man, I love the crap out of reading about the people behind the art. The model for Degas’s super famous ballerina sculpture? The Painted Girls tells Marie’s story as an impoverished ballerina-in-training. It’s as amazing as you think.
Image from Metropolitan Museum of Art
10. In the Company of the Courtesan
by Sarah Dunant: Alright, this isn’t as art-centric as everything else on this list, but it’s set in Renaissance Italy, so the art is THERE, if not center stage. Plus there’s a prostitute and a dwarf- how can you go wrong?
Honorable Mention: The Goldfinch
by Donna Tartt. This doesn’t get to count in the official list because A. I haven’t read it yet, and B. it’s really not historical fiction. BUT it’s got a painting in a pivotal role, so it semi-counts.
My dear artsy Bookworms, do you have a favorite hist-ART-ical fiction book?
*If you make a purchase through a link on this site, I will receive a small commission.*
Like this:
Like Loading...
Heather @ Capricious Reader
I LOVE THIS TOPIC!!!! I don’t think I’ve read a single one of these. My poor, poor TBR. It’s groaning.
Megan M.
The only one I’ve read is Girl With A Pearl Earring, which I agree is fabulous. I have The Girl You Left Behind but haven’t read it yet. Me Before You shredded all my feels and I decided Jojo Moyes and I needed some space. LOL
Words For Worms
Jojo! She is the heart shredder! I did not find The Girl You Left Behind AS emotionally intense as Me Before You, but it’s still very feelsy. Super good, but you know. Let your heart heal a bit! 🙂
Charleen
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, although it’s a retelling of Cinderella, actually fits into your new genre quite well!
Words For Worms
I liked Wicked and Son of a Witch a lot, I’ve been meaning to read this one for AGES and just haven’t gotten around to it. I clearly need to remedy this!
Charleen
You clearly do!
kristinshafel
Great list! I have Goldfinch, Girl You Left Behind, and Painted Girls on my shelves to read, and I think I started Girl with the Pearl Earring years ago but never finished it (in college, you know how hard it is to read for pleasure during those years!). I’m behind on my blog posting in general 🙁
Words For Worms
Ah college! I remember those years. I started taking classes just because they included novels as part of the curriculum so I could get my fix :).
Liesel Hill
Interesting genre choice. I like it! I actually haven’t read any of these but I’ve heard good things about several of them! 😀 Great picks! Happy Tuesday!
My TTT
Words For Worms
Thanks :). I had a hard time picking a genre, but I’m really glad with how this list turned out. I didn’t realize how many good art-centric books I’d read until I listed them out!
Leah
haha! Great minds think alike? Historical fiction with art or artists as the focus is one of my all-time favorite genres (subgenres?). Just last week I gave a huge list of recommendations: My Love Affair with the Art Novel!
Words For Worms
Oh what a fantastic list! Great minds, indeed!
Kerri
Very cool list! I haven’t read The Painted Girls yet, but it sounds great.
Words For Worms
It’s so so so good! I loved it to pieces.
April @ The Steadfast Reader
Ahh!! I love it! I’m not a huge historical fiction fan BUT I do tend to like historical fiction novels when they revolve around art or music. 🙂
Words For Worms
You’d probably enjoy some of these, then. There’s something about the art through the ages that just sucks me right in!
Andi (@estellasrevenge)
This used to be a super favorite genre for me. It’s been a while since I read a historical arty fiction book, but I see some on this list I need to try!
Words For Worms
Definitely! Let me know when you’re in the hist-art-ical fiction headspace, I’ll point you to the best of the best 🙂
Lindsay
Have you read “The Art Forger” by B.A. Shapiro? It’s not historical fiction, but it’s all about artwork and you might enjoy it. I read it last year and thought it was pretty good.
Words For Worms
I have not, but I’m definitely going to look into it!
Stephanie
I thought I had gone all esoteric by listing my favorite historical mysteries but I think you beat me! Have you read The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant? I like it better than In the Company of the Courtesan and it does center around art. But no dwarves. Or prostitutes. There are nuns however.
Words For Worms
Why yes ma’am, The Birth of Venus was #5 :). Speaking of nuns, that reminds me of one of Dunant’s OTHER books, Sacred Hearts. Also a gem.
Stephanie
Oh Holy cow! Is it Friday yet. Usually my reading comprehension is a tad less scatterbrained jeez.
Words For Worms
LOL, happens to the best of us!
Kelly Massry
I have wonderful memories of actually reading The Birth of Venus IN Florence years ago. It was wonderful.
Hmm.. I have The Swan Thieves to get to for my TBR Challenge. That counts and it’s one I’m looking forward to.
Words For Worms
Ooooooh I’m super super jealous right now! I’d love to go to Florence!
Shannon @ River City Reading
Such a good list, there are tons on here I need to get to – I seem to really love this little niche. I’m thinking you would love The Goldfinch, even though it’s not historical, all the pieces swirling around the art (and not just the painting!) really play into the story.
Words For Worms
I have a good feeling about The Goldfinch, but I’m totally procrastination thanks to the page count. I don’t even know WHY because it’s not like I don’t chew up the occasional 1000 pager. I make no sense.
Angie @Angela's Anxious Life
Great list idea!!! The Girl With the Pearl Earring is a book I have been wanting to read for a while now.
Leah @ Books Speak Volumes
I think I might have recommended this to you before, but I think you would totally dig The Last Nude by Ellis Avery. It imagines the story of the girl who inspired one of Tamara de Lempika’s famous paintings. And it’s set in 1920s Paris!
Elizabeth
I crazy love Susan Vreeland – everything she writes is just amazing! The Girl in Hyacinth Blue was my first introduction to her, so it’ll always be kind of special. And I haven’t read I, Mona Lisa, but I did read The Borgia Bride and if they’re anything alike (and I imagine they are, except that I’d imagine I, Mona Lisa can’t possibly be as scandalous) I definitely need to read that asap!
And on a side note, that sculpture by Degas is one of my absolute favourite pieces of art ever. And unsurprisingly Degas is my favourite artist (except his jockey paintings which for the life of me I will never understand. Not for lack of trying, though)
Isi
I’ve only read The Girl with a Pearl Earring, long time ago, but I remember loving it.
I would add “The Swan Thieves” to this list, by Elizabeth Kostova (the author of The historian). It’s also about a painting and I liked it a lot.
C.J.
Great list … hist-ART-ical is hilarious! I haven’t read any of the books you mention, but you make me want to read all of them! I may need to bookmark your post so I can refer to it later.
Words For Worms
Wahoo! They’re really a lot of fun, I think you’d enjoy them!
Ashley F
You know me, I’m a huge history nerd but reading this list I realized I rarely read art-history-fiction. I read art-history biographies quite a bit. A good one is called Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling. Awesome book.
Words For Worms
Yesssssssssss! You should! You will luuuurve it!
Melinda
Your own genre… go you! I am putting some of these on my list to read. Thanks!
Words For Worms
They’re all wonderful!
Girl
I just read The Art Forger, and it was really interesting and fun! The main art was a Degas, “After the Bath”. It was a super interesting look into art, and art forgery, and I think you would really enjoy it!
Catherine
I’m guessing you already know what I’m going to say! The Anatomy Lesson- a bit queasy making during the autopsy part but beautifully written.
And thank for reminding me of The Painted Girls- I really want to read that one!