Elizabeth Hickey (1)

El beso
Elizabeth Hickey
Publicado: 2005 | 273 páginas
Novela Histórico

Viena, 1886: en la elegante urbe centroeuropea, una chiquilla de 12 años, Emilie Flöge, conoce al carismático y controvertido pintor Gustav Klimt, uno de los líderes de la Secesión, el movimiento que revolucionaría el arte europeo. Contratado por los padres de la joven para darle lecciones de dibujo, Klimt introduce a Emilie en el mundo de la bohemia, donde pululan artistas disolutos, modelos de reputación equívoca y decadentes mecenas de las artes, cuyas idas y venidas fascinan y atemorizan a la joven burguesa. Entre el pintor y su discípula se inicia una relación marcada por el secreto y la sensualidad: la muchacha acabará siendo la amante de uno de los artistas más fascinantes del siglo XX. Con su ayuda, abrirá una exclusiva tienda de modas y se convertirá en toda una figura de la sociedad vienesa. Emilie permanecerá al lado del pintor en la hora del triunfo y también cuando le acechen las sombras del escándalo y la tragedia.… (altro)

I have discovered a new passion in my quest for reading great historical fiction. It started with Clara and Mr. Tiffany which is about the art of stained glass creations, and then to the non-fiction book The Lost Painting about Caravaggio, to this fictional story about the Viennese 19 Century artist Gustav Klimt and his lifelong inspiration and one of his favourite models, Emilie Floge. The story is told in the first person by Emilie which is why this book is so real and riveting.. Ms. Hickey does a marvellous job of creating a world and its people that is so alive and so realistic that it just seemed that I was right there with Gustav, Emilie and her sisters, as well as other famous artists and people from late 19 century Vienna. What a marvellous city Vienna was then!. It was full of great artists, composers, writers, opera singers and designers, but what made it all so bittersweet was that history as shown us what happened to Vienna during the two world wars it suffered through. That sparkling, magical world was lost forever. Being able to experience Vienna in its heyday was thrilling and spell-binding for me. We see the growth and development of a great artist, and the effect that his talent has on everyone around him, and how it depicts society and the people of his generation. Artists and composers were the rockstars of this time, and some handled their fame and fortune with aplomb, while others ended up being victims of it. I am so enthralled with getting this glimpse into this world of great art and artists that I have already created a reading list of books that I absolutely must read. I want to read books about Van Gogh, Monet, Singer, Bruegel and many others. I loved everything about this book, but the best part was the character of Emilie. I wish I could have known her.… (altro)