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Vincent McCaffrey: IMG A Practical Matter



It was in a letter of 1897, about his cousin James Ross Clemens, that Mark Twain famously noted that "the report of my death was an exaggeration." He... Continue »
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2 Beaverton Literature- A to Z

More copies of this ISBN:

I Am Madame X

by Gioia Diliberto

I Am Madame X Cover

ISBN13: 9780743456807
ISBN10: 0743456807
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

Only 2 left in stock at $4.95!

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

When John Singer Sargent unveiled Madame X — his famous portrait of American beauty Virginie Gautreau — at the 1884 Paris Salon, its subject's bold pose and provocative dress shocked the public and the critics, smashing Sargent's dreams of a Paris career. In this remarkable novel, Gioia Diliberto tells Virginie's story, drawing on the sketchy historical facts to re-create Virginie's tempestuous personality and the captivating milieu of nineteenth-century Paris. Born in New Orleans and raised on a lush plantation, Virginie fled to France during the Civil War, where she was absorbed into the fascinating and wealthy world of grand ballrooms, dressmakers' salons, and artists' ateliers. Even before Sargent painted her portrait, Virginie's reputation for promiscuity and showy self-display made her the subject of vicious Paris gossip.

Immersing the reader in Belle Epoque Paris, I Am Madame X is a compulsively readable and richly imagined novel illuminating the struggle between Virginie and Sargent over the outcome of a painting that changed their lives and affected the course of art history.

Review:

The New Orleans Times-PicayuneDiliberto does not make the mistake of imagining a coherent biographical trajectory for her protagonist, but instead presents the messiness and difficulty of real life. In other words, her novelistic portrait of a real person turns out to have more psychological truth than many a biography.

Review:

Chicago Tribunea Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2003A romping good read.

Review:

Chicago Tribune

a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2003

A romping good read.

Review:

BooklistLively and provocative...Diliberto has created a heroine who is as capricious and vain and as compelling and seductive as [Sargent's] portrait suggests.

Synopsis:

The life of Virginie Gautreau, the subject of John Singer Sargent's most famous and scandalous portrait "Madame X", provides the inspiration for this novel.

Synopsis:

Drawing on the sketchy facts of her life to recreate her tempestuous personality, Diliberto imagines the story behind the subject of a controversial nineteenth century painting.

About the Author

Gioia Diliber to has written biographies of Jane Addams, Hadley Hemingway, and Brenda Frazier. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Richard Babcock, and their son, Joe. This is her first novel. For more information, please visit www.iammadamex.com.

Product Details

ISBN:
9780743456807
Author:
Diliberto, Gioia
Publisher:
Scribner Book Company
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Historical - General
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
General Fiction
Copyright:
Edition Description:
B102
Publication Date:
May 2004
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
261
Dimensions:
7.98x5.40x.59 in. .51 lbs.

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