The Creation of Eve by Lynn Cullen

The Creation of Eve
by Lynn Cullen
Putnam (March 23, 2010)
392 pages
Historical Fiction
Received from TLC Book Tours

Summary in a Sentence:

In the sixteenth century, Sofonisba Anguissola is invited to the Spanish court to study under master painter Michelangelo and serve as a lady-in-waiting for the young Queen Elisabeth, but as a scandal forces Michelangelo to flee and Sofi is pulled into a love triangle between the King, the Queen, and the King's illegitimate half-brother, Sofi fears her life and her dreams of becoming an artist will be ruined.

My Thoughts:

You know the maestro Michaelangelo. And Raphael, and Leonardo, and all the other Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle-esque names of the famed Renaissance painters. However, one name that might not come immediately to mind is that of Sofonisba Anguissola. One of the many reasons you've never heard of this female Renaissance painter is that she wasn't even allowed to sign most of her own paintings (!).

After a most scandalous tryst with Michaelangelo's young apprentice, Sofi is summoned to a position in the royal court of King Felipe of Spain as the art instructor to the new queen, young Elizabeth of Valois. Soap operas have nothing on this 16th century Spanish court, and at times the theatrics can wear the reader thin. However, Cullen also touches on the Spanish Inquisition and illustrates just how restricted females of any class were in this period in history.

I recommend this book to any lover of historical fiction that sticks faithfully to the historical record. Ms. Cullen has definitely done her research. I'm also now eager to read Cullen's I Am Rembrandt's Daughter.

~ Read for the Art History Challenge  and the Women Unbound Challenge ~

You might also like:

• Works by Tracy Chevalier
• Works by Sarah Dunant
• The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

Other Reviewers on the Tour:

Wednesday, March 3rd: Scandalous Women
Thursday, March 4th: Café of Dreams
Monday, March 8th: Books and Movies
Tuesday, March 9th: Booking Mama
Thursday, March 11th: Peeking Between the Pages
Monday, March 15th: Fyrefly’s Book Blog
Tuesday, March 16th: The Tome Traveller
Wednesday, March 17th: Educating Petunia
Thursday, March 18th: English Major’s Junk Food
Monday, March 22nd: A Few More Pages
Tuesday, March 23rd: Devourer of Books
Wednesday, March 24th: Wordsmithonia
Thursday, March 25th: A Bookshelf Monstrosity
Monday, March 29th: Katie’s Nesting Spot
Tuesday, March 30th: Dolce Bellezza
Wednesday, March 31st: Raging Bibliomania
Friday, April 2nd: Thoughts From an Evil Overlord