The God of Spring : Arabella Edge
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Set in Paris in 1818, during the upheavals of the French Revolution, the Empire, and the Restoration, The God of Spring tells the story of painter Theodore Gericault.
Having won a gold medal at the prestigious Salon for his painting Charging Chasseur at the tender age of twenty-one, Gericault is now, seven years later, searching for the subject of his next masterpiece. But he is lovesick, hopelessly addicted to his benefactor-uncle's young wife, Alexandrine, six years his senior. Every moment without her is an eternity.
At the house of his worldly neighbor he hears the story of the shipwreck of the French frigate Medusa off the shores of the West African coast and the abandonment of one hundred fifty souls on an unseaworthy, makeshift raft. The catastrophe has fascinated and horrified the French public, with its tales of betrayal, madness, murder, and cannibalism. "Against all odds," Gericault is told, "Henry Savigny, the frigate's surgeon, evidently returned to Paris alive."
When Gericault finds Savigny and his mate, he has discovered a pair of unlikely muses who hold the key to the rendering of the painter's next great work. If only he can maintain his sanity.
Considering the subject matter, the pursuit of a narrative and the truth behind it that drives Theodore Gericault to the edge of madness and inspiration, the book is an incredibly easy read. Arabella Edge has brought the emergence of the French Romantic period of art to vivid life, giving us a glimpse into the lives of several of it's pioneers.
On the down side, it is almost too easy of a read. The simplicity of the story almost trivializes the depths of the emotional journey Gericault travels to uncover the truth behind one of the most sensationalized governmental cover-ups of the time. I don't believe this to be the author's intention, however, it still leaves one wondering what detail might have been skipped in the interest of simplicity and how it would have enhanced the whole.
I will say I did enjoy the book, and would likely seek out other works of Ms. Edge to try. I'll save them, though, for quiet evenings when I need something light as a diversion.
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Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (March 6, 2007)
ISBN-10: 074329484X
ISBN-13: 978-0743294843
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