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Black Venus (2013)

by James MacManus(Favorite Author)

3.3 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1250014239 (ISBN13: 9781250014238)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Thomas Dunne Books

review 1: More like 2.5 stars. Within the first 50 pages, I couldn't stand Baudelaire, but even by the end of the book, I didn't feel very connected with Jeanne Duval either. The time shifts confused me too. The overall arc of the story didn't hold my attention well, but the author did a nice job bringing discrete scenes to life. Also the background is interesting--mid-19th century Paris was chaotic, the bohemians--even Manet--did more drugs than I realized, and there's the trial against Baudelaire and his publisher for his "obscene" poems.
review 2: This book about Charles Baudelaire and his mistress Jeanne Duval was as chaotic and squalid as the time in which it takes place. How decadent were the wealthy and hypocritical. I do appreciate that the author portrayed ... moreJeanne Duval as a person in her own right and shared some of who she might have been. She obviously made quite an impression on Baudelaire if those lush, decadent, intense poems were truly inspired by her. less

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