Elizabeth Fremantle is an author I always look forward to reading and I have enjoyed all six of her previous novels, including her two historical thrillers published under the name E.C. Fremantle. This seventh novel takes us to 17th century Italy and tells the story of Artemisia Gentileschi, one of the most important and accomplished female painters of her time.
Artemisia grows up in Rome, the daughter of the painter Orazio Gentileschi. Having lost her mother while still a child, Artemisia is raised by her father, spending time in his workshop learning to draw and paint. Orazio is a talented artist, heavily influenced by the more famous Caravaggio, but it quickly becomes obvious even to him that his daughter’s work is better than his own.
In 1611, the painter Agostino Tassi enters Artemisia’s life, first as her tutor and then as her intended husband. However, Tassi’s arrival leads to a terrible experience for Artemisia – something I won’t go into here because I think any reader who has come to this book with little or no knowledge of Artemisia’s life will probably prefer to discover her story for themselves. The second half of the book becomes quite dramatic as the repercussions of this incident become clear, so if you don’t already know all the details in advance, which I didn’t, it’s interesting just to watch it all unfold.
Artemisia is a great subject for historical fiction, being a strong, ambitious, determined woman whose work has left a lasting impact. Although we can’t know her true thoughts and feelings, Fremantle does a good job of getting inside Artemisia’s head and showing us what may have provided the inspiration for some of her paintings, such as Susanna and the Elders and Judith Slaying Holofernes. You’ll probably find yourself wanting to look up the paintings online as you read. As well as Artemisia, there are other characters in the novel who are equally well drawn; I’ve already mentioned Tassi and Artemisia’s father Orazio, but there’s also Zita, who becomes a model and chaperone for Artemisia, and Piero, Orazio’s assistant.
Disobedient covers only the earlier part of Artemisia’s life and the novel ends with a lot of her story still untold, but after reading Fremantle’s author’s note where she explains her personal reasons for wanting to write this book, I can see why she chose this period to focus on and I appreciate the courage it has taken for her to do so. I don’t think it’s my favourite of her novels, simply because some of the other settings and historical figures she has written about have interested me more, but I still enjoyed this book and am pleased to have had the opportunity to add to my knowledge of this fascinating artist.
Thanks to Penguin Random House/Michael Joseph for providing a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.
This is book 8/20 of my 20 Books of Summer 2023
This is book 29/50 for the 2023 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.
She Reads Novels 
A book imagining the life of Artemisia Gentileschi? I’m in! I don’t know Elizabeth Fremantle’s work at all, but you seem to make it clear this is my loss, even if this book isn’t a favourite with you. I’ll have a hunt …
Fremantle’s other books have all been set in Tudor/Stuart England so this is a slight departure for her, but if you’re interested in Artemisia’s life and work it could be a good place to start.
I cant’ wait to read this one as I love Fremantle’s work and I happen to be a huge fan of Artemisia’s paintings.
If you’re a fan of both Fremantle and Artemisia, this is definitely the book for you. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!
I think Gentileschi is a fascinating subject. I read another book about her years ago, but I can’t remember who wrote it. It might have been The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland.
I think this is the only book I’ve read about Gentileschi. I’ll look out for the Susan Vreeland one.
Apparently, there are a bunch of books about her.
Books with art themes or stories about artists’ lives are pure catnip for me, so this is another one for the wishlist especially as Gentileschi’s life was not an easy one, but she did such astonishing work.
I usually enjoy books about artists too; I find that learning more about their lives, even in fictional form, adds to my appreciation of their work. And yes, Gentileschi certainly didn’t have an easy time!
Really looking forward to this book, not read anything by her before but the artist is terrific and a strong character with an interesting story
I hope you enjoy it. I only knew a few basic details about Artemisia before reading this book, so it was good to have the chance to learn more.
I haven’t read an art historical fiction novel for a long time. This one sounds interesting
Thanks for sharing your review with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge!
It was fascinating to learn more about an artist I knew very little about.
I also love a lot of free mantles books
This period of life and of women artists who were merely overlooked for their brilliance and can only imagine that life of misogyny and frustration, for them , her work is wonderful and as you say Helen , it finished not knowing quite what happened , Elizabeth Freemantle writes beautifully and her other period dramas about The Greys and the Parrs was just great ,,can you suggest any more please in this genre ,,
Thanks for commenting, Avril. I agree that it must have been very frustrating for women artists trying to get the opportunities and recognition they deserved in such a male-dominated society. I read and review a wide range of historical fiction, on all periods and topics, but if you’re interested in other books on women in the art world there’s The Woman in the Painting by Kerry Postle, The Creation of Eve by Lynn Cullen, The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal, I, Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomons, and of course Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier.