I Am Madame X, Gioia Diliberto
I Am Madame X, Gioia Diliberto
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

I Am Madame X

Author: Gioia Diliberto, Yuri Rasovsky

Narrator: Lorna Raver

Unabridged: 9 hr 39 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download (DRM Protected)

Published: 02/01/2014

Synopsis

Madame X, John Singer Sargent’s most famous and scandalous portrait, caused an immediate furor when Sargent unveiled it at the 1884 Paris Salon.The subject’s bold pose, provocative dress, and decadent pallor shocked the public, and the critics panned the picture, smashing Sargent’s dream of a Paris career.Even before Sargent painted her portrait, Virginie Gautreau’s reputation for promiscuity and showy self-display made her the subject of vicious Paris gossip.In this remarkable novel, the author tells Virginie’s story, drawing on the sketchy facts of the notorious beauty’s life to recreate her tempestuous personality, the captivating milieu of Belle Epoch Paris, and the struggle between artist and model to control the painting that would change their lives and affect the course of art history.

About Gioia Diliberto

Gioia Diliberto has written biographies of Jane Addams, Hadley Hemingway, Diane von Furstenberg, and Brenda Frazier, as well as the critically acclaimed novels I Am Madame X and The Collection. Her books, which center on the lives of women, have been translated into several languages. As a journalist, Diliberto has contributed to many publications, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, Smithsonian, and Vanity Fair. She also teaches writing and has taught at Northwestern and DePaul Universities and the Savannah College of Art and Design. Diliberto lives with her husband in Woodbury, Connecticut.

About Yuri Rasovsky

Yuri Rasovsky (1944–2012) was the leading writer, producer, and director of audio drama in the United States. Also a distinguished actor, narrator, and critic, his numerous honors include two Peabody Awards, eight Audie Awards, and a Grammy.

About Lorna Raver

Lorna Raver, named one of AudioFile magazine’s Best Voices of the Year, has received numerous Audie nominations and AudioFile Earphones Awards. An experienced stage actress, she has also guest-starred on many top television series and starred in director Sam Raimi’s film Drag Me to Hell. Among her many Blackstone titles are The Age of Innocence, Up from Orchard Street, The Lodger, Selected Readings from the Portable Dorothy Parker, and Diamond Ruby.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Tanya on August 29, 2007

This book had potential and fell short. I enjoyed the author's choice of genre but I don't think she took advantage of the available material surrounding the heroine's life and family. It was disappointing that Virginie, the woman whom the book is about, was portrayed as a woman who had the advantag......more

Goodreads review by Bookish Ally on December 04, 2018

What a lovely peek into the life of Virginie Gatreau, immortalized by Sargent’s painting, “Madame X”. Written in an almost conversational, memoir style, one almost forgets that it’s fiction. Mme Gatreau was very real personage, a Parisienne socialite, about whom there were many rumors. Some nice com......more

Goodreads review by Melia on December 09, 2024

Delightfully captures la Belle Epoque and the Parisian art world. Atmospheric and heady, and although I would have liked a little more introspection especially in regards to her scandalous personality, this does live up to Madame X.......more

Goodreads review by Lori on September 15, 2023

I have been in love with the portrait of Madame X ever since I came upon its photo on a huge , heavy art book when I was a child. The beauty and line of her body enthused me .I could sense a little daring, danger, delight which made me want to know more about the enigmatic woman.So, when this story......more

Quotes

“Diliberto fills in the blanks of Virginie’s life with vivid brush strokes...[a] handsomely imagined story.” Los Angeles Times

“A romping good read.” Chicago Tribune

“Her novelistic portrait of a real person turns out to have more psychological truth than many a biography.” New Orleans Times-Picayune

“Lorna Raver is sensational as the throaty, world-weary Virginie, looking back over her life and loves (there were quite a few), and especially vividly recounting the making of the famous painting…Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.” AudioFile

“This fast scroll through history…against a backdrop of parties, salons, operas, artists’ studios, and sexual escapades is inviting for its wealth of well-researched period details.” Publishers Weekly

“Diliberto has created a heroine who is as capricious and vain and as compelling and seductive as [Sargent’s] portrait suggests.” Booklist

“Diliberto’s writing brings Virginie to life…creating a complex woman who recognizes that her beauty is her most precious commodity…Highly recommended.” Library Journal

Awards

  • AudioFile Earphones Award
  • Chicago Tribune Book of the Year
Add to Cart
Add to Wish List