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New York Times Editors’ Choice
A saga inspired by the incredible but true story of the iconic Klimt painting
Painted in Vienna in 1910, Gustav Klimt’s “Portrait of a Lady” was purchased by an anonymous collector in 1916, retouched by the master a year later, then stolen in 1997 before reappearing in the gardens of an Italian modern art museum in 2019.
No art experts, museum curators, or police investigators know the identity of the young woman in the painting, nor the mysteries that surround the turbulent history of her portrait.
From the streets of Vienna in 1900 to Texas in the 1980s, and from Manhattan during the Great Depression to contemporary Italy, de Peretti imagines the destiny of this young woman as well as that of her descendants, and creates a masterful fresco that intertwines family secrets, disappearances, and thwarted loves.
“In her immersive, imaginative new novel, de Peretti invents an explanation for the mystery that surrounds one of Gustav Klimt’s most famous works. Painted in Vienna in 1910, bought by an anonymous collector and reworked a few years later, it was stolen in 1997, only to be discovered more than 20 years later.”—New York Times
“A captivating read that would make an excellent addition to the big screen, the astonishing backstory may seem stranger than fiction—but it’s a magnificent and unforgettable adventure.”—Buzz Magazine
“The novel maintains suspense by moving back and forth in time between a varied cast of characters. What links an immigrant shoeshine boy in New York with an aging sex worker in Houston and a teenage maid with extracurricular duties in an upper-class Viennese household? ... It will take a diligent Austrian detective to finally uncover the violent secret that sent the painting off on its clandestine travels.”—Alida Becker, The New York Times Book Review
“Intriguing... Settings in both New York and Vienna come alive in this beautifully written novel, as do the impassioned, imperfect characters.”—Historical Novels Review
“A masterful fresco where family secrets, dazzling successes, thwarted loves, disappearances, and resounding dramas intertwine.”—MademoiselleLit
“Poetic and mesmerizing!”—Grazia
“A masterful family saga with love, family secrets, drama, and betrayal. A story that takes the reader from Vienna to New York, via Italy, from 1910 to the 1980s.”—Le Parisien
“Through this great adventure novel, Camille de Peretti masterfully traverses eras and cities and constructs a story full of fury and emotion.”—Femme Actuelle