I’ve missed out on a few of the last Book Club picks at work. I didn’t love the summary and I wasn’t trying to spend money, so I sat out. However, Oil and Marble popped up as a selection, and I campaigned for it like my life depended on it.
The Story
Oil and Marble follows Michaelangelo at the start of his career and da Vinci in his seasoned career. Michaelangelo has just finished La Pieta, and returns home to Florence, hoping for parades and festivals. He was sorely disappointed. His father continues his soapbox to demand that Michaelangelo give up art altogether. da Vinci has also returned to Florence, riding out commissions far longer than they need to when he meets a woman at the market. He learns her name is Lisa.
The rest of Michaelangelo’s story is his battle carving the David. da Vinci is painting Mona Lisa. In the end, both masters admire each other’s masterpieces.
Right to the heart.
The last couple of chapters are the unveilings of both of these masterpieces. In particular, David was miraculous. The way that Stephanie Storey wrote that section…I couldn’t sleep afterward. You could feel the elation, joy, and triumph in the hearts of the Florentines. I was so pumped after finishing the book. Honestly, it felt like I could conquer anything.
Oil and Marble is another fantastic piece of historical fiction. If only we could have been alive to appreciate these masters in their prime. I’ve been lucky enough to have seen La Pieta and David. I haven’t seen the allure of Paris or the Mona Lisa, but I shall see her one day.
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[…] Oil & Marble is one of my favorite books of all time. Stephanie Storey wrote another historical fiction book, this time about Raphael de Santi as he was fighting for his position at the Vatican. In fact, he was trying to get the commission for the Sistine Chapel (after it had already been given to Michaelangelo). Raphael didn’t quite invoke the same kinds of feelings as her first novel, but it was still very cool to read this type of historical fiction in the world of art and the Vatican. Plus, I won an Instagram giveaway and she sent me a signed copy! […]