review
Angelica Kauffmann (1741-1807) was not only a painter but also a singer (though her artist father discouraged this) and, above all, a vulnerable, warm and affectionate human being. She fell in love with Goethe, and was heartbroken when he left for Weimar, knew Fuseli, the gossipy artist and writer, who has left much tittle-tattle about her, during her sojourns in London and Rome, and had a bigamous marriage, later annulled, with an unhappily encountered Swedish charlatan. All this and much else is recorded with verve and skill in this meticulously researched biographical novel, which pays Angelica an overdue tribute and brings her vividly to life.
All recommendations from Autumn 2007