La Novia de Matisse

Vicent, a regular contributor to the Spanish newspaper El Pais and winner of the Premio Nadal, the Premio Gonz lez Ruano, and the Premio Alfaguara for previous works, demonstrates his intimate knowledge of the Spanish art world in this new novel. He weaves an intriguing tale of collectors, dealers, forgers, and thieves that will grip readers until the surprising finale. When Luis Bastos asks the international art dealer Michel Vedrano to sleep with Julia, his wife, who has only three months to live, he sets off a series of events in which the three central characters come to discover their bizarre and symbiotic relationship. Vicent's novel is passionate, colorful, at times crude, and wickedly comical, with an edginess that befits the art world. And although it depicts the passionate and sometimes cruel realms of art and beauty, at the center of the novel is the remarkable metamorphosis of a woman. Guided by Michel, Julia experiences the sensuous side of art and is transformed from a trophy wife into an art connoisseur. Vicent writes in an accessible style, so that native and non-native speakers alike will find this book engaging. Recommended for large bookstores and academic and public libraries with collections of Spanish-language adult fiction. Daniel Lee, Dalhousie Univ. Sch. of Library and Information Science, Halifax, NS