This is a wonderful, powerfully emotional book.

I knew nothing of its main character, prior to proposing the book to my local library as a purchase suggestion. Artemisia Gentileschi's disgracefully under-recognised artwork is now, a matter of public record. As are the details of her horrific (by modern standards) rape trial. Her work remains the subject of debate that clouds her manifest genius.

Joy McCullough skilfilly weaves biblical allegories into the protagonist's narration, as thought bubbles that help her understand her place in the world. It is a beautifully crafted book. Even to the point that the typesetting is designed to ease the transition between narration, dialogue, and allegorical interlude.

It an easily read book, yet given the subject matter, sometimes hard to read. The subject matter is dark, but I am so very glad to have experienced it.

Wow, absolutely incredible book. She tackles a tough subject, breathes life into it and makes you cry at just the right place. It's the true stories, with their cruelness which can only be found in reality, that are so hard-hitting.

I connected a lot with the poetry and style in this novel in verse. It was modern and kept things moving. Also liked the alternating between Judith and Susanna, but that could have been condensed a little bit more to accomplish the same effect.

Trigger warning: Rape

2020 Librarian's Read Challenge

Blood Water Paint punched me in the face, and I’m not even mad about it. It’s historical fiction like you’ve never read, told in powerful verse by an illiterate narrator—real-life Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi (a.k.a. my new feminist hero). That’s right, this book is the story of a real girl who was raped in the seventeenth century, and who took her rapist to trial (charging him with damage to her father’s property), all while painting masterpieces to her father’s sole credit. This unflinchingly feminist story will give courage to girls and women for years to come.

I rated this 4 stars because it's an important book and it will resonate very strongly for the readers it needs to reach.

But...really it's more of a 3-star book for me. The verse didn't seem to work very well for the storytelling, though it did at least finally make sense once I found out it was adapted from a stage play. (I think that format would be most compelling, and I kind of wish it had been brought to the public in the form of a script instead of a novel in verse.)

This one was overall good. I could tell what it was trying to do. But for me, it still fell flat.

I'm not sure who the audience is -- sexual assault survivors might find it *too* real (and too depressing that not much has changed in the last few hundred years) and other audiences might not connect. But I'm sure that audience is out there. So check it out from your local library for free, try it, and see -- maybe it'll change your life.

This was my last read of 2018, and it's a powerful one. Historical stories like Artemisia's will, it seems, always be relevant, but it's about more than rape--it's feminism and how women's stories are told and art and history. Blood Water Paint is one of those stories that is going to stick with me.

"When a woman risks her place/her very life to speak/a truth the world despises?/ Believe her. Always."

This work of historical fiction written in largely in verse hits right at the very heart of issues of gender, rape, victim-shaming, and strength of spirit and conviction. A difficult, but valuable read for youth and adults both, and a brilliant reminder that survivors of sexual violence are not alone. The story is based on true events that happened to a young Italian artist in the 1600s and the stand she takes against her attacker and the society which sought to condemn her. A brilliant debut!

" I will show you/what a woman can do".

"I will show you / what a woman can do."
This book is very hard to read, which is perhaps why it should be read. I had no idea who Artemisia Gentileschi was until I read this book, and I am stunned: One of Italy's most talented painters was a woman who wanted to tell women's stories accurately. Stunning. This is a book in verse telling the story of female power and vulnerability, through sexual violence.

This is a powerful debut novel written in verse about trailblazing Italian painter, Artemisia Gentileschi. Artemisia was one of the rare female artists of the early modern era, a teenager whose talent surpassed her father's at a time when women's lives were controlled by men. I've always been fascinated by Artemisia as an artist, and moved by her bravery in bringing her rape case to court. Woven throughout are tales of women from the Bible that are surprisingly feminist in nature, and mirror the events in Artemisia's life. It's a lovely read!

This is the first verse novel I've ever read, and reading this specific narrative in verse format proved a powerful experience. Sprinkled throughout the novel are stories of other strong women that intertwine with Artemisia Gentileschi's to create a powerhouse feminist novel that leaves the reader both empowered and haunted. Everything a novel should be.