I Am Madame X : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: As a quasi student of art history, one my favortie modern paintings has to be Madame X. It is captivating and a fine example of art's ower of the human race. So it was with great joy that I cracked open the spine of the book to read about the painting. However, much to my disappointment the actual painting doesn't show up until Chapter 8. By then the author is losing steam, her chapters are getting shorter as are her descritptions, and dialogue. Although "Madame X" led a very interesting life, the most memorable part of her life was the painting! This is barely covered in the book, as if it were just written to get it out of the way.

The book does have some good aspects though. It has some interesting people and events that are visited again and again. But, overall these are seconday in importance. Its funny because in the Authors Note, she mentions some historical factoids that are far more interesting than what she wrote, which even concerned some major characters. Odd, I would think that basing a historical fiction in as much fact as possible would be the way to go!If you want to know more about this painting pick up a book on art history, and just skip fictional this one.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down.
Review: From the moment I opened this book, I became so engrossed that I finished it in two days. The picture of Virginie Gautreau created by Diliberto is as fascinating as the actual painting. The plot was thrilling, and (though I agree with several reviewers that the author could have gone into greater detail) the character development was quite good. The heroine is at once vain, self-absorbed, and still thoroughly human. A very rich, satisfying read.

Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: I Am Madame X is a rare cross between historical fiction and interesting surmises about a famous portrait model. The book succeeded nicely with its interesting surmises, and seemed disconnected and irrelevant as a historical novel. Nonetheless, I am glad that Ms. Diliberto has taken the time to flesh out some of the mystery behind Madame X.

Like many art enthusiasts, John Singer Sargent's portrait of Madame X is a required must on every trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I find myself lingering, and then returning to linger some more to the mesmerizing portrait.

Knowing a little of French society at the time, I'm always amazed by her gown, the pose and why she would have agreed to be portrayed this way. At the same time, I'm intrigued by Sargent's sense of the woman that led her to want to portray her this way. Clearly, there had to be a good story behind it all.

Now, I know a little more of the story, thanks to the author's fine note at the end of the book. Madame X was Virginie Amelie Avegno Gautreau, an American-born Louisiana expatriate who alternately enthralled and shocked Paris society of the time. Little is know about her except for the bare facts of when and where she was born and lived, whom she married, and what gossip columnists had to say about her. From that little, Ms. Diliberto chose to add an earlier birth date so that Ms. Gautreau could have remembered the Civil War in the United States. I didn't care for that change, nor for the addition of characters that create totally fictional speculation about her.

Naturally, I wanted to read about the creation of the painting, and was disappointed when its story did not begin until page 172 of 245 pages in the main body of the book. What is captured is also light on the subject of painting and Sargent's work. The author either chose not to say very much about his painting style, or doesn't know very much about the subject.

Those who will like this book best will be those who want to read a book of historical fiction, and don't really care very much about Sargent or the painting. For those who want to know a lot more about Madame X, this book will probably be a little disappointing beyond the end note.

As I thought about the book, I was struck by how much we continue to use the images of fashionable women as the centerpieces of much popular culture today. How would the world be different if we upheld the images instead of women who are doing outstanding things to make the world a better place?

Rating:
Summary: Gioia is a Joy!
Review: I read Ms. Diliberto's article in The New York Times this weekend about the mystery behind the portrait of Virginie Gautreau and was instantly enthralled and had to buy the book! I read it in one sitting and was delighted by Ms. Diliberto's imaginings for the elusive Madame X and her life. I'm glad she turned her hand from biography to fiction! I Am Madame X is a fun romp in Belle Epoque Paris!

Rating:
Summary: Tres Amusant
Review: Please forgive my spotty HS French(see above)but I thought that was a good way to describe this story about the beautiful woman behind the "infamous" Madame X portrait by Sargeant. I realize it was historical fiction and was glad that the author carefully explained it at the end of the book. Still,however,her "Madame" does emerge as a flesh & blood woman. Not always likeable,but very engaging and very much her own person. The descriptions of 19th century Paris are also vivid and realisitic. And the painter himself,J.S Seargant is depicted as eccentric but exacting in what he wants from his subject Finally, all that fuss over a painting which by todays standards is diginifed and evena bit chaste shows how far we've come since that time! If you liked "Girl With The Pearl Earring" you would probably enjoy this book as well...

Rating:
Summary: Marvelous Fiction
Review: Sometimes, one must wonder about the synchronicity of energy in the universe. First, STRAPLESS, a joint biography of artist John Singer Sargent and his most famous subject, Virginie Gautreau, is published. Virtually on the heels of STRAPLESS comes I AM MADAME X, a fictionalized biography of the same Virginie Gautreau.

To be sure, I AM MADAME X is the easier of these two books to read, and it tells a marvelous tale. Still, since it openly is fiction, it is difficult to discern where historic fact ends and author Gioia Diliberto's fertile imagination has taken over the purportedly first-person report. Though Diliberto's scholarship seems excellent, there is no doubt that she has fabricated backstories to explain some of the recognized events in Virginie's life.

There is her detailed explanation of Virginie's strange marriage, and a subplot about an American black woman who has moved to Paris and is trying to pass as white. How true any of these anecdotes may be are impossible for the reader to know.

Too, the author's conclusion as to the pleasure that Virginie and her family derived from Sargent's famous painting is in direct contradiction to the details offered in the non-fictional biography.

Nonetheless, I AM MADAME X provides one of the best "contemporaneous" accounts of the Paris Commune of 1870, and of the emergence of the Belle Epoque period.

Taken together, STRAPLESS and I AM MADAME X offer wonderful insight into the late 19th Century Parisian social set.

Rating:
Summary: Read "Strapless" instead
Review: There is very little known about the life of Virginie Gautreau and this author has managed to spin an entire book out of this paucity of facts. This is a light romance story at best, with pretensions of being an historical novel. This book edges close to a serial romance. If you are not enthralled with a lightweight romance, you are better off reading "Strapless". Same people, more factual.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty As a Picture
Review: What do you do if you are a biographer who falls in love with a painting but can't find enough historical evidence to write the life story of the painting's subject? You make something up! That is precisely what Ms. Diliberto has done in this enjoyable, albeit romanticized, fictional adaptation of the life of Virginie Amelie Avegno Gautreau, the subject of John Singer Sargent's 1884 painting, Madame X.

Ms. Diliberto saw Sargent's masterpiece in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and knew immediately that she wanted to do a biography on the enigmatic woman depicted in the painting. Unfortunately, when she undertook the project, she could not find enough information on the subject. As a result, she took the information she had managed to collect and used Madame X as the subject of her first fictional work. The novel is similar to other recent works of historical fiction, such as The Girl with the Pearl Earring and The Other Boleyn Girl.

The novel itself is a quick and enjoyable read. The main character is well-developed, though I cannot say the same for most of the supporting characters. It is hard to say whether or not their lack of depth is a failing on the author's part or a deliberate attempt to emphasize the superficial nature of the main character. Everyone's appearance is vividly described, as is the environment in which they live, so I would venture to say that the lack of insight into their intellect is deliberate. Virginie lives a life dictated by appearances.

There are instances where the dissemination of the historical fact seems a bit heavy-handed. Those instances are probably a result of Ms. Diliberto's background as a biographer. I was impressed with her descriptive abilities and her flair for social melodrama. This novel felt similar to the works I have read by Jane Austin, particularly Emma. The colorful world that unfolds in I Am Madame X successfully captures a few of the romantic possibilities inspired by Sargent's portrait.

On a side note, I also enjoyed the Author's Note given at the end, where she gives the reader insight into what was fact and what was fiction. She even points out factual elements that she altered a bit to improve her story. I thought giving that information was a nice touch.