ROME 1611.

A place of change, with sumptuous new palaces and lavish wealth on display. A city where women are seen but not heard.

Artemisia Gentileschi dreams of becoming a great artist. Motherless, she is raised in a family of painters – men and boys. She knows she has more talent than them all, but she cannot choose her own future. Neither her brilliance nor her defiance can change the fact that she belongs to her father and will belong to a husband.

As she perfects her craft, a mysterious painting tutor enters her life. Tassi is a dashing figure, handsome and worldly, and for a moment he represents everything that a life of freedom might offer. But then the unthinkable happens. A violent act that threatens Artemisia’s entire world. In the eyes of her family, Artemisia must accept her fate. In the eyes of the law, she is the villain.

But Artemisia is a survivor. And this is her story to tell.

Outstanding. A powerful novel about women who are shamed and silenced, and how they learn to survive. A literary knockout. ​ Anna Mazzola (author of The House of Whispers)