For some reason, I had a hard time getting into this story about Artemisia Gentileschi, a real Italian artist in the 1600's. Her father is a moderately successful artist, but her talent far surpasses his. His jealousness and incompetence, her role as a single woman, and life in Rome at this time all add to the story.

Being raped by a fellow artist but refusing to marry him is the major plot line. ( )

Artemisia is a woman painter in a world where women cannot be painters. Her talent far surpasses that of her father but he takes credit for her work. He is keen for Artemisia to marry well and when she puts off one suitor he fixes on a fellow painter, one with patronage that will help pull the family from poverty. However Artemisia is repulsed by this man and in return is raped. Whilst marriage is promised, it cannot happen and so her father instigates a legal case. In 17th century Rome, a woman is a whore until proven innocent and Artemisia must suffer torture in order to clear her name.
The story of Artemisia Gentileschi has been novelised a few times and this is one of the stronger versions. Her licence is taken with the facts to embroider personalities on the characters and Artemisia is depicted as someone who actively doesn't want to marry. What we do know is that she was tortured during the trial , a painful torture involving breaking the fingers of the person and that this could have affected her talent. The rise in feminism has brought Artemisia out of the shadows, and she was a very talented artist, so Fremantle has done her a service by representing her skills so strongly. ( )