Review: The Color Storm by Damian Dibben

About the Book:

Enter the world of Renaissance Venice, where the competition for fame and fortune can mean life or death, in this immersive novel of art and the Inquisition.

Giorgio “Giorgione” Barbarelli’s career hangs in the balance. A student of Bellini and a mentor turned rival of Titian, he’s seen his reputation fall out of favor and his debts pile up. When he hears a rumor of a mysterious, otherworldly new pigment brought to Venice by the richest man in Europe, he sets out to acquire the rare color and secure his name in history.

Winning a commission to paint a portrait of the rich man’s wife, Giorgione thinks he has found a way into the merchant’s favor. Instead the woman draws him into her confidence, revealing the true reason her husband’s come to Venice. Giorgione finds himself caught up in a conspiracy that stretches across Europe and a marriage coming apart inside one of the floating city’s most illustrious palazzos.

Atmospheric and suspenseful, and filled with the famous artists of the era, The Color Stormcaptures the fascinating world of Venice at the height of its power and a moment of artistic invention that echoes through the centuries.

Bookbub:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59040916-the-color-storm?

My Thoughts:

The Color Storm is a romance. It’s about the love of art, the painters’ love of color, as well as the love between a man and woman. For a visual reader, this book will delight. The first half of the book is heavy with description. Author Damian Dibben vividly describes color from the perspective of an artist. Additionally, historic Venice comes to life with Mr. Dibben’s writing.

There is also a bit of a mystery surrounding a reputed color/pigment that is very rare and will allegedly bring the owning artist great fortune and game. I didn’t care about the pigment mystery except that it was a conduit for the main character’s, Barbarelli, overall story. While there was a lot going on during this era, I found that the inclusion of the threat of plague and the inquest on top of a mysterious quest for an alleged pigment and a romance was a bit too ambitious for one book.

Mr. Dibben’s writing is beautiful. The history is interesting and certainly inspired me to dig deep into the artists mentioned as well as Venice. Even though I wasn’t completely overwhelmed by the story arc, I found it engaging and was surprised by the twists in the zenith and denouement of the story.

3.5 stars

About the Author: Damian Dibben is a best-selling British author. His novels have been translated into 27 languages, in over 40 countries. His latest, THE COLOUR STORM, a love story and thriller set in the art world of the renaissance, is published by MichaelJoseph/Penguin in the UK in June 2022 and HarperCollins in the US this September.

His previous novels include the critically acclaimed TOMORROW, (2018) as well as the international sensation, THE HISTORY KEEPERS series.

Damian has worked extensively as a screenwriter on projects as diverse as Phantom Of The Opera and Puss In Boots. He lives on London’s Southbank with his partner Ali and three dogs, Dudley, Daphne & Velvet.