THE OPTICKAL ILLUSION
Book ID/图书代码： 13115020C00004
English Summary/英文概要： A provocative story of envy, lust and corruption...
In this vividly fashioned debut, Rachel Halliburton draws from the seamy details of a genuine scandal that deceived the British Royal Academy. Halliburton’s accomplished novel deftly weaves together strands of history and lucidly conjures a fickle art world in which the thirst for acclaim can be calamitous.
It is 1797 and in London, nothing is certain anymore: the future of the monarchy is in question, the city is aflame with conspiracies, and the French could invade any day. Amidst this feverish atmosphere, the American painter Benjamin West is visited by a dubious duo comprised of a blundering father and vibrant daughter, the Provises, who claim they have a secret that has obsessed painters for centuries: the Venetian techniques of master painter Titian.
West was once the most celebrated painter in London, but he hasn’t produced anything of note in years, so against his better judgment he agrees to let the intriguing Ann Jemima Provis visit his studio and demonstrate what she knows. What unravels reveals more than West has ever understood about himself, the treachery of the art world, and the seductive promise of greatness. Rich in period detail of Georgian society, The Optickal Illusion demonstrates the lengths women must go to make their mark on a world that seeks to underplay their abilities.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 一个充满嫉妒、欲望和腐败的煽动性故事……
在这部栩栩如生的处女作中，雷切尔•哈里伯顿借鉴了一桩欺骗英国皇家学院的丑闻的阴暗细节。哈里伯顿这部成就斐然的小说巧妙地将历史的线索编织在一起，并清晰地勾勒出一个变幻莫测的艺术世界，在这个世界里，对赞誉的渴望可能是灾难性的。
这是1797年，在伦敦，没有什么是确定的：君主制的未来是有问题的，这座城市充满阴谋，法国人随时可能入侵。在这种狂热的气氛中，美国画家本杰明•韦斯特被一对可疑的夫妇探访，他们由一位浮躁的父亲和充满活力的女儿组成，他们声称他们有一个困扰了画家几个世纪的秘密：大师画家提香的威尼斯技巧。
韦斯特曾经是伦敦最著名的画家，但他多年来没有创作出任何值得注意的作品，因此他不顾自己的判断，同意让有趣的安•杰米玛•普瑞斯参观他的画室，展示她所知道的东西。解开的东西揭示了西方从未理解过的关于自己、艺术界的背叛以及对伟大的诱人承诺。《视觉错感》丰富了格鲁吉亚社会的历史细节，它展示了女性在一个试图低估自身能力的世界上留下自己印记所必须付出的努力。（WYL)
Awards/获奖情况：这是一部充满自信和愉悦的处女作，它提出了一些令人不安的问题，关于女性从《时代》艺术史上被抹去的问题。
“写得很详细，而且常常是一种抒情，让我回去重读，以获得乐趣。我前所未有地被色彩的历史和活力所吸引。我看得更深刻，这是一个很好的礼物送给你。”——《和尚与皮特》系列的国际畅销书作家安妮•佩里
“一个关于高等艺术世界如何被欺骗、欲望和错觉所震撼的最有趣的故事。”——维多利亚•格伦丁
这是一个关于虚荣心和妄想的非凡真实故事，哈里伯顿把它变成了一部扣人心弦的、只是部分虚构的侦探小说。通过玛丽•沃斯通克拉夫特，以及法国大革命时期的《黑暗阴影》约翰•斯普林为艺术家和他们的艺术注入了多彩的生活和女性主义色彩，并因《万件事》获得沃尔特•斯科特历史小说奖。
“仿佛走进一幅感性的、复杂的、富有质感的画。”——《画桥》的作者温妮•华莱士的杰作
’An assured and enjoyable debut that asks some uncomfortable questions about women’s erasure from the history of art’ The Times
’Written with a detail and often a lyricism that makes me go back and reread for the pleasure of it. I am drawn into the history and vibrancy of colour as never before. I see more intensely, and that is a great gift to have been given’ --Anne Perry, international bestselling author of the Monk and Pitt series
’A most intriguing tale of how the world of high art was convulsed by deceit, desire and delusion’ Victoria Glendinning
’A remarkable true story of vanity and delusion, which Halliburton turns into a gripping and only partly fictional whodunnit... brings the artists and their art to colourful life and brushes in streaks of feminism, via Mary Wollstonecraft, as well as dark shadows of the French Revolution’ John Spurling, winner of the Walter Scott prize for Historical Fiction for The Ten Thousand Things
’As if stepping into the frame a sensual, intricate and richly textured painting. The novel is a fine achievement by a serious and talented writer’ Weny Wallace, author of The Painted Bridge
’Utterly absorbing... Halliburton builds up the layers of deception, ambition and scandal into a shimmering, fully textured portrait of Georgian London with all its gloss, dross, glamour and corruption’ Imogen Robertson, author of Instruments of Darkness
’The descriptive language is rich with colours and patterns, creating what are basically miniature landscapes... an absorbing story with lively characters and an unconventional female lead’ --Nudge Books
About the Author/作者介绍： 瑞秋哈里伯顿读剑桥的英语和古典文学。作为一名记者，她曾为《泰晤士报》、《金融时报》、《新政治家》、《旁观者》、《晚报》和《独立报》撰稿。她住在伦敦。RACHEL HALLIBURTON read English and Classics from Cambridge. As a journalist she has written for The Times, Financial Times, New Statesman, Spectator, Evening Standard and the Independent. She lives in London.
Format:HARDCOVER
Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：不确定
Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE
Sales in other countries/其他国家销售情况：Romania: RAO
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