The Last Nude Audiobook

" The Last Nude is an unconventional love story. It takes place in 1927 Paris and is a story of love, betrayal and regret based on real life artist Tamara de Lempicka. I was a bit dismayed see that the author used the same lost suitcase full of writing that was used in The Paris Wife by Paula McLain for her down of his luck, novelist, Anson. I love the prose and lyrical imagery used by Ellis Avery. "

" A very contemporary agenda set in the 1920's. A graphic description of the relation between an artist on her way to fame and the woman who posed for the artist's most famous portrait. "

" I don't usually read historical fiction but I'm such a fan of Ellis Avery and this novel rocks. So beautifully written. So fascinating. And subversive in a way I wish more contemporary works of fictions would be. "

" I found the book very disappointing. There are so few highly celebrated female painters (e.g. Georgia O'Keeffe, Emily Carr, Frida Kahlo). I was hoping it would be more of a celebration of Tamara de Lempicka rather than a skewering. She is not a favorite painter of mine, but there is no way not to appreciate the art deco style and her mastery of painting for the male gaze. The judgmental portrayal of her as ruthless and money grubbing is simplistic. Throughout history, artists sought out wealthy patrons and prostrated their work before them - Mozart, Bach, Michelangelo. Sometimes the patrons were dukes, other times bishops and in her case a baron. De Lempicka was no different, yet this books seems to judge her harshly because she was good at manipulating the feelings of others, as do all great artists. That is the point of art. She was self centered - but, again, is anyone who stares at their own work for hours at a time or plays the same piece of music over and over again capable of not being self centered? I was hoping for an imaginary romp through one of my favorite time periods, Paris in the 20's, filled with amazing artists pushing boundaries and living free of many social inhibitions. Oh well. "

" I was disappointed that the author changed POV so late in the story, otherwise good. "

" Interesting topic -- it's s a fictional work based inspired by an actual artist (Tamara de Lempicka) but the characters were so unlikable it was difficult to enjoy the book. "

" A good story from a perspective I don't often get. Great artists are often total shits, and like the protagonist Rafaella, I was surprised that this was so, because we both assumed that it would be different for women. "

" Great lesbian historical love story. A read-alike for Tipping the Velvet. "

" I'm enjoying this theme of freedom in the books I've been picking up lately. Freedom to make mistakes, and how beautiful that is. "

" I don't read much literary fiction because I like plot with my characterization, but this novel has both and the prose is lovely to boot. Unlike many other reviewers I thought the switch to Tamara's point of view at the end made for a more compelling story (even as I enjoyed Rafaela's voice). "

" It started off well,but then started to taper off towards the end. "

" Warning. This book has a sucky ending! "

" The book seemed to morph throughout, starting as a very romantic novel, becoming more of a fast-reading story with familiar characters, ending in quite a different, more serious tone and manner than I expected, but satisfying nonetheless. "

" Overall I liked the book. The first part was much better than the second, which was disjointed and confusing. I liked reading about the techniques used by the artist and life in Paris in the 20s. Though I think this was a bit stilted. "

" 3 1/2 This book seems to be getting a lot of hype. It is a fictionalized story of Tamara de Lempicka, the art deco painter. It is erotic and contains somewhat of a mystery, but about half way through, I no longer cared about the characters. It was fun to read a book set in that era. "

" Set in Paris in the 20s this a personal look at the lesbian life that flourished there. Good characterizations and thought provoking look at the wild life before the war brought it all to a crashing halt. Not my favorite book but an interesting read. "

" I just could not get into this book. I do t know if it was the French or the relationships or just the flat characters, but I could not finish this one. I really tried, but it was not for me. "

" I loved the first half but was truly disappointed by the second half "

" The steamy bits were a pleasant surprise. Overall a fun read, especially after having recently read The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (so I was already in the early 20th century Paris art scene). I would not recommend the audiobook, which I listened to. Both narrators were pretty annoying. "

" Beautiful book. Incredibly sexy (I mean, how could it not be, considering the setting?) with interesting and complicated characters. I loved it. "

" The ending of this book was phenomenal. However, you had to read 5/6th of the book to get there, and I was tempted to give up a few times. Worth the effort if you are a quick reader or have a specific interest in Paris, art, or a bit of historical fiction. Otherwise, skip. "

" Although this raised some interesting ideas about love, agency, and art, I didn't love it, and I especially hated that Ernest Hemingway was in it with a different name and a different fate: what was that about? "