Elizabeth Hickey Painted Kiss

Painted Kiss

Elizabeth Hickey

Atria, Apr 2005, $24.00

ISBN: 0743492609

In 1944 Vienna, septuagenarian Emilie Floge fears the Nazis either absconding with or viciously destroying her most prized possessions. Willing to risk her life to see they are safe, she flees Vienna with the only things she thought important in her life, a portfolio filled with the drawings of her beloved Gustav Klimt.

On the trek to her Austrian countryside hideaway, Emilie reflects back to when she was a teenager and first met her Gustav in 1886 Vienna. Her father hired the near starving artist to provide her with some rudimentary drawing lessons. Over time they became lovers inspiring each other to greater heights though he also was a womanizer. She became a renowned designer while his paintings became popular. He turned to her for inspiration as she was his motivating muse for his most reflective work, The Kiss.

This is a well written biographical fiction starring two intriguing individuals who's on and off love affair enhanced their artistic endeavors. The storyline is loaded with historical insight especially Vienna in 1944 and the late nineteenth century; this makes for an interesting comparative analysis. Though the book is too crammed with sidebar details that never fully get integrated into the prime story line, fans of novelizations of real life persona will take much delight with what inspired the renowned PAINTED KISS.

Harriet Klausner