Book description from Goodreads:


A vivid novel of Charles Baudelaire and his lover Jeanne Duval, the Haitian cabaret singer who inspired his most famous and controversial poems, set in nineteenth-century Paris.

For readers who have been drawn to The Paris Wife, Black Venuscaptures the artistic scene in the great French city decades earlier, when the likes of Dumas and Balzac argued literature in the cafes of the Left Bank. Among the bohemians, the young Charles Baudelaire stood out—dressed impeccably thanks to an inheritance that was quickly vanishing. Still at work on the poems that he hoped would make his name, he spent his nights enjoying the alcohol, opium, and women who filled the seedy streets of the city.

One woman would catch his eye—a beautiful Haitian cabaret singer named Jeanne Duval. Their lives would remain forever intertwined thereafter, and their romance would inspire his most infamous poems—leading to the banning of his masterwork, Les Fleurs du Mal, and a scandalous public trial for obscenity.

James MacManus’s Black Venus re-creates the classic Parisian literary world in vivid detail, complete with not just an affecting portrait of the famous poet but also his often misunderstood, much-maligned muse.


My Thoughts:


I have to say I ran hot and cold with this book.  I found the characters memorable but all unlikable.  They were all quite shallow, which I believe MacManus intended.  The descriptions of the grittier side of Paris, France in the 19th century were great. However, I found the plot lacking and the pace boring in many places in the book.

When I was approached to review this book, I jumped at the chance.  The description made it sound so good.  However, for me, it was disappointing.  I did preserver and finished reading it but there were times I thought it really wasn’t worth it.  Something kept me reading and it was like waiting for a train wreak to happen.  So, was there a train wreak in the end?  My lips are sealed in case anyone reading this decides to give Black Venus a try. 


3/5


I received an ebook copy of this book for my honest opinion.


Watch the Black Venus Promo:

About James MacManus:


James MacManus, who was born in London, began his career with The Guardian

 first as a reporter in the London office and then as a foreign correspondent in France, Africa and the Middle East. Following a position on the diplomatic staff of the Daily Telegraph in London, he joined The Times, eventually rising to Managing Editor then Managing Director of The Times Literary Supplement. In 2006 his first screenplay became the major motion picture, The Children of Huang Shi, and in 2010 his critically acclaimed first novel, Language of the Sea, made its debut.


Thanks to Veronica Grossman of Meryl L. Moss Media Relation, Inc., I am giving away one copy of Black Venus.  Sorry, this giveaway is for the U.S. only and ends on June 5, 2013. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.

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