Blood, Water, Paint by Joy McCullough

Have you ever read a book that made you feel so much that you want to cry? You feel so passionately about the story and characters that you cannot express? You want to share with others but don't know how? That is what Blood, Water, Paint is for me.

I knew Artemesia's story as I had listened to several podcasts about her life. One from The History Chicks podcast and the other is a podcast from Art Curious that focuses on Artemesia's most famous painting, Judith Slaying Holofernes. I knew the basic plot since the book is told from Artemesia's perspective. I was not prepared for how unapologetically feminist this book was. It took my breath away.

 This book is told primarily through poetry. The sections in poetry are from Artemesia's perspective but there are sections that are in prose. I believe the prose sections are flashes to the past of Artemesia's mother retelling the stories of Suzana and Judith from the Bible. These are not retellings that follow the exact Biblical text but rather a feminist retelling of them. I find it interesting how Suzana and Judith are both stories from the old testament Apocrypha or rather Apocryphal for Protestants. These books are in the Orthodox and Catholic Bibles. 

I want to talk about Suzana and Judith and Artemesia relates to them. For Susana she feels little control over her situation and is taken advantage of by the men around her and her life is controlled by them. Judith takes control of her life she doesn't let men control and destroy her and I don't really feel that Suzana does either but to me the two figures seem to contrast. They are characters through which Artemesia processes what happened to her and understands her life.

Overall I don't think I could ever express my depth of love for this book. I originally checked it out from the library but I will be purchasing a copy to keep forever.