The Creation of Eve
by Lynn Cullen
List Price: $15.00
Pages: 480
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780425238707
Publisher: Berkley Trade
The Creation of Eve is a novel based on the true but little-known story of Sofonisba Anguissola, the first renowned female artist of the Renaissance. After a scandal in Michelangelo’s workshop, Sofi flees Italy and joins the Spanish of King Felipe II court where she soon becomes embroiled in a royal love triangle. The Creation of Eve combines art, romance, and history in a story that asks the question: Can you ever truly know another person’s heart?
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1. Were you surprised to learn that Sofonisba Anguissola, a Renaissance woman in a male-dominated culture, was a renowned portrait painter? How much of her fame do you think was attributable to her talent, and how much to other factors?
2. In the novel, we see (to varying degrees) the private lives of a servant, a lady, and a queen. How do their lives differ, and in what ways are their lives defined by their gender or their rank?
3. How might Sofonisba’s life story have changed if she had married Tiberio Calcagni?
4. As stated in the Author’s Note, Michelangelo was attracted to men at a time when homosexuality was a crime against the Church, punishable by death. In what ways does Sofonisba’s attitude toward him change over the course of the novel, in part because of what she learns about his personal life, and in part because of the twists and turns of her own fate?
5. One of the themes in The Creation of Eve is how people make judgments of others and how fallible these judgments can be. The author has stated that she purposely gave her characters both good and bad sides. Did your opinion of any of the characters change over the course of the novel?
6. In her Author’s Note, Lynn Cullen points out how effectively the Dutch and the English manipulated the historical legacy of Felipe II (as well as their own historical reputations). As a result, slander from the 1500s is still accepted as historical fact. Have you seen examples in your own life in which events as reported on the news differed from a scene you actually witnessed?
7. When Elisabeth of Valois was growing up in the French court, titillating questions such as “Which is the greater in love, fulfillment or desire?” were debated. Which of those would you champion?
8. Court intrigue, capable of dooming a queen to death, is a potent force in The Creation of Eve. Certainly, public opinion can affect the lives and careers of public figures today. Are women still more vulnerable than men?
9. The novel poses the question: How well do we really know those closest to us? Is it sometimes better not to know them too well?
10. At the end of the book, Sofonisba asks: “Will I ever know why we so often love those whom we cannot possess?” Is what she questions here universal to the human condition?
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"To read The Creation of Eve is to experience that wholly delicious bookish pleasure of total immersion. Sofonisba Anguissola, an Italian painter, is sent to Spain as portraitist to Elisabeth de Valois and there, amid the baroque intricacy of court politics, rivalry, and romantic intrigue, she struggles to carve out her role–and her legacy–as one of the most admired painters of her day. I found this novel about the quest for fulfillment in art and love enormously satisfying and I'm grateful to Cullen for the pleasures of such a splendid read."
— Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants
"Through the keen eye of a painter trained in observation, we are drawn into the rarefied and restricted life of a queen and a court bristling with intrigue, jealousy, misplaced love, escape and escapade --- what could be more tantalizing? With rich visual description, Lynn Cullen secures her place in the tradition of regal historical fiction."
— Susan Vreeland, author of Luncheon of the Boating Party
"The Creation of Eve takes readers to a fascinating time --– the Renaissance –-- and introduces us to a remarkable woman, a talented artist neglected by history. Thanks to Lynn Cullen, Sofonisba Anguissola is now unforgettable."
— Sharon Kay Penman, author of Devil's Brood
"What a marvelous, rich and compelling novel! Lynn Cullen draws an astonishingly vivid world of a gifted woman artist who has studied with Michelangelo and the young unhappy Queen of Spain whom she serves in that turbulent 16th century court. Each woman suffers for a love she cannot have in a time when women were powerless; drawn further into the young Queen’s secrets, the artist will risk everything to help her. Turn and find yourself in the 16th century. I was unable to put the novel down and lived in its world."
— Stephanie Cowell, author of Marrying Mozart
