Piambo is an artist commissioned to paint a woman he is not allowed to see. If he pulls this off, he will earn so much money he will forever be able to pursue his artistic muse whereever he wants, without being forced to paint society portraits for his 'betters'. Gradually he becomes sucked into the mysterious world of Mrs Charbuque, of monkey arms and mad husbands, turdologists and twin snowflakes that whisper the furure. In the process, his own life begins to unravel, as New York becomes an increasingly dangerous place to live.
This is a brilliant gothic, historical, and supernatural mystery, that will appeal to anyone who likes something a bit different. ( )

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In New York of 1893, painter Piambo is suffocating. He's forced to paint society portraits of the nouveaux riches in order to make a living. A mystery comission to paint the portrait of Mrs. Charbuque offers a way out, as she offers a rather mind-boggling amount of money for her portrait. There's a catch, of course: Piambo is not allowed to see Mrs. Charbuque. He can only hear her talk behind a screen.

Piambo accepts the commission. While he struggles with the painting, a wave of mysterious murders hits New York. Soon Piambo finds out he's in a bit too deep for his own good, but getting out is not that easy - and does Piambo really want to get out?

Jeffrey Ford has written a marvellous book. The story was a real page-turner, this is a magical book full of new wonders. Both Piambo and Mrs. Charbuque are interesting characters and the story is riddled with interesting people and events. It's been a while since I've read a book this captivating. Highly recommended for the fans of magical and fantastic.

(Original review at my review blog.) ( )

This novel got inside of my skin -- I haven't figured out why yet, but it did, and I'm sure I'll be thinking about it for a long time to come. It is the second of Jeffrey Ford's books that I've read (the first being The Girl in the Glass) and he does not disappoint. His writing is excellent, and there is no better way to describe his work. If you want something WAY off the beaten path, and certainly off the path of what's on the bookshelves at your local bookstore, then try this one.

here's the basic story, in a nutshell, but I can't do it justice because it's so incredible:

Set in late 1800s Manhattan, the book's main character is an artist with the name of Piambo. His portraits have gained him fame, because he is gifted at creating the illusion of how people want to be seen on canvas. At the unveiling of one portrait where he's painted a philandering man's less-than-perfect wife as a stylish beauty, he realizes that there's more to art than this kind of thing. So when he receives a mysterious commission for a painting for which he'll be paid quite handsomely, he jumps at it. Here's the catch: he must paint a woman, a Mrs. Charbuque, who he cannot see. If he somehow can capture her perfectly, he will have more money than he has ever made in his life. She alone will decide if the painting is accurate, at which point he will make double the money. Piambo now has the opportunity to quit portraiture and focus on art that he wishes to create after this last portrait. At first he thinks this is ridiculous but after he thinks about it, he realizes that he'll make a lot of money whether or not the portrait is correct, so he goes for it. So how is he to do this? He has to conjure her through listening to her stories about herself and her life. As he begins, she starts telling him stories that tend to blow him away, but eventually she and her stories become an obsession with him.

Ford's incredible prose will hit you the moment you start the story, and as you go deeper, the story takes hold of your mind. I can't go into any more detail, but you are truly going to love this one. If you really want something different, give it a try. ( )