John Newton (3)

Rafael Pizarro didn't actually exist. In this alternative history he is a Spanish painter - a protege of Picasso's. For a short while I was fooled. There's a lot about painting and Picasso and the art scene in Paris just before and during the Spanish Civil war which is worthwhile. The subplot is about Pizarro's angst at growing old and losing his erection & muse for painting. The sub-sub plot takes on a mystical bent when he consults his local witch. It's about then that I lost interest.