Ebook273 pages4 hours
Naked
By Betsy Franco
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
3/5
()
About this ebook
When Jesse Lucas, a troubled, magnetic acting major, touches the sculpture Meditation in Stanford's Rodin Sculpture Garden, he burns his finger on the bronze. By the time he returns to the garden that night, an eighteen-year-old girl has emerged from the statue, naked and disoriented. It is 2008, yet her mind is swimming with vivid, fractured memories of her volatile past in nineteenth-century Paris--of serving as Rodin's muse, of her passionate affair with the acclaimed artist, and of her own creations.
So begins Betsy Franco's extraordinary and imaginative novel, Naked. Stranded in the sculpture garden, Camille--or Cat, as she insists on being called--forms a deep bond with Jesse, who is soon leaving for college and is as lonely and disturbed as she. As Jesse encourages Cat to confront the sinister memories that afflict her, she helps him overcome the fury he has toward his abusive father and find peace within himself.
Rich, inventive, and told with a compelling mix of grace and wry humor, Naked is a bold debut that explores love, loss, and the power of art, and brings to mind the magical realism found in The Time Traveler's Wife and Midnight in Paris.
So begins Betsy Franco's extraordinary and imaginative novel, Naked. Stranded in the sculpture garden, Camille--or Cat, as she insists on being called--forms a deep bond with Jesse, who is soon leaving for college and is as lonely and disturbed as she. As Jesse encourages Cat to confront the sinister memories that afflict her, she helps him overcome the fury he has toward his abusive father and find peace within himself.
Rich, inventive, and told with a compelling mix of grace and wry humor, Naked is a bold debut that explores love, loss, and the power of art, and brings to mind the magical realism found in The Time Traveler's Wife and Midnight in Paris.
Author
Betsy Franco
Betsy Franco is the author of many books, including Zero Is the Leaves on the Tree and A Dazzling Display of Dogs. She lives in northern California.
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Reviews for Naked
Rating: 3.1666666666666665 out of 5 stars
3/5
6 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This book is different from anything I've read. It's almost like the literary equivalent of abstract art or interpretive dance. What you see & get from it will depend on your point of view & life experience. The plot hangs on a mystical premise & the theme may be interpreted in a number of ways. Through the relationship of two people, it explores love, jealousy, hatred, abuse & forgiveness.
Jesse is 19, troubled by his home life & eager to leave the nest. He's heading to film school in the fall but will spend the summer working at the grocery store & taking a class in performance art at Stanford. He prefers either place to home where he dodges his father's fists as his invalid mother sews her quilts. The desire to retaliate is strong & this, along with an increasingly distant girlfriend, adds to the anger that simmers inside him.
On the way to his first class, he passes through the Rodin Sculpture Garden. One piece in particular, "Meditation", calls to him & he can't resist touching the rough bronze. Surprisingly, the statue of a young woman feels warm.
After he leaves, something magical occurs. Out of the statue steps the naked girl who posed for it. Understandably, she's a little confused. What just happened & where is she?
Thus begins the story of their relationship. Jesse encounters the secretive woman & over time is drawn to her. He brings her food, art supplies & his problems. She lives in the garden, stealing what others leave behind. She seems to have intimate knowledge of Rodin & his famous protegee, Camille Claudel. Slowly, she realizes who she is.
Both the main characters are at pivotal points in their lives & change is inevitable. They are dealing with anger stemming from the treatment of someone in their lives & are trying to move on. What each needs is to learn the art of forgiveness. Jesse is portrayed as a typical teen, struggling with a parent's disapproval while attempting to start his own life. Cat deals with her own issues in flashbacks but success will result not in the start but the end of her existence.
For me, this book is ultimately about forgiveness. It can be hard to give but you have to try, even if it's only as a gift to yourself. You'll have to be brave enough to honestly examine your role & might not like what you see. In the end, you're responsible for only your words & actions & must accept others for who they are, not who you want them to be. But sometimes a random encounter with a stranger can change your perspective.
I won't reveal the ending, no spoilers here. And whether or not you consider this an HEA will depend on your point of view. This novel would be an excellent choice for a book club. Debate is guaranteed & who knows, maybe a random comment by one of the members will help you see your situation in a new light. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I read this book because my Tridelta book club is reading it this month, and we are having the author come and speak to us about it at the Stanford University sculpture garden, where a majority of the novel takes place, which I'm super stoked about! (Betsy is the mother of the actors James and Dave).The concept of the novel is really intriguing: a college student touches Rodin's Meditation statue and the spirit of Camille Claudel, Rodin's muse, emerges from the statue. However, I found the book kind of tedious and unrealistic at times (obviously not because of the subject matter, since it's supposed to be supernatural), but because of the actions and dialogue of the characters. I grew up in the Bay Area, and no teenage/college boy I ever met talked like Jesse. But the moments between Jesse and Camille were sweet, and I appreciated the journey of forgiveness they went on together. I was interested in finishing the book, so that's at least saying something.
Book preview
Naked - Betsy Franco
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