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The Colour Storm

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The Colour Storm

By: Damian Dibben
Narrated by: Ben Allen
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The new spellbinding and enchanting story from the internationally acclaimed author of Tomorrow.

Renaissance Venice is a furnace of ideas and ambition. Artists flock here, not just for wealth and fame, but for revolutionary colour. Yet artist Giorgione 'Zorzo' Barbarelli's career hangs in the balance. Competition is fierce, and his debts are piling up. When Zorzo hears a rumour of a mysterious, other-worldly new pigment, brought to Venice by the richest man in Europe, he sets out to acquire the colour and secure his name in history.

Winning a commission to paint a portrait of the man's wife, Sybille, Zorzo thinks he has found a way into the merchant's favour. Instead he finds himself caught up in a conspiracy that stretches across Europe and a marriage coming apart inside one of the floating city's most illustrious palazzos.

As the water levels rise and the plague creeps ever closer, an increasingly desperate Zorzo isn't sure whom he can trust. Will Sybille prove to be the key to Zorzo's success, or the reason for his downfall?

Atmospheric and suspenseful, and filled with the famous artists of the era, The Colour Storm is an intoxicating story of art and ambition, love and obsession in Renaissance Venice—capturing a moment of artistic invention that echoes through the centuries.

©2022 Damian Dibben (P)2022 Penguin Audio
Art Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery Renaissance Marriage Exciting Feel-Good Italy

Critic reviews

"Addictive, ambitious and knife sharp. A compelling thriller and a celebration of art. Ravishing." (Rachel Joyce, best-selling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry)

"An epic tale of love, of courage, of hope." (Evening Standard)

"Bask in the brilliance." (The Mail on Sunday)

All stars
Most relevant
Excellent narration of an intriguing, well plotted story, peopled with the famous artists of the day. Loved every minute.

Renaissance Venice brought to vivid life

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I don’t quite know why this didn’t work for me. It’s good but the pacing seems uneven and characters too sparsely sketched in placed. Also there Shane a law that says historical novels require an author’ note!

Just short of great

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Completely unlike any book I've come across. Just magical & superbly narrated.
I recommend it unreservedly.

Most unusual book, utterly delightful

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Really enjoyed listening to this wonderful story by Damian Dibben. Ben Allen narrated it beautifully. Highly recommended.

Excellent!

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What a piece of lush storytelling.
I was transported through the wonders of old Venice, artist studio life, colour mixing and selecting, water life, and a touch of the inscrutable politics around offering and gaining a commission. What lengths an artist will go through to find a new colour!
Thoroughly recommended!
How on Earth can I find a follow up??

A masterpiece of art and artist

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