Review by Booklist Review
In 1911, Gustav Klimt, the famous Viennese painter, fishes a nude woman out of the Danube. Covered in odd scars, she has no memory of who she is or how she got there. Klimt takes her back to his studio, where, over time, the woman begins to remember. Her story, of being trapped in the Arctic ice a century ago, sealed up in a crate by a doctor named Frankenstein, is wildly unbelievable . . . except that it's true. As he did in 2012's Sacre Bleu (which was also set in the world of painting), the author mixes real people with made-up characters and real historical events with fictional events, creating a wondrously hilarious story that no one else could possibly have written. Fans of funny historical fiction will have a great time; and, because Moore likes to work in lots of real people and events, readers familiar with the life and world of Gustav Klimt will also love the book. It's a treat for everyone.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The hilarious if overstuffed latest from Moore (Razzmatazz) draws on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for a tale of fin de siècle Vienna. In 1911, painter Gustav Klimt rescues a drowning woman from the Danube canal and brings her back to his studio, where she is cared for by one of his models. The woman has no memory of who she is or how she wound up in the canal. Klimt names her Judith after one of his paintings, and he turns to the world's leading psychiatrist, Sigmund Freud, to help cure her amnesia. When Freud hits a dead end, he taps his colleague Carl Jung, who agrees to hypnotize Judith. The incredible story she narrates under hypnosis involves surviving in the Arctic after being stranded there with exiled mad scientist Victor Frankenstein and his monster and interventions from Raven, an Inuit deity. As Moore delays clarifying whether Judith is telling the truth, his own imagination swings into overdrive. He contemplates the sex lives of Klimt and Egon Schiele, writes pastiches derived from Frankenstein and the Freud-Jung correspondence, and even finds room to include a grating failed artist named Hitler. This shaggy-dog story will test some readers' patience, though there's plenty of fun to be had. Fans of Moore's other artist-inspired novel, Sacre Bleu, will be entertained. Agent: Lisa Gallagher, DeFiore & Co. (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Moore (Shakespeare for Squirrels) offers an absurdist and sardonic sequel, of sorts, to Frankenstein. It begins in early-1900s Vienna and is populated with historical figures like Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and a young Hitler. Readers meet painter Klimt when he is out early one morning and finds the body of a young woman who appears to have drowned in the river. He is struck by the unique tint of her skin and is compelled to sketch her. When it seems she's not dead yet, he brings her back to his studio, but the woman, whom he names Judith, cannot remember who she is. Klimt calls upon Freud for assistance, and he eventually calls upon his protégé Jung for help with this unique case. These sessions reveal hidden memories about her creation and bizarre history, which include Victor Frankenstein and a trip to the underworld. VERDICT This is a wild adventure through history, art, and literature for Moore's many fans and those who enjoy historical fiction with a side of fantasy and wry humor. Highly recommended.--Kristen Stewart
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