by Susann Cokal
First published 2006
Famke Summerfugl loses her place at a Danish convent in 1884 when the nuns decide she possesses too much sensuality for religious life. Albert Castle, a mediocre painter, rescues her from servitude and discovers she makes a perfect model. She enjoys being observed and can hold poses without trembling. Albert creates an enormous painting using Famke as his subject, then abandons her to seek his fortune. Convinced she serves as his artistic inspiration, Famke crosses the Atlantic to find him. Her journey takes her through American brothels and into contact with Utah polygamists. She encounters a labor movement armed with explosives, meets a wealthy California businessman, and witnesses early experiments with electrical treatments for tuberculosis. Cokal weaves these disparate elements into a comedic adventure that spans the American frontier. Famke's pursuit becomes both a physical journey across a continent and an emotional quest to understand her place in someone else's art.
Genres: art, romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, pursuit-and-pursuit
Setting: Denmark, America, Utah
Period: 1884
400 pages · Paperback · Unbridled Books
Content warnings: sexual-content