Cezanne's Quarry

by Barbara Corrado Pope

Book Overview

Initially assuming that Solange's murder was a simplecrime de passion by either a jealous C zanne or a betrayed Westbury, Bernard soon finds himself on a mission to unravel the secrets of Solange and Cezanne's hidden past. Exploring questions of science and religion that persist even to this day, Cezanne's Quarry is a provocative debut mystery about life, death, love, and art.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1605980609
• ISBN13: 9781605980607
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Pegasus Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Can't wait for her next book!

I bought this in hardbound -- see my review under the hardbound edition -- but now that it is out in paperback I'll buy copies for my friends. (I guess I'm too cheap to buy a bunch of HB's.) I found this first novel by Professor Pope absolutely fascinating, and can hardly wait for her new one coming out soon. Unlike the prior reviewer, I found the characters well-portrayed and interesting. The historical context added to story, as did the rather sociological -- but never stuffy -- information on French society at that time.

A Masterful Combination of Fact and Fiction

Solange Vernet was a radical. Her belief that women could be educated in science and her unmarried cohabitation with the Darwinian geologist Charles Westbury--as well as their joint lectures promoting the idea that the earth was millions of years old--made her the talk of the quaint provincial town of Aix-en-Provence, France. When she is found strangled to death in a quarry outside the city, up-and-coming judge Bernard Martin finds himself in the middle of a cultural debate that could make or break his career. Was Vernet's murder the result of a lover's spat or God's punishment for her wayward lifestyle? Or was Vernet more than a nonconformist female, perhaps a human being whose beliefs didn't merit her burial in an unmarked grave in a farmer's field? Solange Vernet and Charles Westbury seemed outrageous because they promoted science, the belief that the world was ancient, and the right of women to become educated. Vernet rose from poverty to her own successful business in Paris. She also chose to live with Westbury as his lover rather than marrying him. This was considered sinful in 19th century France. Isn't it amazing that we still have the same dilemma today? While women like Vernet are more accepted in modern society, the debate of Darwinism vs. Creationism still rages and a promiscuous woman is still gossiped about behind her back. Barbara Corrado Pope's mystery Cezanne's Quarry is a masterful mix of history, French law and custom, religion, and intrigue. Her prose is so direct and well-crafted that I felt as if I were in the small town of Aix and knew the characters as my neighbors. Pope is expert at leaving small hints throughout her work and wrapping them up in a masterful way at the end of the novel. I also enjoyed the way she intertwined fact and fiction and incorporated real life people into her plot: Paul Cezanne, a true French artist and the father of modern art; Emile Zola, an influential French writer.The result is an intelligent novel that is thought-provoking without being dull. Who else but Pope could make historic French law fascinating? I not only enjoyed the plot, I learned a thing or two as well. by Jennifer Melville for Story Circle Book Reviews reviewing books by, for, and about women

"Cezanne's Quarry"

This is a terrific historical mystery. Set in France during the era of the painter Cézanne, the artist is one of the suspects in a murder. You feel that you are living in this era as you read the story. The author is a historian and novelist. Recommended highly! Sue Levering

Pleasantly Transported Back To Old France in this Engaging and Complex Historical Novel

Historical fiction has not typically been my preferred genre but Ms. Pope may be responsible for a convert. I was pleasantly transported back to old France amidst the volatile eccentrics Cezanne and Zola, and their various antics and associates, which were thoroughly engaging and complex, though it is with the highest authority that the author depicts the status of the women and the general social temperament of the times. And, if so inclined, Ms. Pope has a winning series with the awkward and endearing Bernard Martin. At the very least, we'll be seeing this one on the big screen!

BRAVO!

This book is a masterpiece of delicious excitement and anxious mystery. I can't wait to see it on the Big Screen. Bravo Ms. Pope!