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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
Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery Renaissance Marriage Exciting Feel-Good Italy

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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  
A bookgroup selection. Beautiful descriptions - evocative.
Of 16th C Venice. Well narrated.
Narrative got a little lost in middle section though overall a really enjoyable read.

Beautiful descriptions evocative of 16th century Venice

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What an enchanting and rich world, I feel inspired to visit galleries and travel to Venice, to revel in the gloriousness of colour. Thank you for this beautifully written book x

I LOVED IT

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

Excellent!

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I loved this book and was enthralled from start to finish. With an unusual topic it was hard to know what to expect yet the story proved to be fast paced and the portrayal of Venice vivid. The twists and turns of the story were shocking (in a good way) and even after finishing the book I feel moved by the events that unfolded. The experience was also enhanced by the narration by Ben Allen whose many voices and accents of the various characters was quite remarkable. This now becomes one of my favourite books and highly recommended.

Now one of my favourite books

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This book is so seductive, the way it’s written and the pictures that are painted with so much feeling and understanding of what it’s like to be an artist. I loved it entirely. Lots of twists and turns, and like a painted masterpiece, it reveals its secrets slowly. Brilliantly addictive writing.

Absolutely Fantastic Book. 5*****

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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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