Tiepolo Blue
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- Create Date：2022-07-12 08:51:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：James Cahill
- ISBN：152936938X
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Summary
Ben turns and grins ironically。 ‘When you stopped just now and looked at the sky， you weren’t measuring it。 You weren’t thinking about classical proportion。 You were feeling something。’
Cambridge， 1994。 Professor Don Lamb is a revered art historian at the height of his powers， consumed by the book he is writing about the skies of the Venetian master Tiepolo。 However， his academic brilliance belies a deep inexperience of life and love。
When an explosive piece of contemporary art is installed on the lawn of his college， it sets in motion Don’s abrupt departure from Cambridge to take up a role at a south London museum。 There he befriends Ben， a young artist who draws him into the anarchic 1990s British art scene and the nightlife of Soho。
Over the course of one long， hot summer， Don glimpses a liberating new existence。 But his epiphany is also a moment of self-reckoning， as his oldest friendship – and his own unexamined past – are revealed to him in a devastating new light。 As Don’s life unravels， he suffers a fall from grace that that shatters his world into pieces。
Cambridge， 1994。 Professor Don Lamb is a revered art historian at the height of his powers， consumed by the book he is writing about the skies of the Venetian master Tiepolo。 However， his academic brilliance belies a deep inexperience of life and love。
When an explosive piece of contemporary art is installed on the lawn of his college， it sets in motion Don’s abrupt departure from Cambridge to take up a role at a south London museum。 There he befriends Ben， a young artist who draws him into the anarchic 1990s British art scene and the nightlife of Soho。
Over the course of one long， hot summer， Don glimpses a liberating new existence。 But his epiphany is also a moment of self-reckoning， as his oldest friendship – and his own unexamined past – are revealed to him in a devastating new light。 As Don’s life unravels， he suffers a fall from grace that that shatters his world into pieces。
Reviews
Barry Pierce
，
What an incredibly disappointing book。 Probably wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't so vastly and clunkily overwritten， you can tell Cahill comes from the world of academia。 Our main character， Don， is truly just lamentable， he doesn't have a single positive aspect to his personality。 As someone who did their dissertation on the 90s British art scene， this should've been written for me， tragically I don't think it was written for anyone but its author。 What an incredibly disappointing book。 Probably wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't so vastly and clunkily overwritten， you can tell Cahill comes from the world of academia。 Our main character， Don， is truly just lamentable， he doesn't have a single positive aspect to his personality。 As someone who did their dissertation on the 90s British art scene， this should've been written for me， tragically I don't think it was written for anyone but its author。 。。。more
Tripfiction
，
Novel set in DULWICH and CAMBRIDGEYOU TUBE REVIEW: https://youtu。be/W1S3OsebZSY4。5*The cover drew me to pick this book up and also， Tiepolo， a Rococo artist of the 18th Century， was part of the title （although his work is not really my cup of tea）， it hinted at a novel with artistic content。The novel starts out in Cambridge， at Peterhouse College where we meet Don， a don， professor， whose speciality is art history and who is currently involved in studying the skies in Tiepolo’s paintings。 He liv Novel set in DULWICH and CAMBRIDGEYOU TUBE REVIEW: https://youtu。be/W1S3OsebZSY4。5*The cover drew me to pick this book up and also， Tiepolo， a Rococo artist of the 18th Century， was part of the title （although his work is not really my cup of tea）， it hinted at a novel with artistic content。The novel starts out in Cambridge， at Peterhouse College where we meet Don， a don， professor， whose speciality is art history and who is currently involved in studying the skies in Tiepolo’s paintings。 He lives a fairly secluded life， it’s very safe， sheltered from the exigencies of the world and he likes his routines。 He has a room and study， he eats regularly in the refectory with other highfalutin minds from the world of academia and life is acceptable and certainly not challenging in a worldly way。In the era of Tracey Emin’s My Bed installation， he is vexed to discover that a piece of modern art， constructed out of rubbish， has been dropped in the grounds beyond his window。 It feels like this is the first time in his life that he has a fundamental and violent emotional response to something – his ire is well and truly fired。 That is quite a new sensation， it almost feels like a misstep， a peek into a world of emotional cognisance which is very unfamiliar。 His older， more senior friend Val suggests that he should leap into the unknown， leave Peterhouse， and take up the headship of the Brockwell Collection in Dulwich。 Val eases his entry into the real world by lending him his house in suburb， which is but a hop and a skip from where he will be working。 It seems like a good enough move， lured by the promise of a prize piece of artwork heading for the Brockwell Collection， he is soon ensconced in London。This is a story of a man who has for most of his life to date preferred the hallowed halls of Cambridge University， rather than embracing the wider world and allowing himself to grow as a person。 Literally pushed out into his new job by Val， he is like a man sliding around on an ice rink， away from the rarified atmosphere of Cambridge。 His points of reference are skewed， he has little to anchor himself。 Until now he has not bothered to engage with everyday life – he has had no real need – but something is stirring within him and he needs to identify what it is。There are all kinds of awakenings and disappointments for him along the way， cruel understanding of human nature and some fun， a lease of new life。 His story is told with poignancy， dark humour， sadness and wit and I really enjoyed the story and the exceptionally good writing。 I particularly liked being transported back to Dulwich where I grew up， there were so many familiar elements that I read the book with heightened pleasure。 I’ll leave you with the bucolic picture of Dulwich Village:In the early summer， Dulwich feels different。 It is no longer the sedate suburb it was when he [Don] arrived – more an idyllic garden in which the houses and shops are scenic follies。 He notices the detail and variety of things: the horse chestnuts bulging with leaves， the picket fences that border the pavements （white as cricket screens）， the strips of manicured turf at the roadsides， and the mock-Elizabethan houses with their pastel-pale pebbledash。Dulwich sounds lovely， doesn’t it？ This novel is worth your time。 。。。more
TheEuphoricZat
，
We follow Prof Don Lamb who is a famous Art Historian。 There is not much fuss in his life but he enjoys trips to museums and has done some radio shows in the past。 But in his Cambridge cocoon of glamorous art and tiepolo skies， the last thing he expects is Modern/Contemporary Art！ （I personally could go on for hours on my take on Contemporary art but that is for another day！）。 Don just cannot control his reaction to the sacrilege of his prestigious art cocoon。 This results in him working as a Di We follow Prof Don Lamb who is a famous Art Historian。 There is not much fuss in his life but he enjoys trips to museums and has done some radio shows in the past。 But in his Cambridge cocoon of glamorous art and tiepolo skies， the last thing he expects is Modern/Contemporary Art！ （I personally could go on for hours on my take on Contemporary art but that is for another day！）。 Don just cannot control his reaction to the sacrilege of his prestigious art cocoon。 This results in him working as a Director of a Museum in London。 This is where he meets and 'falls in attraction' with Ben （an Art student）。 This is when he finally begins to explore his sexuality。I personally think I should take two approaches to my review of this book because I just could not make up my mind。 I had to constantly fight myself on my love for the lyrical writing; every word seemed to be a foreshadowing， and each sentence packed with meaning and Don's impossible naivety。With each page I began to understand Don and explore the complexity of his character。 The other side of me refused to believe Don and his innocence; which was not made better with him as the narrator。 His naivety sometimes made him sound ridiculous。 We are forced to look at the world through his eyes （a man who seems so out of touch with the real world） and that makes me sometimes question if he was just overreacting a lot of the time。 But as the story progressed I began to feel a deep sense of sympathy for Don。 I mean in some way， I could argue that this conflict I feel makes this book a masterpiece but I will leave that judgement for the experts。Tiepolo Blue is a book that drags you through the world of a man so smart， so self-absorbed， out of touch with the real world， who loves art but had not learnt to love himself or someone else。 So when he finally loved， it was fierce， painful and tragic！Thanks to Pride Book Tours for making this book available to me as part of the IG tour！ 。。。more
Giacomo Verdura
，
The 7th of July， a good day！ The day boris Johnson announced his resignation and the day I finally finished this book。
Niall Stewart
，
An engaging and compelling piece of historical literary fiction which is also a thriller！ Tiepolo Blue is a study of emotional insecurity; how we choose a way of understanding the world in order to keep it at a distance。 It is a study of place （Cambridge， London， the utopia of scholarly endeavour）， and what places like that do to stabilise us， or not， and how they betray us just as we betray them。 And it is a study of sexuality， a snapshot of a whole generation of men who were denied （and who de An engaging and compelling piece of historical literary fiction which is also a thriller！ Tiepolo Blue is a study of emotional insecurity; how we choose a way of understanding the world in order to keep it at a distance。 It is a study of place （Cambridge， London， the utopia of scholarly endeavour）， and what places like that do to stabilise us， or not， and how they betray us just as we betray them。 And it is a study of sexuality， a snapshot of a whole generation of men who were denied （and who denied themselves） a full life。 A must read。 Shame about the horrible cover！ 。。。more
Mark Kwesi Appoh
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3。5 stars
Rachael Mills
，
I think this is one of those books that will appeal to a certain type of reader。 It’s academic snobbery at its most pretentious with unlikeable characters and an unsympathetic protagonist。 Yet the writing is beautiful and there are some exquisite turns of phrase。 Those who understand art will likely appreciate the discourse surrounding classical versus modern art but I must admit a lot went over my head 😂。 If you’re looking for a character-driven novel with a languid pace then this may be the bo I think this is one of those books that will appeal to a certain type of reader。 It’s academic snobbery at its most pretentious with unlikeable characters and an unsympathetic protagonist。 Yet the writing is beautiful and there are some exquisite turns of phrase。 Those who understand art will likely appreciate the discourse surrounding classical versus modern art but I must admit a lot went over my head 😂。 If you’re looking for a character-driven novel with a languid pace then this may be the book for you。 。。。more
carelessdestiny
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A sumptuous tale in the tradition of 'Death in Venice'。 More complex than that novella as well as more insightful， more contemporary， more real but just as classic。 A sumptuous tale in the tradition of 'Death in Venice'。 More complex than that novella as well as more insightful， more contemporary， more real but just as classic。 。。。more
bookishcharli
，
Let’s face it， I wanted to read this book solely based off of the cover… and I’m glad I did as it book flows at a beautiful pace。 I found the main character slightly， a teeny tiny bit， annoying and boring。 Though I know next to nothing about art， that didn’t stop me from enjoying this one as Cahill describes everything so thoroughly that I felt as though I was right there with Don seeing everything first hand。 Thank you to Pride Book Tours for sending me a copy and having me on the blog tour！
Philip Meeks
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Sort of an anti-gay novel。 Nods to the Charioteer and Maurice and the Swimming Pool Library and others。 But it does not celebrate gay life。 It's really rather depressing and bleak。 Its set where I live 。 I really wish I hadn't read it to be honest。 Try Young Mungo instead Sort of an anti-gay novel。 Nods to the Charioteer and Maurice and the Swimming Pool Library and others。 But it does not celebrate gay life。 It's really rather depressing and bleak。 Its set where I live 。 I really wish I hadn't read it to be honest。 Try Young Mungo instead 。。。more
Jordan Lostinagoodbookgirl
，
A very well written and beautifully descriptive book。We begin by meeting Don an art professor at Cambridge who has a long friendship with Val a fellow art enthusiast。 After an art installation is installed that he doesn't like， he decides to move to Dulwich in London to concentrate on writing his book about Tiepolo and also take on running an art gallery， I found this book to be quite a slow burner with lots of descriptions and references to art， history。 I liked how the author used lots of colo A very well written and beautifully descriptive book。We begin by meeting Don an art professor at Cambridge who has a long friendship with Val a fellow art enthusiast。 After an art installation is installed that he doesn't like， he decides to move to Dulwich in London to concentrate on writing his book about Tiepolo and also take on running an art gallery， I found this book to be quite a slow burner with lots of descriptions and references to art， history。 I liked how the author used lots of colours linked to emotions， The book touched on lots of interesting subjects which I enjoyed learning about the art world from another point of time。 。。。more
Andrew Martin
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Beautifully written and full of enjoyable and entertaining detail， but something rather odd about the whole thing。 Very unconvincing picture of working in a museum， I'm not sure I believed in it at all。 All the characters including the main one rather shadowy。 Beautifully written and full of enjoyable and entertaining detail， but something rather odd about the whole thing。 Very unconvincing picture of working in a museum， I'm not sure I believed in it at all。 All the characters including the main one rather shadowy。 。。。more
Ruth
，
With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an advance review copy。 This book was much hyped and looked really promising， and it’s had excellent reviews since publication。 I have to say， however， it left me completely cold。 If it hadn’t been so highly praised I would have abandoned it after the first quarter， and I kind of wish I had。 It tells the story of the downfall of Don Lamb， a respected Cambridge academic and art historian specialising in the work of Tiepolo。 He lives a narrow， sexual With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an advance review copy。 This book was much hyped and looked really promising， and it’s had excellent reviews since publication。 I have to say， however， it left me completely cold。 If it hadn’t been so highly praised I would have abandoned it after the first quarter， and I kind of wish I had。 It tells the story of the downfall of Don Lamb， a respected Cambridge academic and art historian specialising in the work of Tiepolo。 He lives a narrow， sexually repressed life within the confines of Peterhouse College， a microcosm almost completely removed from the real world。 His closest friend is his erstwhile PhD supervisor Valentine Black， who at first comes across as a gossipy queer academic but we soon suspect he has a more sinister agenda。 Val subtly nudges Don into a series of misguided decisions which result in his expulsion first from Peterhouse， then from the museum directorship Val procures from him in Dulwich。 Out in the real world， Don slowly dares to explore his sexuality， but his hopeless naivety， misplaced confidence and utter lack of judgement lead him into a rapid downward spiral。 I did not find Don’s trajectory remotely believable， and this， along with his deeply unlikeable character， meant that I just could not engage in his story with any sympathy， or even much interest。 Val’s Machiavellian manipulations became fairly obvious to everyone but Don fairly early on， and I was just irritated by Don’s abject inability to see how he was being set up。 The quality of the writing is undoubtedly very fine， but it takes more to make an absorbing novel。 This one was not for me。 。。。more
cat
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3。5
Lynda
，
I have given this 3 stars because though I really enjoyed the book especially the art history elements I found parts of it derivative and laboured。 As Lamb is led by inches to the slaughter
Michael Reffold
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Pretty well written in terms of imagery， metaphor etc and even the dialogue was realistic for the most part， but I didn’t find the characters very interesting and the plot wasn’t that engaging。 A lot of detailed description of pieces of art and university/museum politics that didn’t do much for me。 The main character is more annoying than anything else。 The ending is particularly unnecessary but I guess at least it wasn’t any more ridiculous than the idea that giving a slightly dodgy impassioned Pretty well written in terms of imagery， metaphor etc and even the dialogue was realistic for the most part， but I didn’t find the characters very interesting and the plot wasn’t that engaging。 A lot of detailed description of pieces of art and university/museum politics that didn’t do much for me。 The main character is more annoying than anything else。 The ending is particularly unnecessary but I guess at least it wasn’t any more ridiculous than the idea that giving a slightly dodgy impassioned speech at a couple of events is enough to ruin the career of an established and respected academic？ Don’t think I would hurry to read other books by Cahill。 。。。more
David
，
All authors of fiction are challenged by having to write beautiful prose matched with a believable， intriguing plot。 ‘Tiepolo Blue’ exhibits sumptuous and evocative writing which is a joy to read。 Unfortunately， the plot is uneven with too many unnecessary digressions。 By its end， the story shows promise of an exciting resolution to its many loose ends but ultimately only delivers a very anti-climactic climax。 Using a variation of the cliche of a man who seemingly has it all and loses it， but ga All authors of fiction are challenged by having to write beautiful prose matched with a believable， intriguing plot。 ‘Tiepolo Blue’ exhibits sumptuous and evocative writing which is a joy to read。 Unfortunately， the plot is uneven with too many unnecessary digressions。 By its end， the story shows promise of an exciting resolution to its many loose ends but ultimately only delivers a very anti-climactic climax。 Using a variation of the cliche of a man who seemingly has it all and loses it， but gains self-fulfilment， the plot falters when this version only explores the initial part of the cliche。 Instead of a gaining the rich reward of self-awareness， the main character just spirals into a tragic mid-life crisis with no affecting point。 Like it’s central character， Don Lamb， the book begins with much promise but never fulfils its early ambition。 。。。more
Barry Winbolt
，
The completely unexpected course of events kept me turning the pages。 Ejected from his safe yet stultifying academic life， the central character， Don， is an art historian who seems， like the stereotype of his scholarly kind， to be as stunningly naive about life as he is is brilliant in his subject area。 It could be that his faithfulness to his studies at an age when he should have been experiencing sexual awakening has largely been the cause of this naivety。 Later on， when we meet him， he is goi The completely unexpected course of events kept me turning the pages。 Ejected from his safe yet stultifying academic life， the central character， Don， is an art historian who seems， like the stereotype of his scholarly kind， to be as stunningly naive about life as he is is brilliant in his subject area。 It could be that his faithfulness to his studies at an age when he should have been experiencing sexual awakening has largely been the cause of this naivety。 Later on， when we meet him， he is going out into the world to crash into a sort of mid-life-latent-adolescent crisis that he nevertheless embraces with poise， shored up by his understanding of classical art and its history。 His departure from academia was not entirely by choice but at the times when it seems that someone is pulling the strings that guide him through his new life， there is doubt caused by some event or other。 Maybe things aren't orchestrated， it could just be other peoples' ignorance or folly that sets up some of the situations Don finds himself in。 The sympathetic descriptions of the people he meets in his new role as a gallery director in London seem always to redeem them。 They are as unworldly， in their ways， as Don was himself when he was cocooned by the traditions he has left behind。There is a seamy and sordid side to Don's new life in the wide world， with descriptions that could have been crudely handled。 No spoiler here， but hats off to the author for the way he deftly plumbed the depths of his character's latent sexuality without making me cringe。The uncertainties are satisfyingly cleared up in the closing pages and， along the way， I revelled in the emotional journey and at the same time was introduced to some powerful themes around art。 。。。more
christina
，
if you’re searching for any sense of closure for any of the characters you won’t find it。near the end the book felt like a derailed train caught in slow-motion， moving rather aimlessly towards a conclusion and brushing past important and interesting plot points with too much haste （but at times it felt like too little， with over descriptive pieces of prose）。 I cared about some of the characters but also found myself unable to because the author just 。。。 refuses to give us more。the book still had if you’re searching for any sense of closure for any of the characters you won’t find it。near the end the book felt like a derailed train caught in slow-motion， moving rather aimlessly towards a conclusion and brushing past important and interesting plot points with too much haste （but at times it felt like too little， with over descriptive pieces of prose）。 I cared about some of the characters but also found myself unable to because the author just 。。。 refuses to give us more。the book still had some very beautiful moments， though， and I can’t say I didn’t enjoy most of it。 。。。more
Kalliope
，
This novel has very many of the ingredients that would delight me。 In fact， I had ordered it before it was out。 The title picks from Roberto Calasso’s Tiepolo Pink ， which is a quote from Proust’s sentence “rose Tiepolo”， but if Calasso’s is a treatise on a series of drawings by the painter， Cahill’s is a novel。 James Cahill writes about art and has been engaged in several art exhibitions。 This is his first novel。In Tiepolo Blue， Cahill has chosen to write about a world he knows well。 It is a This novel has very many of the ingredients that would delight me。 In fact， I had ordered it before it was out。 The title picks from Roberto Calasso’s Tiepolo Pink ， which is a quote from Proust’s sentence “rose Tiepolo”， but if Calasso’s is a treatise on a series of drawings by the painter， Cahill’s is a novel。 James Cahill writes about art and has been engaged in several art exhibitions。 This is his first novel。In Tiepolo Blue， Cahill has chosen to write about a world he knows well。 It is a story about art， art history and art historians。 We move from a College in Cambridge， to a disguised version of Dulwich Picture Gallery。 In between the reader is offered a meditation on the relationship （or lack of thereof） between contemporary art and art tradition; an enactment of the rivalry between Academic and Curatorial art circles; an elaborate mix of both psychological and social scrutiny; a complex plot that develops elements that will appeal to the LGBT community enriched with Faustian and Bildungsroman tones; and all this interspersed with some very beautifully written passages， in particular those which elaborate on Tiepolo’s art。 Cahill has an eye and a pen。And yet， the novel did not grasp my mind and delight as I would have thought。 Overall， it all seemed too overwrought， there were too many trendy elements， and the two main characters appeared too close to caricatures。 Don is somewhat of a dork， playing up to his own stereotype and Val is a vaudeville dandy， whom the reader expects will eventually take off his disguise。 Throughout the read， though， I kept asking myself， why has Cahill taken on Calasso’s title？Nonetheless， this is a solid first novel。 I look forward to more of Cahill’s works。 。。。more
Andrew Salgado
，
REVIEW It’s so pretty！ So so so very pretty。 That’s about all the good I have to say about this totally pointless， utter snoozefest of a book。 Who is this book meant for？ I’m gay。 I love art。 I love heavily literary books。 And yet I struggle to see the point of this book that follows a wet blanket protagonist， a couple forcible plot twists， a half dozen poorly conceived characters， and a few hundred pages of blah blah blah blah blah leading up to nothing。 I know what he was trying to achieve， an REVIEW It’s so pretty！ So so so very pretty。 That’s about all the good I have to say about this totally pointless， utter snoozefest of a book。 Who is this book meant for？ I’m gay。 I love art。 I love heavily literary books。 And yet I struggle to see the point of this book that follows a wet blanket protagonist， a couple forcible plot twists， a half dozen poorly conceived characters， and a few hundred pages of blah blah blah blah blah leading up to nothing。 I know what he was trying to achieve， and boy oh boy did he miss the target。 2/5 for some pretty writing and the pretty cover。 #jamescahill #tiepoloblue 。。。more
ellie
，
i'm finding this book very difficult to rate。 i enjoyed the prose immensely; it was the reason i bought the book in the first place。 cahill writes magnificently， pure artistry。 however， i didn't like much else about the book， and it made me uncomfortable in quite a few places。 nearly all of the characters were unlikable （is that the point？） and some threads of the story didn't seem to go anywhere。 i can appreciate that the novel is about experience; we， too， experience in the same fleeting way t i'm finding this book very difficult to rate。 i enjoyed the prose immensely; it was the reason i bought the book in the first place。 cahill writes magnificently， pure artistry。 however， i didn't like much else about the book， and it made me uncomfortable in quite a few places。 nearly all of the characters were unlikable （is that the point？） and some threads of the story didn't seem to go anywhere。 i can appreciate that the novel is about experience; we， too， experience in the same fleeting way that don （the protagonist） does。 speaking of don， i didn't like him。 he made me uncomfortable， he made me cringe。。。 you pray throughout the book that he'll improve/help himself but he does not， and at the end it's less of a shock and more of a 'okay， whatever'。 there is a theme of obsession throughout （on tiepolo， on ben， on michael， but i found it rather irritating than （presumably intended） deep and introspective。 there is so much to unpack about this， i truly do not know how to feel。 maybe my expectations were high and this book didn't meet them， but i can't help but feel disappointed by the characters （and their actions）， loose plot lines and a （personally） unsatisfying ending。 。。。more
Carol Barnes
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It's been a couple of weeks since I finished this book and I gave to admit that despite all the hype I have mixed feelings about it。 I found some parts of the narrative quite la oured and the art information a bit laborious。 It's worth sticking with though to the end if you can。 Not an easy read。 It's been a couple of weeks since I finished this book and I gave to admit that despite all the hype I have mixed feelings about it。 I found some parts of the narrative quite la oured and the art information a bit laborious。 It's worth sticking with though to the end if you can。 Not an easy read。 。。。more
Kaye Fraser
，
As a treatise on the unravelling of a man sheltered by academia for much of his life， this book could not be bettered。 Don Lamb is a professor of art history in a Cambridge college until he forcefully expresses his opinions of a work of modern art installed on the lawn of the college。 This leads to his removal and the taking up of a post as director of a gallery in London。 Don’s life has been so sheltered up to that point that he cannot help but trust the wrong people， and to begin an exploratio As a treatise on the unravelling of a man sheltered by academia for much of his life， this book could not be bettered。 Don Lamb is a professor of art history in a Cambridge college until he forcefully expresses his opinions of a work of modern art installed on the lawn of the college。 This leads to his removal and the taking up of a post as director of a gallery in London。 Don’s life has been so sheltered up to that point that he cannot help but trust the wrong people， and to begin an exploration of the darker sides of his own character， which inevitably leads to disaster for him。 The book is very beautifully written and any lover of renaissance art will be enthralled by its literary treatment here。 The characterisations are perhaps a little less convincing， including that of Don’s mentor and friend whose motives in helping him are not as generous as they seem。 Well worth reading。 。。。more
Alison Cairns
，
I finished this late last night and I'm still processing in my mind。 I'm not sure quite what I thought。 I struggled through much of it， finding it quite tedious。 And yet - there was something that kept me going。 What would become of Professor Don Lamb。 He'd lived a cloistered life， born to elderly parents， straight from school to Cambridge University and he'd never left， becoming professor and a renowned classical art historian。 His life is dedicated to the work of the artist Tiepolo， and every I finished this late last night and I'm still processing in my mind。 I'm not sure quite what I thought。 I struggled through much of it， finding it quite tedious。 And yet - there was something that kept me going。 What would become of Professor Don Lamb。 He'd lived a cloistered life， born to elderly parents， straight from school to Cambridge University and he'd never left， becoming professor and a renowned classical art historian。 His life is dedicated to the work of the artist Tiepolo， and every spare minute spent writing a book。 Until his calm， ordered world is turned on its end by a "sculpture" on the college lawn， or as he sees it - a collection of junk。 The knock on effect this has on his life is phenomenal。 With the encouragement of friend and fellow professor Valentine Black， Don finds himself director of a London museum and living in Valentine's house in Dulwich with the mysterious Ina and her Mamma。 His world widens when he meets art student Ben， and he begins to explore his sexuality for the first time in his 43 years。 In many ways a sad tale， but also a belated coming of age。 I was not expecting the ending to be as it was。 Many revelations in a short space of time and Don's world unravelling。 Intriguing and I'm glad I persevered。 #netgalley #tiepoloblue 。。。more
Rachel
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with exceptionally exquisite prose， densely divine references to art， sexuality and the culture shift of 90s london， tainted with an air of ambiguity and distrust， tiepolo blue is a disarming debut of the best kind。 comparisons to alan hollinghurst's queer literary powerhouse， the line of beauty， certainly ring true in some regards， but there's an evasive nature to tiepolo blue that makes it impossible to truly pin down。 complexity lurks behind every paragraph and cahill ensures that we are neve with exceptionally exquisite prose， densely divine references to art， sexuality and the culture shift of 90s london， tainted with an air of ambiguity and distrust， tiepolo blue is a disarming debut of the best kind。 comparisons to alan hollinghurst's queer literary powerhouse， the line of beauty， certainly ring true in some regards， but there's an evasive nature to tiepolo blue that makes it impossible to truly pin down。 complexity lurks behind every paragraph and cahill ensures that we are never quite sure where we stand with his upper-class characters who are detached from the world around them。 intensely gripping， beautifully composed and full of twists， tiepolo blue is going to be a standout summer read for so many。 professor don lamb knows very little of the world outside the walls of the peterhouse in cambridge university。 engrossed in his research of the skies of tiepolo， he is impervious to those around him。 a man who is often present， yet absent from the camaraderie of his fellows with the exception of his gregarious and effervescent mentor， valentine black。 after his reputation falls into disrepute when an appearance on radio four goes terribly wrong， don finds himself released from his academic duties and cast adrift into the world outside the university's walls。 under val's guidance， he finds a job as a museum director， keen to show off his prowess and knowledge of the classical world。 but times are changing， friendships are hard to come by and he becomes increasingly unsure of how platonic and helpful val's feelings towards him really are。 the dichotomy between sexual liberation and youth during the 90s versus repression， conservativism and traditional schools of thought， plays a key role throughout the course of the novel。 cahill makes it abundantly clear that don is an outsider from his peers; he is sexually repressed， after a series of rejections from men he becomes detached from all romantic and sexual inclinations。 his right-leaning views are a direct contradiction to the transgressive， shocking art of his contemporaries who navigate conversations about race， class and the political sphere with ease。 we are never truly sympathic to don， as cahill's writing style keeps him at arm's length。 with the introduction of ben， he presents us with don's antithesis， someone who can potentially bring him out of his shell and into the world around him。 yet i personally felt， there was too little development within ben's characterisation to fully achieve this potential。 tiepolo blue has some of the most beautiful writing， imagery and prose that i have ever read。 the plot， at times slow-paced， erred cautiously into laborious at times， but cahill's immaculately chosen word felt carefully pieced together， symbolism and meaning dripping from every letter。 i'm no art historian， but i fully enjoyed the references to high culture， classical art and the inner sanctum of those working within the humanities。 as the novel wore on， the ending felt forced and sudden， and i still haven't made sense of why the novel met the end it did。 i enjoyed the twists， the unreliable air of distrust that permeated between don and val and don's gradual acceptance of his self and his sexuality。 a big thank you to sceptre for my proof copy of tiepolo blue， which is out now！ 。。。more
Caitlin Davies
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*3。5/5*
Catalina
，
Oh how I loved you Tiepolo Blue。 But oh how I've equally hated you， with your slow pace and endless introspection， just like a lazy summer afternoon watching the blue sky and wondering if it's the same blue as in Tiepolo's paintings。 Tiepolo Blue is a heartbreaking story of deception and cruel manipulations at the hands of a narcissistic， calculating and vindictive individual that will stop at nothing to realise his own aspirations（Val I am looking at you， you bastard。 I hope you rot in hell！！）。 Oh how I loved you Tiepolo Blue。 But oh how I've equally hated you， with your slow pace and endless introspection， just like a lazy summer afternoon watching the blue sky and wondering if it's the same blue as in Tiepolo's paintings。 Tiepolo Blue is a heartbreaking story of deception and cruel manipulations at the hands of a narcissistic， calculating and vindictive individual that will stop at nothing to realise his own aspirations（Val I am looking at you， you bastard。 I hope you rot in hell！！）。 It is a cautionary tale packed into a discovery story -both at an inner level（self-discovery） and at the great level of discovering the world around you as you find your place in it。 Despite being a revered art historian/professor， Don is a very naive， innocent even， individual。 He is alone and sheltered， his world very small and restricted by very uncompromising rules。 He needs a good shaking up and the changes he undertakes look like just that。 Until it isn't。 The end is very fitting for the overall narrative and I find that anything else but that would have felt pushed。 Overall a great story but delivered in a too slow a pace that works against it。 *Book from NetGalley with many thanks to the publisher！ 。。。more
Hemmel
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How to rate an unfinished novel？ I recognized good penmanship and the narration was great。 But the story is so depressing I dislike it。 The foreboding feeling when following Don's lonely life， manipulated by a villainous character， was too strong for me。 Don is a naive idiot and I don't want to know more about his life after listening 50%。 I was waiting for the love interest but am afraid that will end depressing， too。 How to rate an unfinished novel？ I recognized good penmanship and the narration was great。 But the story is so depressing I dislike it。 The foreboding feeling when following Don's lonely life， manipulated by a villainous character， was too strong for me。 Don is a naive idiot and I don't want to know more about his life after listening 50%。 I was waiting for the love interest but am afraid that will end depressing， too。 。。。more
Anne
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I enjoyed this book and I found the main character endearing but I also found him irritating。 Don is an expert art historian with a good life in Cambridge focussing almost entirely on the blue skies in Tiepolo’s paintings。 Then a new exhibit arrives in the quadrant of his college。 It is a contemporary piece that enrages Don and he goes on Radio 4 to share his outrage。 Unfortunately that leads to his demise as a Cambridge don but does lead to a new life as a Gallery director in London。His excursi I enjoyed this book and I found the main character endearing but I also found him irritating。 Don is an expert art historian with a good life in Cambridge focussing almost entirely on the blue skies in Tiepolo’s paintings。 Then a new exhibit arrives in the quadrant of his college。 It is a contemporary piece that enrages Don and he goes on Radio 4 to share his outrage。 Unfortunately that leads to his demise as a Cambridge don but does lead to a new life as a Gallery director in London。His excursions around London are brilliantly captured and his trip to Goldsmiths really had me holding my breath。 His friends are less than helpful even though he lives in a house belonging to his greatest Cambridge ally。 It’s hard to believe that a man in his 40’s is so naive and inexperienced as Don is portrayed but after a few pages you forget that and start to hope he finds some kind of fulfilment。 No spoilers here， you’ll have to read for yourself。Beautifully written and conceived and recommended for the way it captures a certain time and a certain naïveté。I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Tiepolo Blue
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Tiepolo Blue&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Tiepolo Blue&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0