I Am You

By: Victoria Redel

Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan

This “lush, sexy, absorbing novel” of historical fiction “brings to life two artists who are inextricably linked in passion and competition” (Melissa Febos, bestselling author of Girlhood)

A “captivating” lesbian romance set in the “wonderfully atmospheric” art world of 1600s Amsterdam (Sarah Jessica Parker, SJP Lit)

At eight years old, Gerta Pieters is forced to disguise herself as a boy and sent to work for a genteel Dutch family. When their brilliant and beautiful daughter Maria sees through Gerta’s ruse, she insists that Gerta accompany her to Amsterdam and help her enter the elite, male-dominated art world.

While Maria rises in the ranks of society as a painting prodigy, Gerta makes herself invaluable in every way: confidante, muse, lover. But as Gerta steps into her own talents, their relationship fractures into a complex web of obsession and rivalry—and the secrets they keep threaten to unravel everything.

A mesmerizing historical novel, I Am You is a meditation on gender, an ode to artistic creation, and an unforgettable love story that reimagines the life of renowned still life painter Maria van Oosterwijck during the Dutch Golden Age.

“A stunning accomplishment.” —Michael Cunningham, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Day and The Hours

“[A] transporting epic of making art and love.” —Booklist

Astonishingly good

It’s been so long since I read a book this good. The magnificent writing is deeply lush and compelling. Incredible performance by the reader.

Beautifully Written

This was a beautifully written, love, story of forbidden love with an interesting twist on the characters and their personality quirks, as well as as a tale of the haves, and the have nots. The descriptions of the art and the paintings and the paints that were made are so well done and so vividly described. I appreciate the authors research that went into learning about these which she details at the end of the book. There is one very graphic scene of animal abuse which I skipped over because I don’t like those and there was also a sexual assault section which was very descriptive, but not your typical sexual assault. The author did a great job of bringing these two women to life in the story and the narrator did a great job as well.

Loved the information on pigments.

I loved the historical details, the drama of deep and challenging relationships , women artists in history. For me as an artist who makes natural pigments in my work- the details of the processes involved in making paint was a treasure of description.

Great story

I really loved the story of the book. This audio was enjoyable to listen to and had the proper displays of emotion when necessary. The only thing I would change is if the reader could pause a little bit more between separate paragraphs, so that they are clearly different subjects.

brutal and lovely

The narration was absolutely fantastic, with a book that felt nearly perfect. The descriptions, particularly of art and color and pigment, were glorious. Complicated, tangled, sickening, beautiful. A sapphic story about the complication of love, gender, identity, and society.