The Last Nude

Publisher's Summary

Paris, 1927, a day in July. A destitute young American named Rafaela Fano gets into the car of a dazzling stranger, the Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka. Struggling to halt a downward slide toward prostitution, Rafaela agrees to model for the artist. The two become lovers, and Rafaela inspires Tamara’s most accomplished and prized works of art, including Beautiful Rafaela, “one of the most important nudes of the 20th century” (New York Times).

The relationship between the artist and her muse lasted less than a year, yet in 1980, just before Tamara died, she was working on a copy of Beautiful Rafaela. Author Ellis Avery imagines their affair from Rafaela’s point of view, and the final day of Tamara’s life from the painter’s point of view. A window into Jazz Age Paris as the forces of history close in, The Last Nude is a story of genius and craft, art and money, friendship and desire.

©2011 Ellis Avery. Recorded by arrangement with Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, Inc. (P)2011 HighBridge Company

Critic Reviews

“As erotic and powerful as the paintings that inspired it.” (Emma Donoghue, author of Room)

“Seductive...intelligent...smoking hot.” (Emily Barton, author of Brookland)

a beautiful listen

This a beautiful story of Paris, art, sexuality and aging. I didn't want it to end.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Touching.

I cannot get it out of my head. It will make you think about the hidden issues that the author may not have even intended.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A Good Read

Would you listen to The Last Nude again? Why?

Maybe in a few years because of its poetic writing and strong narration.

What did you like best about this story?

The narration hooked and held me in. The story's protagonist, Rafaela, is a complex and sympathetic character. While I wanted the best for her, she enters into what looks like doomed romance. I kept listening to find out what would happen to her. Would she find true love or end up with a broken heart?

The story itself, while very good, is not excellent. The villains are a little too campy for my taste. Rafaela (the protagonist) and the audiobook narrators do an excellent job holding the story together. Ellis Avery (the author) has a gift for descriptive writing.

What does Th??r??se Plummer and Barbara Caruso bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

The narration is what sucked me in. Brilliantly done.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I wouldn't quite call the book a

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Sure hope this gets made into a movie!!

Where does The Last Nude rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is actually the first fiction audiobook I have purchased (everything is is non-fiction, mostly autobiographies). Ellis Avery did a fabulous job writing it and Therese Plummer and Barbara Caruso's narration was astounding - they ARE Rafaela and Tamara!!

What did you like best about this story?

I liked that it portrayed the development of a relationship from 2 very different perspectives. The attention to detail was great and I could really

Which scene was your favorite?

It's really tough to name one scene as my favorite. The initial love scene has to be right up there tough (love the part when Rafaela hears Tamara take off her rings!). Also liked how Rafaela handles her emotions at the end (better to have loved and lost than never loved at all)

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

In some respects, I wanted the story to continue forever (and not end). It would be wonderful if :The Last Nude

Any additional comments?

Wow, what a great story! I read the paper version of the book first, then bought the Audible version. In some ways, I preferred the paper version (because it took me a while to get used to the narrator), but the audio version is excellent because it causes me to

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Loved this book

Would you listen to The Last Nude again? Why?

Yes - The Performers were spectacular putting you in the story as if watching on a screen. Loved it Loved it.