Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I am waiting on
Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough

Publication Date: March 6th, 2018

Goodreads Summary
A stunning debut novel based on the true story of the iconic painter, Artemisia Gentileschi.

Her mother died when she was twelve, and suddenly Artemisia Gentileschi had a stark choice: a life as a nun in a convent or a life grinding pigment for her father’s paint.

She chose paint.

By the time she was seventeen, Artemisia did more than grind pigment. She was one of Rome’s most talented painters, even if no one knew her name. But Rome in 1610 was a city where men took what they wanted from women, and in the aftermath of rape, Artemisia faced another terrible choice: a life of silence or a life of truth, no matter the cost.

He will not consume
my every thought.
I am a painter.
I will paint.

Joy McCullough’s bold novel in verse is a portrait of an artist as a young woman, filled with the soaring highs of creative inspiration and the devastating setbacks of a system built to break her. McCullough weaves Artemisia’s heartbreaking story with the stories of the ancient heroines, Susanna and Judith, who become not only the subjects of two of Artemisia’s most famous paintings but sources of strength as she battles to paint a woman’s timeless truth in the face of unspeakable and all-too-familiar violence.

I will show you
what a woman can do.

I am always on the hunt for a good historical fiction book, especially when it focuses on an event or a person I’m not all that familiar with. I think this book will be a major hit for me especially as we explore the life and struggles of this incredibly talented young woman. The release of this book comes at a perfect time as more women are coming forward and speaking out about their experience of sexual assault so, even with the events taking place in the seventeenth century, Artemisia’s story is still relevant today.

What’s your most anticipated book?