The Times (London)
"Kazan’s ability to conjure the majesty and misery of the Renaissance in Florence makes The Painter of Souls one of my most cherished reads of the year. The Fra Lippi lovingly drawn by Kazan’s pen is as gorgeous as the subjects of the artist’s famous paintings."
The New York Times
"Kazan conjures up Florence as a magnificent stew of street life: market sellers, beggars, gangs, petty criminals, pretty boys turning tricks in the shadows, all characters who, in the hands of the right painter, might light up church walls with their spontaneous flawed humanity. The process of creation is finely drawn, both the physical labor and the meditative concentration it induces. Kazan clearly loves Lippi’s work and this affection saturates his writing."
Booklist
"A compelling story that takes place in a world that Kazan imbues with all the sights, sounds, and smells of fifteenth-century Florence."
Historical Novel Society
"Kazan has built a beautiful novel, lit from within by the luminosity of the art he describes. Kazan effectively draws the reader into the world of Renaissance Florence in all its glory and squalor. His main characters are believable and complex, and the language he uses is precise and luminous."
From the Publisher
Wonderfully textured, evocative novel...an irresistible feast of painting and quattrocento Italy, beautifully written and magnificently researched, it is sheer pleasure from start to finish.—Elizabeth Buchan, DAILY MAIL
Neatly done, every aspect serving to celebrate the transformative power of art and the crucial role played by Fillipo's worldly compassion.—GLASGOW HERALD
Booklist
A compelling story that takes place in a world that Kazan imbues with all the sights, sounds, and smells of fifteenth-century Florence.
The New York Times
Kazan conjures up Florence as a magnificent stew of street life: market sellers, beggars, gangs, petty criminals, pretty boys turning tricks in the shadows, all characters who, in the hands of the right painter, might light up church walls with their spontaneous flawed humanity. The process of creation is finely drawn, both the physical labor and the meditative concentration it induces. Kazan clearly loves Lippi’s work and this affection saturates his writing.
The Sunday Telegraph (London) [praise for 'Appetite']
Vivid period atmosphere, colourful personalities and stirring action
The Sunday Telegraph (praise for APPETITE)
Vivid period atmosphere, colourful personalities and stirring action
Red Magazine (praise for APPETITE)
A celebration of the senses: what Patrick Suskind'sPerfumedid for scents, this does for flavors. A love story that will also appeal to fans of Joanne Harris'Chocolat. An addictive page-turner.”
The Sunday Times (London) (praise for APPETITE)
Kazan's rich, sensuous prose is always a pleasure.
