A renaissance artist of the 1460s. A child of a child of the 1960s. Two tales of love and injustice twist into a singular yarn where time gets timeless, knowing gets mysterious, fiction gets real - and all life's givens get given a second chance. 'Dizzyingly good and so clever that it makes you want to dance.' Frances Wilson, New Statesman 'Smith is dazzling in her daring. Her inventive power pulls you through, gasping, to the final page.' Observer 'Rich, strong and moving. Smith's writing really catches fire.' Financial Times 'Down to earth, funny, profound and deeply moving.' Guardian 'Compelling, audacious. Brims with palpable joy, not only at language, literature, and art's transformative power, but at the messy business of being human.' Daily Telegraph 'Inventive, playful, compassionate, sagacious. An immensely enjoyable read.' Daily Express