The Sidewalk Artist A Novel [Paperback]

Tulia Rose has left New York for Europe, looking for inspiration for her next novel. She didn't expect to discover romance, but after meeting a mysterious sidewalk artist on the streets of Paris, she finds herself falling headfirst in love with a man she barely knows. Her research---and her affair---take her through the great art capitals of the Renaissance, and her novel begins to take shape. It will tell the story of the painter Raphael and his own secret lover, but where has the idea come from? And who really is the man she has fallen in love with? When her novel is finished, will their story end as well?

Alternating between contemporary and historical Italy,The Sidewalk Artistfollows two parallel, intertwined romances, offering a unique view of the creative force that has inspired artists and writers for generations.

A fantasia of a double tale skimming through the art capitals of Europe with double muses, double love pursuits, double Raphaels, even double authors, a tale dripping with idealized romantic settings, mystery, art, and a touch of magic,The Sidewalk Artistwill keep readers wondering what is real and what is artifice--as fine paintings always do.
--Susan Vreeland, author ofGirl in Hyacinth Blue

1) The chapter titles form a poem (see below). What does the poem mean? From whose point of view is it written? When are they speaking?

2) Tulia's present story influences the past story/her novel. Give examples of this. Also, how does the past story influence the present? Provide examples of this as well.

3) How does the sidewalk artist influence and steer Tulia's novel?

4) Find examples of how clues to the ending can be found right from the beginning of the novel.

5) What are the various incarnations of Raphael? Do you think one is more proven and/or truer than any other? Give examples.

6) What is the role of italics in the novel? Look especially at the love scene at the Tuscan villal£%