Paperback
The Colour of Heaven: Large type edition
By James Runcie
From the author of THE DISCOVERY OF CHOCOLATE – a romantic historical quest set in Renaissance Florence and China surrounding the search for ultramarine.
THE COLOUR OF HEAVEN is a fictional account of a young man who travelled to what are now Afghanistan and China to discover lapis lazuli, the precious stone that when turned into ultramarine changed the history of painting – allowing artists to abandon gold as a background and open up depth, landscape and perspective with the most beautiful shade of blue.
Along the way, Paolo suffers the torments of unfulfilled love before he returns to his anxious family in Venice, where he also plays a part in the early development of lenses and spectacles!
Praise for THE DISCOVERY OF CHOCOLATE: -
”'As intoxicating and addictive as the substance it describes. The novel is a triumph of inspired imagination” - Financial Times
”'A work of engaging simplicity which reads well, has plenty of light and shade and never patronises the reader. The potent appeal of chocolate…is vividly captured. Mouth-watering descriptions of food litter the text” - Sunday Telegraph
”'A sensual delight…elegantly written and unashamed fun” - Joanne Harris, The Times