• Home
  • Browse by…
    • Browse by Genre
      • Children’s
      • Comics
        • Manga
      • General Fiction
        • Adventure
        • Anthologies
        • Crime
        • Fairy Tales
        • Lesbian Pulp Fiction
        • Literary Fiction
        • Novellas
        • Retellings
        • Series
        • Short Stories
        • Thrillers
      • Historical Fiction
        • 1920s
        • Regency
      • Horror
        • Vampires
        • Zombies
      • Mystery
      • Memoirs
      • Nonfiction
        • Biographies
        • Essays
        • History
      • Poetry
      • Romance
        • Butch/Femme
      • Erotica
        • BDSM
      • SFF
        • Sci Fi
          • Dystopia
        • Fantasy
          • Mythical Creatures
            • Mermaids
            • Witches
          • Paranormal
          • Steampunk
          • Urban Fantasy
      • Young Adult
    • Browse by Rating
      • 5 Stars
      • 4 Stars
      • 3 Stars
      • 2 Stars
      • 1 Star
    • Browse by Representation
      • POC Content
        • Main Characters of Color
        • Black Representation
        • Asian Representation
        • Latina Representation
        • Indigenous Representation
      • Authors of Color
        • Black Authors
        • Asian Authors
        • Latina Authors
        • Indigenous Authors
      • Lesbian Representation
        • Lesbian Authors
      • Bisexual Representation
        • Bisexual Authors
      • Trans Representation
        • Trans Authors
        • Nonbinary Representation
      • Asexual Representation
        • Asexual Authors
      • Disability Representation
      • Neurodiverse Representation
      • Mental Health
    • Browse by Reviewer
      • Danika Ellis
      • Alice P.
      • Amanda Růžičková
      • Anna N.
      • Caelin
      • Casey
      • Emilia Ferrante
      • Emory Rose
      • Ire
      • Jamie Rose
      • Jazelle
      • Kathryne Slant
      • Kody
      • Laurel
      • Liv
      • Meagan Kimberley
      • Nat
      • Rachel Friars
      • Raquel R. Rivera
      • Sritama Sen
      • Susan
      • Susanne Salehi
      • Theo
      • Til
      • Vic
  • Recommendations List
  • About
  • Review Policy
  • Support the Lesbrary
  • Advertise with the Lesbrary

The Lesbrary

Sapphic Book Reviews

Lesbrary Reviews

Danika reviews The Last Nude by Ellis Avery

August 4, 2012 by Danika Ellis

This book is so good. Like emily m danforth, Ellis Avery has managed to shoot near the top of my list of authors to watch out for after only reading one book of hers. The Last Nude is a beautiful, evocative story of a bittersweet romance between a painter and a model during 1920s Paris. I say that I don’t usually like historical fiction, but after reading Sarah Waters’s books and The Last Nude, I may have to change my mind. Avery based her story around the biographical fact that Tamara de Lempicka had a brief relationship with her model, Rafaela, and produces six paintings of her during that time. As well, the last painting Lempicka was working on before she died was Beautiful Rafela. Avery imagines their whole relationship in exquisite detail. 1920s Paris is carefully rendered, and there are cameos from 1920s celebrities, authors, and fellow queer women, such as Gertrude Stein. The famous French bookstore Shakespeare & Company also plays a role. The Last Nude is also just written beautifully. Rafaela is a very compelling narrator. She’s only 17 and falls head over heels for Tamara–she is passionate and very likeable. The Last Nude also convinced me to seek out Lempicka’s paintings, to provide context to the story. I highly recommend The Last Nude, and I can’t wait to pick up Avery’s previous novel, The Teahouse Fire.

Categories: Lesbrary Reviews
Tags: , danika, Ellis Avery

Related Posts

Sheila reviews Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Danika reviews Crocodile Soup by Julia Darling
Carolina reads The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
The Space Between Worlds coverSliding Doors Meets Mad Max: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
Previous:
Casey reviews Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson
Next:
Lesbrary Link Round Up: August 2-7

Comments

  1. caseythecanadianlesbrarian says

    August 6, 2012 at 3:30 pm

    Sounds awesome! I am definitely adding this to my to-read list!

    • Danika @ The Lesbrary says

      August 7, 2012 at 8:24 am

      You should! I really enjoyed it.

About Me

About the Lesbrary

The Lesbrary is a sapphic book blog that started in 2010. It's run by Danika Ellis, and we have about a dozen reviewers from around the world recommending sapphic books in every genre. Check out the top navigation bar for more about the Lesbrary as well as options to browse by genre, age category, rating, and more.

Sapphic Book Blogs

  • Bi and Lesbian Literature: The Lesbrary's tumblr
  • Autostraddle's Books Coverage
  • I Heart Sapphfic
  • The Lesbian Review
  • Okazu: Yuri Manga

Queer Book Blogs

  • Book Riot's LGBTQ Coverage
  • Gay League: LGBT Comics
  • Lambda Literary
  • LGBTQ Reads
  • LGBTQ Reads tumblr
  • Our Queerest Shelves: My LGBTQ Books Newsletter at Book Riot.
Theme by SkyandStars.co
Back Top

Copyright © 2025