The Passion Dream Book Author:Whitney Otto From Amazon: — This readable novel spans several centuries and continents, combining fictional characters with historical figures to create an overview of art, especially the role of the patron in its development. In Renaissance Florence, motherless Giulietta Marcel is trained by her father, but she can never become a recognized artist in this ma... more »le-dominated period. Guilietta spies on Michaelangelo, loving him from afar and earning her livelihood by discovering his works, his habits, and his loves and passing this information on to others. One of her artistically designed boxes, meant to hold mementos, is passed down through the generations until a 20th-century descendant, Romy March, becomes its owner. This treasured possession connects her to Giulietta's passion for art and love. During the early 1900s, Romy has more freedom but still must struggle against America's negative view of art as a feminine career and society's aversion to her love for Augustine, an African American. The couple flees first to Harlem and then to Paris in their search for liberation. Romy finally settles in San Francisco in the 1950s, having come to accept herself. This story is much more than a romance. There is much information about art, especially American art during the early 20th century.« less