
Ebook: 377 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction, Lesbian, Art History,
Publisher: Picador, July 2026,
Source: NetGalley
First Sentence: Mother, I write to you from another life.
Review Quote: A deeply felt debut -- Chloe Ashby, The Art Newspaper
My Opinion:
'Venus Vanishing' is the debut novel from Rebecca. As she is known for her work in feminist and unorthodox art history, it is no surprise that her inspiration came from these interests.
The characters Kurt and Elke Grese draw the young Jewish protagonist Hannah Sherman into their lives, without Hannah in her innocence realising that she was being used. Although the main characters are fictional the author has woven their stories into real life in pre WWII Berlin, when many peoples lives were ruined by the rise of the German Reich.
A fascinating read with an obviously well researched art element. The author's historical notes make this clear and they are well worth reading at the end of the novel. Recommended to fans of historical fiction and art history.
With thanks to NetGalley, Picador and the author for the opportunity to read and review.
Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:
Venus, Vanishing is the blisteringly passionate and page-turning debut novel from Rebecca Birrell, of desire, art, and the stories lost to the darkness of history – for readers of Sarah Waters, Yael van der Wouden, and Alice Winn.
Berlin, 1928. Hannah is new to the pleasures and freedoms of the city. An artist, a runaway, she is building a new life, loving without boundaries and sketching with a cutting edge.
But the party is ending. Hannah begins a recklessly consuming affair with a powerful man’s wife and it soon threatens to do more than ruin both of their reputations. People are disappearing. The shadows of something unspeakable are growing darker. Her art could be the thing that secures her survival – or will deny her any chance
Author Profile:
Photo and Bio Courtesy of Goodreads
Rebecca Birrell grew up in Southport, and currently lives in Cambridge. She studied English Literature at UCL, followed by Women’s Studies at the University of Oxford. She has occupied curatorial positions at the Jewish Museum London, the Department of Prints and Drawing at the British Museum and at the Charleston Trust. In 2018 she undertook a fellowship at the Yale Centre for British Art. She recently completed her PhD at the Edinburgh College of Art. For the next year she will be Assistant Keeper of Paintings, Prints and Drawings at the Fitzwilliam Museum.
Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:




