Fascinating... This is a splendid piece of art history. Carola Hicks writes beautifully

By concentrating her gaze upon one of the outstanding buildings of England, Carola Hicks provides a history of an entire culture

A jewel of a book

One of the great pleasures of this book is the skill with which it interweaves the political narratives of the 15th and 16th centuries with a detailed history of the art form. The windows become a dazzling kaleidoscope in which the stories of the Tudor line and the English Reformation gradually take shape

Well written, well documented, quite often serious but not too grave, allergic to over -imaginative fantasy but not immune to romantic pull of those colourful worsted threads on plain linen. Carola Hicks's book weaves its own spell

A perceptive and sure-footed guide… Hicks tells her fascinating tale with deftest of touches

Hicks' enchantment with the tapestry is compelling and her style confident and writerly

A beguiling study

Engaging

This beautifully written book is a splendid testament to the intelligence, attention to detail, depth of research, and down to earth vision of a first rate scholar

There are still interesting things to be said about Van Eyck's great double portrait

Exploring the double-portrait image in often revelatory detail, Hicks presents a truly inspiring picture of her own

No-one can write, and explain, like Hicks. Here her mastery is complete

This impressive work of art historical scholarship is in every way as engaging as its subject

A rattlingly readable effort... Greig does a fine job revealing tales one suspects the artist may have wished to keep private.

Anybody with an ear for a good story, never mind an eye for fine art, will be beguiled.

Greig's fascinating, intimate biography of Lucian Freud was a revelation. Every question I had about Freud – from the aesthetic to the intrusively gossipy – was answered with great candour and judiciousness… Wry, dry and completely beguiling.

[Greig’s] perceptive observations and eagle’s eye for detail immediately drew me in.

The Freud who emerges in this account is a slippery figure, not only for journalists who tried to explain him but also for his intimates.

Mr Greig's is a compelling portrait of a complete amoralist who became a monstre sacré.

Greig’s portrait glimmers with his eye for the telling detail.

A mesmerising book, seamlessly crafted, totally absorbing, and impossible to put down.

A very readable and enjoyable book, full of salacious detail of the artist and his fascinating life.

This intimate biography of Lucian Freud spares no blushes in its account of one of Britain's greatest painters, tracing his life and work through candid revelations about his views on art, relationships and family.

Building up brush stroke by brush stroke, Greig has produced a three-dimensional study of equal candour. Part demon, part genius, it is an absorbing portrait of the complexity of a strange human character.

An unapologetic mixture of intelligent perception and high gossip... It is, overall, more revealing than anything about [Freud] yet written.

I am captivated by this fascinating memoir... It's an extraordinary read.

Candid and intelligent.

A gripping, page-turning vision of Lucian Freud that penetrates deep into the artist's private life.

Utterly engrossing and lavishly illustrated