Naked Paperback – November 18, 2013

Loved this novel by Betsy Franco. There are so many ideas for novels, but few want to do justice to those who deserve some. Betsy's unusual empathy and compassion fascinate me and are brought to life in NAKED.Wandering through the Rodin sculpture garden on Stanford Campus is a special experience. Be careful reading this book - you'll be booking a trip to the Bay Area for your next vacation.Thank you Betsy.

I was sobbing through the last pages (though with a smile), didn't want the story to end. Yet of course it had to.... Dreamy, imaginative but with a refreshing punch of true raw feelings! Being an European in US, I was pleasantly surprised with some deja vu, and the truly thought-through deep knowledge about the character Camille! Not going to tell you more, just read it!

The title of this book is a little misleading. I love Rodin sculptures so that was what drew me to it. The very beginning was a little confusing, but I was hooked before finishing the sample on Kindle.

Love it, amazing book.

I just finished Betsy Franco's 1st adult novel, Naked. I have one thing to say to Betsy right up front - please tell me that you will be writing more adult novels. I loved this book. It's well-written, emotionally charged, and extremely clever. I love a unique premise. In fact, it reminds me of Stephen King's 11/22/63. In that book, you have to accept the concept of time travel. And then everything flows very plausibly from that point forward.Naked is the same kind of thing. Camille Claudel was a muse for Auguste Rodin from 1884 to 1900. She was also his lover for a large portion of that time. She actually lived to be 79 and died in 1943 embittered and lonely. But what would happen if she came back today as an 18-year old in the Rodin Sculpture Garden on the Stanford campus? And what would happen if she met a 19-year old boy who was taking a performance art class in summer school before starting college at Chapman in Southern California? And what if he was studying Rodin and Claudel for his term paper? The answers are...I'm not tellin'. But based on an unusual premise, the story unfolds in a very believable way.There are some things I will tell you, without giving anything away:1. Sensous doesn't have to mean sexual. (Do you remember when Tom Hanks takes Meg Ryan's hand at the end of Sleepless in Seattle? Pretty sensual, don't you think?)2. I worried for much of the book that Camille (who gives herself the name Cat) would disappear the same way she appeared. That's how caught up in the characters I was.3. At one point late in the book, I audibly said: "Oh, no, no, no, no, no." (Don't jump to any conclusions. Do you think I would give up a big plot point?)4. I was in Paris a couple of years ago and visited the Rodin Museum. It was cool to read a story about Rodin, but it does NOT make the book any more interesting to me than it will be to you.5. Just like King in 11/22/63, Betsy gets the ending right.People, I really urge you all to read Naked. I guarantee that you will like it. Have I ever steered you wrong?

First of all, have you ever read a book written and illustrated by a mother-son team? How cool is that? I thoroughly enjoyed this imaginative read! True to its name, Naked is about raw vulnerability and the freedom that can bring. Franco takes on the challenge of weaving history, whimsy and depth and the result is a delightful (and educational!) coming-of-age story for readers young adult and up! Check it out!

This book brought me back to my twenties and what it means to love so deeply you lose yourself in someone else. Wander through the Rodin sculpture garden, haunted with the artist and his muse, uncover your soul, and set free your demons. Read this book to awaken those lost loves and remember how they touched you.

This coming-of-age novel gently leads the reader into an exploration of art, madness, history, and violence through an unusual love story. It stayed with me long after I'd finished reading. I still sometimes have to remind myself that the characters I met in the book were fictional. A terrific read for young adults and adults alike. A gem!