--- product_id: 18970378 title: "How to be both: A novel" price: "NT$626" currency: TWD in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.tw/products/18970378-how-to-be-both-a-novel store_origin: TW region: Taiwan --- # How to be both: A novel **Price:** NT$626 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** How to be both: A novel - **How much does it cost?** NT$626 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tw](https://www.desertcart.tw/products/18970378-how-to-be-both-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description How to be both: A novel [Smith, Ali] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. How to be both: A novel Review: Poetic, realistic, stunning - When I started reading How to Be Both I was slightly apprehensive: was I about to read a very long poem? Why did the first pages have such a strange shape? Then it dawned upon me that its protagonist, painter Francesco del Cossa, had died centuries ago. The jaggedness of the first pages had to do with his ghost being transported to 21st century Cambridge. Getting used to his new situation as a ghost, Francesco regains his ability to talk fluently. Towards the end, when he is about to disappear again, his words become raggedly. almost poetic again. How to Be Both contains two stories: Francesco observing a young girl who has studied one of his paintings; the other the young girl, George, telling her story. I started reading about Francesco, only to discover later on that there are also versions of How to Be Both that start off with George. As it turned out my e-book contained both: after I had finished George’s story, it relooped. This time starting with George. I am glad I was given Francesco’s story first. As he became increasingly intrigued by the young girl and her strange behaviour (not counting the things he as a Renaissance painter would obviously find strange, such as taking pictures with her I-pad), I also found myself increasingly wondering who the girl was and what part she was going to play in How to Be Both? I am not sure whether I would have been just as intrigued if I had read about George first and next about the painter she is that preoccupied with. Truth of the matter is that it is all hypothetical: I was given Francesco first and I am pleased about it. Francesco talks about his life, his aim to become a famous painter and the people he knew. When he talks about painting it becomes quite apparent that he is totally dedicated to his art. We meet George after her mother has died; she remembers the time she visited Italy with her mother and brother and went to visit the beautiful fresco’s painted by a rather unknown painter, Francesco del Cossa. Their stories are intertwined in an intricate way. It is not just the fact that they kind of meet, its is also the fact that there are certain parallels in their lives and personalities. Francesco (or rather Francesca) speaks her opinionated mind through her paintings, George through questioning facts. Both their mothers fed this tendency by never letting them accept the way things are at the surface: both girls have to look for what is beneath the surface. How to Be Both is poetic, philosophical and challenges its reader. In return the reader is rewarded with a love story, albeit one structured and told in a significantly different way. I was deeply touched by George and her sorrow, I rooted for Francesco’s goal to become a famous painter. I was sad when I turned the last page. BooksandLiliane Review: Present and past - A lovely, intelligent book, lyrically written but challenging in spots. It's really two books, one in the present, about a young English woman who loses her mother unexpectedly and has to deal with the loss, growing up, her alcoholic dad and annoying younger brother, and her confused affection for another young woman at her school. She remembers her mom's surprise trip to Italy to see a 15thC fresco and how they interacted, how she might have loved her mom more or been kinder to her, and how she felt upon seeing the fresco. The second book (SPOILER ALERT) is narrated by the ghost of the 15thC artist who painted the fresco, who sees the English family as they admire his work, and who shadows the young woman as she struggles to come to grips with her grief and her love. The artist struggles to recall his own life and upbringing and how he came to paint the fresco. At least three of the characters--the young woman, her mother, and the artist--struggle to grasp and accept their own sexuality, with mostly successful results. I am sure the book's title is at least in part a reference to sexual duality, as well as a meditation on the constant present. The first book is written in a fairly standard style, but without typical punctuation for direct quotation. The second book is far more experimental in style, with long, unpunctuated, disjointed, stream-of-consciousness thoughts by the artist. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #119,222 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #902 in Historical British & Irish Literature #4,653 in Literary Fiction (Books) #7,242 in Historical Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 3.7 out of 5 stars 1,476 Reviews | ## Images ![How to be both: A novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91J1oTLVAVL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Poetic, realistic, stunning *by L***S on November 11, 2014* When I started reading How to Be Both I was slightly apprehensive: was I about to read a very long poem? Why did the first pages have such a strange shape? Then it dawned upon me that its protagonist, painter Francesco del Cossa, had died centuries ago. The jaggedness of the first pages had to do with his ghost being transported to 21st century Cambridge. Getting used to his new situation as a ghost, Francesco regains his ability to talk fluently. Towards the end, when he is about to disappear again, his words become raggedly. almost poetic again. How to Be Both contains two stories: Francesco observing a young girl who has studied one of his paintings; the other the young girl, George, telling her story. I started reading about Francesco, only to discover later on that there are also versions of How to Be Both that start off with George. As it turned out my e-book contained both: after I had finished George’s story, it relooped. This time starting with George. I am glad I was given Francesco’s story first. As he became increasingly intrigued by the young girl and her strange behaviour (not counting the things he as a Renaissance painter would obviously find strange, such as taking pictures with her I-pad), I also found myself increasingly wondering who the girl was and what part she was going to play in How to Be Both? I am not sure whether I would have been just as intrigued if I had read about George first and next about the painter she is that preoccupied with. Truth of the matter is that it is all hypothetical: I was given Francesco first and I am pleased about it. Francesco talks about his life, his aim to become a famous painter and the people he knew. When he talks about painting it becomes quite apparent that he is totally dedicated to his art. We meet George after her mother has died; she remembers the time she visited Italy with her mother and brother and went to visit the beautiful fresco’s painted by a rather unknown painter, Francesco del Cossa. Their stories are intertwined in an intricate way. It is not just the fact that they kind of meet, its is also the fact that there are certain parallels in their lives and personalities. Francesco (or rather Francesca) speaks her opinionated mind through her paintings, George through questioning facts. Both their mothers fed this tendency by never letting them accept the way things are at the surface: both girls have to look for what is beneath the surface. How to Be Both is poetic, philosophical and challenges its reader. In return the reader is rewarded with a love story, albeit one structured and told in a significantly different way. I was deeply touched by George and her sorrow, I rooted for Francesco’s goal to become a famous painter. I was sad when I turned the last page. BooksandLiliane ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Present and past *by M***O on February 5, 2015* A lovely, intelligent book, lyrically written but challenging in spots. It's really two books, one in the present, about a young English woman who loses her mother unexpectedly and has to deal with the loss, growing up, her alcoholic dad and annoying younger brother, and her confused affection for another young woman at her school. She remembers her mom's surprise trip to Italy to see a 15thC fresco and how they interacted, how she might have loved her mom more or been kinder to her, and how she felt upon seeing the fresco. The second book (SPOILER ALERT) is narrated by the ghost of the 15thC artist who painted the fresco, who sees the English family as they admire his work, and who shadows the young woman as she struggles to come to grips with her grief and her love. The artist struggles to recall his own life and upbringing and how he came to paint the fresco. At least three of the characters--the young woman, her mother, and the artist--struggle to grasp and accept their own sexuality, with mostly successful results. I am sure the book's title is at least in part a reference to sexual duality, as well as a meditation on the constant present. The first book is written in a fairly standard style, but without typical punctuation for direct quotation. The second book is far more experimental in style, with long, unpunctuated, disjointed, stream-of-consciousness thoughts by the artist. ### ⭐⭐⭐ Some of the CDs arrived damaged. Won’t play. *by P***R on September 9, 2022* I would not buy from this vendor again. The first and second CD were fine but the third one won’t play. Damage was not caused by me. Book is very good or at least the first two CDs were interesting. Trying to deal with Amazon customer service is beyond frustrating so this is my only venue to complain. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tw/products/18970378-how-to-be-both-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.tw/products/18970378-how-to-be-both-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart Taiwan* *Store origin: TW* *Last updated: 2026-04-23*