Susan Vreeland (1946–2017)

I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. Things were a bit confusing at first until I figured out the rhythm of the book. Vreeland is writing on a timeline spanning hundreds of years but she begins at the end and works backwards. I did not like this method at all and was frustrated that there wasn't a clear changing of hands between time periods---it made it hard to see these as connected stories surrounding this one painting. Instead, it seemed like I was reading a disconnected collection of short stories. It also would have been so nice to have dates at the beginning of each chapter to help imagine the setting. Instead, by the time I had the approximate decade figured out, the story was over. I also would have liked to see her interview at the beginning of the book as a forward. This would have explained some things and helped set the tone for an otherwise convoluted bunch of stories. These things made it very difficult to connect with these stories.

I do give Vreeland very high marks for research though. Everything from early 18th century drainage mills to Erasmus to pigeon keeping was described in satisfactory detail.

I did love the last two stories, though the "mystery" she alludes to in her interview was not at all a mystery---it was pretty clear from the beginning of the story who was the true artist.… (mais)

I generally struggle with historical fiction featuring a real person. I feel compelled to know what is true and what is made up. Fortunately, the internet makes this much easier than in the past. Also, when the featured person died relatively recently, I worry about what family members may think about how their relative is treated. In this case, the author has an obvious respect and sympathy for her character, Emily Carr, which makes it easier to read.

The book didn't have much of a plot, It was the strong character of Emily Carr that held my interest. The book made me think about the acceptance of "women artists". Would Emily's avant-garde style have been more accepted had she been male? Was it a greater transgression for a woman to stray beyond realism than for a man?

Other issues raised include cultural appropriation; not something considered much at the time the novel is set, but certainly an issue today. And spirituality is a major theme. I wondered to what extent a "forest lover" could be religious in the traditional sense prevalent at the time of the novel's setting.

I didn't enjoy the book itself so much as the experience of having read it and thought about the many issues it provoked.… (mais)

Rome, 1611. Agée de dix-huit ans, Artemisia accuse de viol Agostino Tassi, un ami et collègue de son Père le célèbre-peintre Orizio Gentileschi. Humiliée par le tribunal papal, qui refuse de la croire, elle voit son agresseur acquitté, et son honneur bafoué. Pour sauver sa réputation, Artemisia accepte un mariage arrangé et part Pour Florence où son talent saura s'affirmer grâce à l'appui de mécènes. Mais pardonnera-t-elle à son Père de ne pas l'avoir défendue ? Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653), la Première femme peintre reconnue de l'Histoire, connut un destin à nul autre pareil. La passion d'Artemisia retrace la vie de cette artiste singulière, en lutte contre les Préjugés de son époque, et qui suscita l'admiration de Michel-Ange le Jeune, Côme II de Médicis et Galilée.… (mais)

Following the deaths of her parents, Emily Carr endures a "proper" (stifling) existence living with her three older sisters in Victoria, British Columbia, but Emily only feels alive when she's painting, and she feels drawn to paint native art and communities of the Pacific Northwest. Despite her siblings' disapproval, Emily embarks on a number of journeys to remote sites in pursuit of her dream, but the beauty of what she sees contrasts with the increasingly bleak lives of the people she meets and the destruction and theft of their art.

The story is moderately interesting, but this novel is probably one of Vreeland's weakest. Though her passion for art history shines through, this book might be forgettable if it hadn't been based on a real historical figure. It is always fairly uncomfortable reading an author's attempt to depict "broken English," and to rub salt in the wound it appears to have been used inconsistently among the very same speakers. I wouldn't necessarily recommend unless you are already a fan of Vreeland and are working your way through her oeuvre.… (mais)