Suzanne
Rating:
Review
Psychiatrist Andrew Marlow has a mystery on his hands: why did notable painter Robert Oliver attack a painting called
"Leda" at the National Gallery of Art with a knife? Why has Robert stopped talking since he was admitted to the psychiatric ward? Why did he have a packet of letters in French that are over a hundred years old on his person? Andrew is left to his own devices to try to figure out what's going on with the new, silent patient under his care. As he talks with Robert's ex-wife, also a painter, and later another woman he was involved with, Andrew feels strangely drawn into his research until both he and I wondered if he might be crossing some doctor/patient lines. Both women describe Robert as a charismatic, ruggedly attractive, almost larger-than-life artist. Robert's few intense relationships make Andrew much more aware of his own solitary existence. But his research is only bringing up more questions: who is the woman Robert's been painting obsessively for years on end? Andrew travels increasingly far from home to interview anyone from Robert's past who might give him a clue. All of the main characters in this story are artists except for Andrew, and I enjoyed reading about what artists' lives are like. However, this story doesn't need to be nearly this long to be told well. By the end my attention was wandering a bit.
Best Line:
"If my conscience had been a person at that moment, I might have strangled him." (pg. 68)
Kim
Rating:
Review
Dr. Andrew Marlow is tasked with trying to help, and heal, a new patient, painter Robert Oliver, after Robert's sudden attack on a painting at a museum. Robert's decent into mental illness has been some time coming, as Marlow learns when he first reads a cache of 100 year-old letters Robert has in his possession, along with interviews with Robert's ex-wife, Kate, and former lover, Mary. The histories of several 19th century painters are expertly woven into Robert's, and Marlow's, current day lives, making this a full-bodied story, albeit a little long for this reader. Ms. Kostova's writing is straight forward without being blunt, and very descriptive, especially with scenery and breathtaking locals, and matters of the heart, most notably Marlow's. If you have some time on your hands, give this one a whirl.
Best Line:
"We don't know exactly when we get stuck, or lose the energy to work for change, but we do."
