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Fiction.
Literature.
HTML:NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR
“Taut, elegant . . . Black is a writer of great wisdom.”—Claire Messud, The Guardian (UK)
Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more.
Augusta Edelman—Gus to her friends—is a painter, a wife, and not always the best judge of her own choices—one of them bad enough that she and her husband, Owen, have fled their longtime city home and its reminders of troubling events. Now, three years into their secluded country life, Gus works daily on the marriage she nearly lost, discovers new inspiration for her art, and contemplates the mysteries of a childhood tragedy. But this quiet, healing rhythm is forever shattered one hot July day when a stranger moves into the abandoned house next door and crosses more boundaries than just those between their lands. A fierce, honest, and moving portrait of a woman grappling with her fate, Life Drawing is a debut novel as beautiful and unsparing as the human heart.
Praise for Life Drawing
“The page-turning suspense of Robin Black’s novel comes from her beautiful, honest portrait of a marriage, of a life. . . . A novel of consequence, and a stunning one.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Gripping . . . the power of this story is how it illuminates, in utterly compelling detail, the complex give-and-take of a couple trying to save their marriage.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
This gorgeously written deconstruction of a marriage drew me in with its deep analysis of marriage and of the creative process, its detail of the quotidian, and its wise reflection on the the outsize impact a single choice or act can have on the symbiosis (stasis?) of a long relationship. Many relationships are discussed, but the focus is on how events impact the marital relationship.
Gus (officially Augusta) made some bad choices years ago and her husband, Owen, cannot get over it. They never discuss this other than those times when Owen's lingering rage pops up and he reminds her of her "villainy"to trigger her self-loathing and fear of abandonment. Mostly though they maintain a fragile detente with the agreement to never speak of her actions or of Owen's feelings of guilt and useless due to his infertility and his writer's block.
The erosion of a committed relationship never comes down to one event or one partner but the choice to hold everything hurtful in some locked room where it is never spoken of is often the main catalyst in a relationship's demise. Black provides a chilling and true picture of how that works. In my own long deceased relationship my ex-husband was infertile. We could have worked through it, but he absolutely refused to discuss his infertility or adoption or artificial insemination. When you cannot discuss the most important thing in your lives you stop talking about anything important, and silence and politeness eventually asphyxiates the relationship. From my experience I think Black shows us exactly how this process feels.
Mostly I loved the book, but I did think some characters and events were poorly integrated into the central story. Gus's interactions with her father, who has Alzheimer's, were clunky, unrealistic, and unnecessary, I think Black was trying to tie the story of how some violent outbursts from her father that ended almost as quickly as they started, and his consequent forced and permanent move from regular assisted living to a locked ward, related to Gus's own misstep and consequent prison of polite solitude. I did not think that succeeded. I also wish Black had made the neighbors, Alison and Nora (who are, among other things, the catalysts for the book's climax) less stupid. All in all though I understood all of these people, I was interested in them, and I was blown away by Gus's observations and Black's writing prowess. Highly recommend this one. ( )
Why, yes, life is complicated. And relationships are MESSY. This is my first Robin Black novel, and I loved her writing. I will be reading more... for sure. ( )
A random book I picked up from the city library based on its name. Now what I was thinking, but unexpectedly good. An enchanting story about seclusion, betrayal, art, life. Very real. I could not tear myself away. ( )
Life Drawing. Robin Black. 2014. Gus, the narrator and an artist, and her husband Owen, a writer move out of the city into a messy, comfortable farmhouse when an aunt leaves them a little money. They’re contented to be alone and work for the most part, although Owen is beset with writer’s block, but Gus is painting away and it is hard for Owen. Alison, a new divorcee, moves to the deserted house next door and gradually becomes involved in their life, to the dismay of Owen. Right away, you know Alison will bring trouble, however the trouble is Nora, Alison daughter who is immediately attracted to Owen. The book dragged in parts, but I enjoyed reading about the Gus’ paintings and how she developed them. A nice little readable romance that has enough suspense to get the plot going. ( )
Informació del coneixement compartit en anglès.Modifica-la per localitzar-la a la teva llengua.
The greatest Happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves. ------------------Victor Hugo
Our dead are never dead to s, until we have forgotten them. -----------George Eliot
Dedicatòria
Informació del coneixement compartit en anglès.Modifica-la per localitzar-la a la teva llengua.
For my children, Elizabeth, David and Annie & For my mother, Barbara Aronstein Black
Primeres paraules
Informació del coneixement compartit en anglès.Modifica-la per localitzar-la a la teva llengua.
In the days leading up to my husband Owen's death, he visited Alison's house every afternoon.
Citacions
Darreres paraules
Informació del coneixement compartit en anglès.Modifica-la per localitzar-la a la teva llengua.
And then, when the sun has fallen into the pond, I thaw some stew for dinner and we share it, sitting on the couch in front of a fire, the chaos and beauty of a milliner's shop before our eyes.
Fiction.
Literature.
HTML:NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR
“Taut, elegant . . . Black is a writer of great wisdom.”—Claire Messud, The Guardian (UK)
Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more.
Augusta Edelman—Gus to her friends—is a painter, a wife, and not always the best judge of her own choices—one of them bad enough that she and her husband, Owen, have fled their longtime city home and its reminders of troubling events. Now, three years into their secluded country life, Gus works daily on the marriage she nearly lost, discovers new inspiration for her art, and contemplates the mysteries of a childhood tragedy. But this quiet, healing rhythm is forever shattered one hot July day when a stranger moves into the abandoned house next door and crosses more boundaries than just those between their lands. A fierce, honest, and moving portrait of a woman grappling with her fate, Life Drawing is a debut novel as beautiful and unsparing as the human heart.
Praise for Life Drawing
“The page-turning suspense of Robin Black’s novel comes from her beautiful, honest portrait of a marriage, of a life. . . . A novel of consequence, and a stunning one.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Gripping . . . the power of this story is how it illuminates, in utterly compelling detail, the complex give-and-take of a couple trying to save their marriage.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
“Truly brilliant . . . [Black] is that rare writer whose gift for prose is matched by her mastery of the other elements that make a great novel. . . . [Her] psychological prowess and incisive observations lend an edge even to seemingly straightforward scenes.”—Chicago Tribune “Races to its resolution . . . Black’s writing is clear and direct [with] observations about the way people relate that resonate well after the book is closed.”—The New York Times Book Review.
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1
Gus (officially Augusta) made some bad choices years ago and her husband, Owen, cannot get over it. They never discuss this other than those times when Owen's lingering rage pops up and he reminds her of her "villainy"to trigger her self-loathing and fear of abandonment. Mostly though they maintain a fragile detente with the agreement to never speak of her actions or of Owen's feelings of guilt and useless due to his infertility and his writer's block.
The erosion of a committed relationship never comes down to one event or one partner but the choice to hold everything hurtful in some locked room where it is never spoken of is often the main catalyst in a relationship's demise. Black provides a chilling and true picture of how that works. In my own long deceased relationship my ex-husband was infertile. We could have worked through it, but he absolutely refused to discuss his infertility or adoption or artificial insemination. When you cannot discuss the most important thing in your lives you stop talking about anything important, and silence and politeness eventually asphyxiates the relationship. From my experience I think Black shows us exactly how this process feels.
Mostly I loved the book, but I did think some characters and events were poorly integrated into the central story. Gus's interactions with her father, who has Alzheimer's, were clunky, unrealistic, and unnecessary, I think Black was trying to tie the story of how some violent outbursts from her father that ended almost as quickly as they started, and his consequent forced and permanent move from regular assisted living to a locked ward, related to Gus's own misstep and consequent prison of polite solitude. I did not think that succeeded. I also wish Black had made the neighbors, Alison and Nora (who are, among other things, the catalysts for the book's climax) less stupid. All in all though I understood all of these people, I was interested in them, and I was blown away by Gus's observations and Black's writing prowess. Highly recommend this one. (