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deah's review against another edition
4.0
"portrait of a lady on fire meets soliloquy of a spanish cloister" it really is true that all the weirdly specific itch-scratching gay media you want already exists
21stcenturyfox's review against another edition
3.0
Well, that wasn't what I expected!
I delayed finishing this book for weeks, I set it aside to read other books, but inclined to pick it up again, it's quite a short read.
The book is about a painter Henry MacAlpine, a self-exiled artist, leaving his rising career to a small island in Scotland ever so abruptly and his relationship with William Nasmyth, an old friend and renowned art critic who he felt contempt for an unknown reason until later revealed.
It captures the relationship between a painter and a critic and pushes it into depravity. The painter and their artworks are often the subject of the critic; they could make or break their career. Here the role is reversed, the critic who is usually in charge of their opinion becomes the sitter -- the subject of the artist, stripped off of their own judgement and have the artist, quite literally, paint their own interpretation of him. In this book Henry -- the painter -- is given full authority, hence the second person point of view, which works for me, but because of the lack of dialogue and interaction between the characters, as Henry obviously dominates the speech and we, being put in the sitter position, are forced to basically put up with his ramblings, it can be pretty hollow at times, however Henry describes everything quite meticulously.
The two gentlemen are both incredibly selfish in their own ways. Henry breaks down their friendship from the beginning, when they first met, him as a naïve working class boy from Scotland with big dream of becoming a painter, who all he knew of painting was from working as an illustrator for magazines and looked up to William -- arrogant and confident critic who had seen so much -- with reverence and admiration as he shows Henry the arts he had seen many times over, which was a new world for him. Their relationship was mutualistic, Henry to bring back the joy and excitement William had lost and William as his tutelage. To when Henry, now ripe with knowledge, began to form his own opinion. Later the reason William decided to visit him after years of being apart is revealed.
And the ladies, I didn't get their reoccurrence at first, I slightly doubted their importance and I had marked many other parts as foreshadows that turned out not to be foreshadows at all, but when it gets to the turning point, my jaw dropped! Although I did correctly guess Evelyn and Jacky's involvement with each other. Henry just doesn't get it! I appreciate the way their love is portrayed, although with its own limitations and Henry's judgement because this book is from his perspective anyway.
The second person point of view was cool, I think it's well-written, even though sometimes it can be quite stale. The ending was good, although it could've been better, I feel like the climax is at the near end instead of the ending itself. Enjoyed it regardless.
I delayed finishing this book for weeks, I set it aside to read other books, but inclined to pick it up again, it's quite a short read.
The book is about a painter Henry MacAlpine, a self-exiled artist, leaving his rising career to a small island in Scotland ever so abruptly and his relationship with William Nasmyth, an old friend and renowned art critic who he felt contempt for an unknown reason until later revealed.
It captures the relationship between a painter and a critic and pushes it into depravity. The painter and their artworks are often the subject of the critic; they could make or break their career. Here the role is reversed, the critic who is usually in charge of their opinion becomes the sitter -- the subject of the artist, stripped off of their own judgement and have the artist, quite literally, paint their own interpretation of him. In this book Henry -- the painter -- is given full authority, hence the second person point of view, which works for me, but because of the lack of dialogue and interaction between the characters, as Henry obviously dominates the speech and we, being put in the sitter position, are forced to basically put up with his ramblings, it can be pretty hollow at times, however Henry describes everything quite meticulously.
The two gentlemen are both incredibly selfish in their own ways. Henry breaks down their friendship from the beginning, when they first met, him as a naïve working class boy from Scotland with big dream of becoming a painter, who all he knew of painting was from working as an illustrator for magazines and looked up to William -- arrogant and confident critic who had seen so much -- with reverence and admiration as he shows Henry the arts he had seen many times over, which was a new world for him. Their relationship was mutualistic, Henry to bring back the joy and excitement William had lost and William as his tutelage. To when Henry, now ripe with knowledge, began to form his own opinion. Later the reason William decided to visit him after years of being apart is revealed.
And the ladies, I didn't get their reoccurrence at first, I slightly doubted their importance and I had marked many other parts as foreshadows that turned out not to be foreshadows at all, but when it gets to the turning point, my jaw dropped! Although I did correctly guess Evelyn and Jacky's involvement with each other. Henry just doesn't get it! I appreciate the way their love is portrayed, although with its own limitations and Henry's judgement because this book is from his perspective anyway.
The second person point of view was cool, I think it's well-written, even though sometimes it can be quite stale. The ending was good, although it could've been better, I feel like the climax is at the near end instead of the ending itself. Enjoyed it regardless.
littletaiko's review against another edition
3.0
This was a short, suspenseful tale told entirely in the form of a one-sided conversation with the portrait painter doing all the talking to his subject - a former friend and art critic. Personally, I found this book fascinating and enjoyed it quite a bit. Loved the building tension as the book neared it's inevitable conclusion. However, I can see where this book wouldn't work for everybody. I would recommend reading this book in one sitting, if possible, to get the full effect and to have the story make sense.
maddie_hollar's review against another edition
4.0
This book made me laugh, made me sit and stare and close the book to think of the fine line portrayed between deep love and passionate hate, and what happens when a painter paints a critique of the art critic. This is told in stream of consciousness form, so you never know whether the narrator is speaking to the art critic (his subject for the portrait and on whom he wants revenge) or just thinking. The suspense builds and builds. You know what will happen from the get go, or at least suspect it. You think why would the artist do this? You learn why. Then it ends, right before he actually does what you’ve known for ages he’s going to do, and it’s like ending before a resolve in a piano piece. It’s purposeful and it’s beautiful. You’re left with your imagination to help you draw conclusions and your knowledge gained from trust of the narrator.
aage's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Interesting premise. Well written, too, with a number of quotable lines and ideas on art theory, relevance, and relationships.
That said, I wish I had been warned in advance that this book is written entirely as a one-sided monologue, which never diverts and drones on and on until the predictable finish.
In the words of Henry McAlpine, “You’re not really interested in how I came to live on this island, are you? …. But I’ll tell you anyway. It will be your punishment”.
That said, I wish I had been warned in advance that this book is written entirely as a one-sided monologue, which never diverts and drones on and on until the predictable finish.
In the words of Henry McAlpine, “You’re not really interested in how I came to live on this island, are you? …. But I’ll tell you anyway. It will be your punishment”.
blueskygreentreesyellowsun's review against another edition
5.0
This book is written in the first person and involves no dialog between the characters, instead relying on a combination of the narrator's monologue, responses to "anticipated" questions on the part of the other person, and narrator's recollections in order to move the plot forward. It sounds weird but is fun to read.
dreynoldsbook's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lillyturmel's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is best read in a few sittings, but if you love character driven books this is perfect. it’s easy to read and depicts spite and revenge in a beautiful way