Comment

Apr 22, 2014maipenrai rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
***** stars. At 60, Ms. Quindlen?s complicated heroine, Rebecca Winter, is strong of body and mind, much less so of confidence and bank account. In her 30's, Rebecca made her name with a series of photographs chronicling her domestic life, which were interpreted as landmarks of feminist art. The most famous image in the series, ?Still Life With Bread Crumbs,? featured dirty wineglasses, stacked plates, the torn ends of two baguettes, and a dish towel singed at one corner by the gas stove. Reproduced on postcards, T-shirts and posters, it brought Rebecca unexpected fame. For years she had lived off the reprints and licensing, as well as its reputation. She hadn?t even really noticed how much money it brought in until it disappeared. Now all Rebecca has to show for that early success is her beautiful apartment, overlooking Central Park, bought with the proceeds. Her marriage to a caddish academic dissolved long ago. Her creativity also seems to have fled. In addition she is supporting her parents, one of whom is in a nursing home and does not even recognize Rebecca. In desperation she sublets the apartment at an exorbitant New York rate. This allows her to pay her bills and rent a dilapidated cottage in the countryside. She hopes that she can pull herself together, both financially and artistically. But Rebecca?s crisis is, ultimately, more existential than financial. Marriage and motherhood had fueled her work. The power of those early photographs came from rage, rage at her pompous husband, and rage at herself for being misled into the sort of conventional marriage that involved staying home and cooking complicated French meals for her husband's colleagues and then falling asleep on the couch, leaving behind a flotilla of dirty dishes. The Kitchen Counter series was seen as an iconic moment in women?s art. In fact at the time she took those photographs Rebecca was not making a statement; she was simply exhausted and angry. Now, for the first time, she needs to make her own way, both professionally and personally. The cottage is a ramshackle mess, and she's unprepared for rural life. She calls in a roofer to help with a raccoon in her attic, and not surprisingly he ends up patching up more than her flashing. She rambles in the woods, often in the company of a neglected runaway dog, who adopts her. She gradually begins seeing things differently. When she stumbles upon a series of mysterious tiny handmade crosses planted in the woods, surrounded by what appear to be a child's mementos, she knows she has hit on a subject that is important. Rebecca needs to produce art in order to live. That she does so comes as no surprise. ***** This is a wonderful book in many ways. I loved the simple beauty of the writing, the wonderfully developed character of Rebecca, the gently unfolding love story, and the intricacies of and joys and tragedies in the lives of the people Rebecca encounters in her new world. Yes, even I enjoyed the romance. This is my favorite book of the year so far!! I RECOMMEND IT HIGHLY!!!