Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Tor Books (1994), Edition: 1st, 400 pages
Description
Isabelle Copley's visionary art frees ancient spirits. As the young student of the cruel, brilliant artist Vincent Rushkin, she discovered she could paint images so vividly real they brought her wildest fantasies to life. But when the forces she unleashed brought tragedy to those she loved, she turned her back on her talent -- and on her dreams. Now, twenty years later, Isabelle must come to terms with the shattering memories she has long denied, and unlock the slumbering power of her brush. And, in a dark reckoning with her old master, she must find the courage to live out her dreams and bring the magic back to life.
User reviews
LibraryThing member LibraryCin
Isabelle, an artist, and Kathy, a writer, are best friends in university in the early 1970s. Izzy is studying under a well-renowned artist, Rushkin. What she's learning is that her painting, as do Rushkin's, can bring the characters to life. 20 years later, Kathy has been dead for 5 years, but
The book alternates back and forth between the 70s and the 90s, and it's done very well, the way the story interweaves between the two time periods. I really liked them both and was kept wanting to keep reading.
Show More
always wanted Izzy to illustrate one of her books. When Izzy agrees, some of those characters begin to reappear, along with their evil doppelgangers. The book alternates back and forth between the 70s and the 90s, and it's done very well, the way the story interweaves between the two time periods. I really liked them both and was kept wanting to keep reading.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Fascinating and highly disturbing. The magic is interesting and not any sort of problem for me; the psychology of the numena is - well, it makes sense. The psychology of the humans less so, and the thoroughly scrambled timeline left me more confused than not. I also greatly dislike the 'unreliable
Show More
narrator' trope - in this case I thought Kathy was making things up, talking about walking down the street two days before she died in hospital...then much later I found out it was Isabelle who had it wrong. And the mugging, and...something else she recast into a different set of facts. Ghahh. But at least I knew what the truth was in those two cases before she recast it. And Kathy's various stories - two even in her journal (or maybe not, they're not totally inconsistent, I suppose. But who was Margaret, if not her mother? Step-step?) Rushkin lied most of the time - but some of the time he didn't. John lied some of the time, but most of the time he didn't...The whole thing gave me a headache. It wasn't even consistent within itself - given the final revelation about Rushkin, why was John having trouble? Or did he only think he was? And, and...This is why I find de Lint hard to read. With this lovely story, with fascinating concepts and a nice happy (more or less) ending, I'm still left with more questions than answers. It's going to niggle at me from time to time, probably forever. I think I'm glad I read it, I doubt I will ever reread. Show Less
LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
I keep reading de Lint's books, and almost loving them. But I never quite do. I spent some time today thinking about why, and I think it's that, although I like the type of people he tends to feature as characters, and I tend to agree with many of his themes, I think that what he wants to "say"
Some books, one feels that the action springs from the characters and who they are - in de Lint's, I feel that he's almost walking them through it.
"Memory and Dream" is about a young art student who meets a famous, reclusive artist. He becomes her mentor - but is also controlling and abusive. But - he teaches her a technique of painting that allows her to open a gateway through her paintings, allowing creatures of magic to "step through" and take physical form in our world.
Years later, she has rejected this ability - and through both memories and illusions, we see the story of why - in a tale that involves her best friend's death, friends estranged, hidden child abuse, and a foundation to help troubled kids through art... but also magical beings.
When, five years after her friend's death, a letter that was delayed in the mail arrives, a chain of events is set in motion that will bring all of both the magic and trauma of the past back to be dealt with, and she will realize evil secrets may be deeper than she ever knew.
Actually, that seems to be one of de Lint's themes that I disagree with. If I recall correctly, "Forests of the Heart" had a similar thing going on - someone that people always made excuses for, but who turned out to be PURE EVIL. de Lint seems to be hinting that there isn't such a thing as a flawed person, with both bad and good in them - it's either good or evil, and what people do is just kid themselves that these people aren't really evil. And moreover, I feels there's an agenda behind the writing, to encourage readers to kick those flawed, depressed or controlling/manipulative/abusive people out of their lives. Not that I'm saying that people shouldn't ditch such people - but I think one can recognize an unhealthy relationship without going to the "PURE EVIL!" extreme.
When all the characters fall into "types" (artistic but emotionally sensitive/gullible student, abusive and powerful mentor, rape victim, child abuse victim, well-meaning and kind black social worker, honorable and justice-seeking Native American, good-at-heart gang members, troubled children who are victims of society, etc) it begins to feel a little preachy, and a little idealistic. In this book, I didn't just feel like I was reading a story about people who wanted to run a non-profit agency to help street kids, I felt like I was being exhorted to donate time and money to such charities.
I think the reason for this is that although such "troubled kids" appear in the book, none of them make more than two-dimensional, cameo appearances. It gives the feeling of do-gooders proffering charity, rather than offering insight into what it might be like to grow up on the streets. The brief flashback into the abused character's being forced into child porn really didn't ring true, either...
Hmm. I'm sounding a little harsh now. I did actually like this book. I've read a lot of de Lint's books, and I'll read more. I like the way he meshes magic with a 'modern bohemian' setting. But a message is more effective when more subtly given...
Show More
comes before his actual story.Some books, one feels that the action springs from the characters and who they are - in de Lint's, I feel that he's almost walking them through it.
"Memory and Dream" is about a young art student who meets a famous, reclusive artist. He becomes her mentor - but is also controlling and abusive. But - he teaches her a technique of painting that allows her to open a gateway through her paintings, allowing creatures of magic to "step through" and take physical form in our world.
Years later, she has rejected this ability - and through both memories and illusions, we see the story of why - in a tale that involves her best friend's death, friends estranged, hidden child abuse, and a foundation to help troubled kids through art... but also magical beings.
When, five years after her friend's death, a letter that was delayed in the mail arrives, a chain of events is set in motion that will bring all of both the magic and trauma of the past back to be dealt with, and she will realize evil secrets may be deeper than she ever knew.
Actually, that seems to be one of de Lint's themes that I disagree with. If I recall correctly, "Forests of the Heart" had a similar thing going on - someone that people always made excuses for, but who turned out to be PURE EVIL. de Lint seems to be hinting that there isn't such a thing as a flawed person, with both bad and good in them - it's either good or evil, and what people do is just kid themselves that these people aren't really evil. And moreover, I feels there's an agenda behind the writing, to encourage readers to kick those flawed, depressed or controlling/manipulative/abusive people out of their lives. Not that I'm saying that people shouldn't ditch such people - but I think one can recognize an unhealthy relationship without going to the "PURE EVIL!" extreme.
When all the characters fall into "types" (artistic but emotionally sensitive/gullible student, abusive and powerful mentor, rape victim, child abuse victim, well-meaning and kind black social worker, honorable and justice-seeking Native American, good-at-heart gang members, troubled children who are victims of society, etc) it begins to feel a little preachy, and a little idealistic. In this book, I didn't just feel like I was reading a story about people who wanted to run a non-profit agency to help street kids, I felt like I was being exhorted to donate time and money to such charities.
I think the reason for this is that although such "troubled kids" appear in the book, none of them make more than two-dimensional, cameo appearances. It gives the feeling of do-gooders proffering charity, rather than offering insight into what it might be like to grow up on the streets. The brief flashback into the abused character's being forced into child porn really didn't ring true, either...
Hmm. I'm sounding a little harsh now. I did actually like this book. I've read a lot of de Lint's books, and I'll read more. I like the way he meshes magic with a 'modern bohemian' setting. But a message is more effective when more subtly given...
Show Less
LibraryThing member barbiefly
This is the first Charles de Lint book I ever read and it made me read every one of his other books I can get my hands on. I now have read and own almost every book he's written. I read this many years ago and I still remember how it made me feel.
I was entranced by this story. I loved how he mixes
I was entranced by this story. I loved how he mixes
Show More
fantasy in the modern world. And an artists paintings coming to life is such an awesome subject. I highly recommend this book! Show Less
LibraryThing member lyrrael
As the young student of the brilliant Vincent Rushkin, Isabelle Copley discovered she could paint images so real they brought her dreams to life. But when the forces she unleashed brought tragedy to those she loved, she turned her back on her talent - and on those dreams. Now, twenty years later,
I think I spent just about this entire book wondering exactly how unreliable our unreliable narrator is...and I think that’s fascinating. How much of this can be chalked up to influence, or to mental illness, or simply her humanity? Because Isabelle truly is very flawed -- she’s a pushover, she’s the archetypical abuse survivor before realizing she’s being abused, she makes excuses and finds ways to make things her fault. She chews on things in her anxiety until they lose all meaning. We have no idea how much to trust her, because her own friends wonder at her motives and actions and if she truly did things she claims she didn’t.
A story that brings the concept of 'creating our own reality' to life -- and that truth is only the story we tell ourselves.
Show More
Isabelle must come to terms with the memories she has long denied, and unlock the power of her brush. And, in a dark reckoning with her old master, she must find the courage to live out her dreams, and bring the magic back to life. I think I spent just about this entire book wondering exactly how unreliable our unreliable narrator is...and I think that’s fascinating. How much of this can be chalked up to influence, or to mental illness, or simply her humanity? Because Isabelle truly is very flawed -- she’s a pushover, she’s the archetypical abuse survivor before realizing she’s being abused, she makes excuses and finds ways to make things her fault. She chews on things in her anxiety until they lose all meaning. We have no idea how much to trust her, because her own friends wonder at her motives and actions and if she truly did things she claims she didn’t.
A story that brings the concept of 'creating our own reality' to life -- and that truth is only the story we tell ourselves.
Show Less
LibraryThing member dreamless
"Urban fantasy," they say. But not urban and hip, like Neil Gaiman's stuff, or urban but full of the scary realness of magic, like Sean Stewart's best; it's just modern life with extra twee, horror drained of the scary parts.
LibraryThing member knittingpanda87
Such a great book. I loved reading about how all the paintings came to liek and the stories of all the paintings. It was such an interesting concept for a book. Once again I was blown away by Charles de Lint's ability to connect fantasy to real world situations and problems.
LibraryThing member Crowyhead
A long-time favorite; love, loss, art, and magic.
LibraryThing member revslick
Charles de Lint is quickly becoming the master of romantic urban fantasy. I'm not talking about the hack and slash detective or sparkly vampire stuff that is popular today. It is more like gothic romance of yesteryear with a mixture of Shojo manga meets Native American Spirituality meets the Grim
Show More
Brothers all wrapped up in 21st century attire. While the tale and the literary tricks employed in Memory and Dream are simplistic the character development and the weave of the tale is like a warm cup of cocoa on a winter night. It begins with a famous mysterious painter offering his services to mentor an up and coming painter who happens to have the gift of creating numena, beings brought forth from another place taking form from her paintings. From here the adventure begins. Show Less
LibraryThing member zjakkelien
This is my third Newford, and again it was a wonderful read. A bit easier to get into than my previous ones. I think because there were less characters, or at least, they were introduced more slowly. So far I have loved every Newford book, in particular the atmosphere and friendships that can be
Show More
found in them. I very much liked the descriptions of the creative process as seen through de Lint's eyes. And I liked the characters, even if they were quite a bit darker than I remember from Someplace to be flying and Forests of the heart. The whole story had its dark sides, with themes of abuse and suicide. But it also showed the light. Show Less
LibraryThing member emblue
Wow. How did I not know about this author before?? So good -- the characters, the way the story unfolds, the tension and suspense -- all of it. 5 stars for sure.
LibraryThing member WritingHaiku
Warnings: This novel discusses domestic abuse. I believe it handles the subject tastefully, but in the interest of disclosing any trigger warnings, there is physical abuse in this book. It also discusses suicide and child abuse.
Have you ever imagined that you could bring to life the characters you
Although it deals with many dark themes, Memory and Dream manages to enchant readers at the same time with its magical and sometimes whimsical creatures and themes. Any fan of the Newford series would be remiss to skip this gem of a novel.
Have you ever imagined that you could bring to life the characters you
Show More
create in your imagination? How about if you could paint them and bring them over into the real world? And then, what if your creations were being threatened or even killed?Although it deals with many dark themes, Memory and Dream manages to enchant readers at the same time with its magical and sometimes whimsical creatures and themes. Any fan of the Newford series would be remiss to skip this gem of a novel.
Show Less
LibraryThing member WritingHaiku
Warnings: This novel discusses domestic abuse. I believe it handles the subject tastefully, but in the interest of disclosing any trigger warnings, there is physical abuse in this book. It also discusses suicide and child abuse.
Have you ever imagined that you could bring to life the characters you
Although it deals with many dark themes, Memory and Dream manages to enchant readers at the same time with its magical and sometimes whimsical creatures and themes. Any fan of the Newford series would be remiss to skip this gem of a novel.
Have you ever imagined that you could bring to life the characters you
Show More
create in your imagination? How about if you could paint them and bring them over into the real world? And then, what if your creations were being threatened or even killed?Although it deals with many dark themes, Memory and Dream manages to enchant readers at the same time with its magical and sometimes whimsical creatures and themes. Any fan of the Newford series would be remiss to skip this gem of a novel.
Show Less
LibraryThing member quickmind
This was a bit of slow starter for me, but Charles de Lint is good at making the separate parts join together into a climactic whole. There was a particular passage that I felt summed up the creative process beautifully. "...the only lasting venues for any form of art are dream and memory;
Show More
inspiration leaps from the former to be eventually stored in the latter." Each person brings their own experiences to the interpretation of the art, but it is never truly owned by any one person. In that aspect the creation of art and living a life are a similar process. Never quite the same for any two people, but hopefully some common ground can be found. None of this touches on the actual plot of the story, or the characters, but it does touch on what I think of as the soul of the book, or more appropriately, the spirit of it. Once we create something, it takes on a life of its own, and at that point, trying to control it is folly at best. Show Less
LibraryThing member wvlibrarydude
A good read, but not quite what I remembered De Lint to be. It has been many years since reading one of his books, and this seemed a little more of a discourse on memory, dream, art, and the results of growing up abused. I tend to want a little more adventure in my reading now, and this book didn't
Show More
trip the right switches at this time in my life. Still a good read, that will be a more fond book for others. Show Less
LibraryThing member turbojenn
haunting....I still dream about this story and Isabelle's creations...
LibraryThing member zjakkelien
This is my third Newford, and again it was a wonderful read. A bit easier to get into than my previous ones. I think because there were less characters, or at least, they were introduced more slowly. So far I have loved every Newford book, in particular the atmosphere and friendships that can be
Show More
found in them. I very much liked the descriptions of the creative process as seen through de Lint's eyes. And I liked the characters, even if they were quite a bit darker than I remember from Someplace to be flying and Forests of the heart. The whole story had its dark sides, with themes of abuse and suicide. But it also showed the light. Show Less
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1994
Physical description
400 p.; 6.75 inches
ISBN
0312855729 / 9780312855727