Status
Available
Publication
New York : Viking, 2004.
Description
Presents a fictional portrait of pioneering artist Emily Carr, whose independence, boldly original artwork, and unconventional approach to life overcame Victorian restrictions to blaze a new path for twentieth-century women artists.
User reviews
LibraryThing member BookAddict
I think this novel can be appreciated by anyone who loves to read about women who have fought against the conventions of their day. Emily Carr was a woman who didn't fit into anyone's mold. She strove to paint and to paint well and lived her life to that end. She was also instrumental in helping to
This book traces her life, and with Susan Vreeland's artistic eye, we see things as Emily may have seen them. We learn about the many obstacles that she had to face in her day including a male dominated art culture.
I certainly understand Emily Carr's paintings much more after having read this.
Susan Vreeland hasn't disappointed me with this one. She did her research and the background of her story is mainly factual. Her writing as always is lovely and a pleasure to read.
Now when is her next novel coming out? I don't think I can wait *impatiently tapping foot* :)
Show More
bring new ideas about art to the minds of a very conservative public. This book traces her life, and with Susan Vreeland's artistic eye, we see things as Emily may have seen them. We learn about the many obstacles that she had to face in her day including a male dominated art culture.
I certainly understand Emily Carr's paintings much more after having read this.
Susan Vreeland hasn't disappointed me with this one. She did her research and the background of her story is mainly factual. Her writing as always is lovely and a pleasure to read.
Now when is her next novel coming out? I don't think I can wait *impatiently tapping foot* :)
Show Less
LibraryThing member Nickelini
The Forest Lover is a fictionalized biography of painter Emily Carr (1871-1945) that focuses on her life from around 1905 through 1930 (and which covers her two most productive periods). Born and raised in Victoria, British Columbia, Carr struggles against her restrictive, repressed, and very
Susan Vreeland is an author who has fabulous ideas for books, but who fails to deliver. Being a serious fan of Vermeer, I was excited to read The Girl in Hyacinth Blue; however, I was very disappointed with the novel and had to force myself to finish it. My hopes weren’t as high then when I picked up The Passion of Artemisia, but I thought the combination of woman artist and 17th century Italy held promise. The reality was a fairly boring, mundane piece of historical fiction. When she came out with The Forest Lover, her third novel, the subject of Emily Carr and the setting of the West Coast intrigued me, despite being burned by Vreeland before. In the end, The Forest Lover isn’t as bad as I feared it would be. It’s very slow starting, and doesn’t really get going until past the 100 page mark when Carr travels to France to study oils and learn to paint in the Fauvist style. From that point it was an okay read with a few gripping moments and the occasional interesting character.
What I liked: The settings (Victoria, the wilds of BC, Vancouver & France), and I appreciate that the publisher printed a map on the inside cover. The character of New Zealand painter Frances Hodgkins was interesting, wise, and felt natural, although later I was disappointed to learn that there is no evidence the two women met. Also, I see from reviews that many readers weren’t familiar with Emily Carr and were happy for the introduction—so if this novel brings new viewer’s to Carr’s art, well, that’s a good thing.
What I didn’t like: I studied Vreeland’s writing to try and figure out why I dislike it so intensely. On the sentence-by-sentence level, she’s perfectly competent and occasionally turns a pretty phrase. I think her biggest fault is in her storytelling. It’s almost never engaging. Her characters are often stereotypical (Indigenous = spiritual and pure, White people & missionaries = greedy, mean and unsympathetic) and her dialogue sounds unnatural and stilted. Overall, I find that she’s an uptight writer who plays it safe because that’s all she knows. There are a couple of sentences in the novel where a character challenges Carr on misappropriation of First Nations culture, and Carr dismisses them with just a few words—just as Vreeland dismisses any challenging aspects of Carr’s life, or for that matter, any depth, nuance, or complexity at all.
Part way through I was so annoyed by the narrative voice that I pulled out the one book I have that Emily Carr wrote. As I expected, Carr’s own voice was very different—and she’s a much stronger, more interesting writer. I should have just read Carr herself, and forgotten about Vreeland.
Recommended for: Vreeland fans and readers who like her homogeneous style of historical fiction. If you want to learn more about Emily Carr, she’s a far superior writer, so just go read one of her many books instead.
Show More
English upbringing to become a free-spirited eclectic and lover of both nature and indigenous art. She makes several trips to the remote areas of the BC coast to paint totem poles, which she realizes are quickly disappearing as they rot into the rainforest or are taken to museums.Susan Vreeland is an author who has fabulous ideas for books, but who fails to deliver. Being a serious fan of Vermeer, I was excited to read The Girl in Hyacinth Blue; however, I was very disappointed with the novel and had to force myself to finish it. My hopes weren’t as high then when I picked up The Passion of Artemisia, but I thought the combination of woman artist and 17th century Italy held promise. The reality was a fairly boring, mundane piece of historical fiction. When she came out with The Forest Lover, her third novel, the subject of Emily Carr and the setting of the West Coast intrigued me, despite being burned by Vreeland before. In the end, The Forest Lover isn’t as bad as I feared it would be. It’s very slow starting, and doesn’t really get going until past the 100 page mark when Carr travels to France to study oils and learn to paint in the Fauvist style. From that point it was an okay read with a few gripping moments and the occasional interesting character.
What I liked: The settings (Victoria, the wilds of BC, Vancouver & France), and I appreciate that the publisher printed a map on the inside cover. The character of New Zealand painter Frances Hodgkins was interesting, wise, and felt natural, although later I was disappointed to learn that there is no evidence the two women met. Also, I see from reviews that many readers weren’t familiar with Emily Carr and were happy for the introduction—so if this novel brings new viewer’s to Carr’s art, well, that’s a good thing.
What I didn’t like: I studied Vreeland’s writing to try and figure out why I dislike it so intensely. On the sentence-by-sentence level, she’s perfectly competent and occasionally turns a pretty phrase. I think her biggest fault is in her storytelling. It’s almost never engaging. Her characters are often stereotypical (Indigenous = spiritual and pure, White people & missionaries = greedy, mean and unsympathetic) and her dialogue sounds unnatural and stilted. Overall, I find that she’s an uptight writer who plays it safe because that’s all she knows. There are a couple of sentences in the novel where a character challenges Carr on misappropriation of First Nations culture, and Carr dismisses them with just a few words—just as Vreeland dismisses any challenging aspects of Carr’s life, or for that matter, any depth, nuance, or complexity at all.
Part way through I was so annoyed by the narrative voice that I pulled out the one book I have that Emily Carr wrote. As I expected, Carr’s own voice was very different—and she’s a much stronger, more interesting writer. I should have just read Carr herself, and forgotten about Vreeland.
Recommended for: Vreeland fans and readers who like her homogeneous style of historical fiction. If you want to learn more about Emily Carr, she’s a far superior writer, so just go read one of her many books instead.
Show Less
LibraryThing member miaclair
This fictional book is based on the struggles the real life Canadian painter, Emily Carr, encountered in creating and receiving recognition for her work. She went against the conventions of her times (the early 20th Century), and lived life on her own terms. Fiercely independent and brave, Emily
This book is beautifully written, and the characters are very well developed. Particularly, I really enjoyed the way that Susan Vreeland described the paint colors Emily applied to her canvas. These very visual descriptions really help to emphasize the value and importance Emily placed on color in her work. I also really loved the way that Emily was always looking for the spirit or meaning in her work.
I found this book to be very inspiring, and I am very grateful to Susan Vreeland for introducing me to the world of Emily Carr. I fully intend to do more reading and research on her life and work. This book is highly recommended!!
Show More
traveled alone to the Western Coast of Canada to paint Native American totem poles. She felt strongly that these poles were a "memorial of her country's first greatness", and a record of these poles needed to be made before they were all gone. Eventually, her paintings became more than just a record, as she looked to express in her work the spirit of the subject she was painting. This book is beautifully written, and the characters are very well developed. Particularly, I really enjoyed the way that Susan Vreeland described the paint colors Emily applied to her canvas. These very visual descriptions really help to emphasize the value and importance Emily placed on color in her work. I also really loved the way that Emily was always looking for the spirit or meaning in her work.
I found this book to be very inspiring, and I am very grateful to Susan Vreeland for introducing me to the world of Emily Carr. I fully intend to do more reading and research on her life and work. This book is highly recommended!!
Show Less
LibraryThing member Carmenere
A fictional depiction of the life of artist, Emily Carr, a Canadian woman who absolutely loves Vancouver and expresses her desire to capture the Indian culture of the area, which is slowly slipping away, through her watercolors, oils and brushes. The Indian way of life calls to her and totem poles
This novel started out, in my opinion, really well. The fictional love interest, Claude du Bois, was very entertaining and likeable. It’s a shame his part is so small. Other characters, fictional and otherwise are well defined and captivating. Ms. Carr, on the other hand, seems one dimensional and lifeless, so unlike her exquisite paintings. The last quarter of the book was slow and seemed to lose its way, as Ms. Carr seems to become a supporting role for her friends Sophie and Harold.
Show More
in particular are her obsession as she feels the need to preserve this dying form of native art. Acceptance by the media was not initially positive which throws her into dispair, only with the help of her friends does she find her way back to what she loves the most.This novel started out, in my opinion, really well. The fictional love interest, Claude du Bois, was very entertaining and likeable. It’s a shame his part is so small. Other characters, fictional and otherwise are well defined and captivating. Ms. Carr, on the other hand, seems one dimensional and lifeless, so unlike her exquisite paintings. The last quarter of the book was slow and seemed to lose its way, as Ms. Carr seems to become a supporting role for her friends Sophie and Harold.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ethelmertz
Very good. I liked the descriptions of painting and the works; they drew me into the story. Am in love with Claude, too bad he's not real.
LibraryThing member yooperprof
"The Forest Lover" is a bio-novel about the British Columbia artist Emily Carr. She's one of those Canadian painters who we never seem to hear about in the USA. A "turn of the 19th to 20th century" figure, Carr is portrayed as a heroic proto-feminist, far ahead of her time in her sensitivity to
Vreeland's novel is only partially successful, in my opinion. Some of the descriptive passages exploring the dense forests of the northwest are very striking. But large portions of the dialogue are painfully didactic, so obviously "making a point" about which people are "good" and which people are "bad". If I hadn't been interested in Emily Carr in herself, I would never have finished the book.
Show More
"First Nations" peoples on the west coast. Carr is certainly someone who I'd like to know more about - I'm sure I had never heard of her before this book. (One of the clerks at the independent bookstore here in Iron Harbor had recommended the novel to me.) I've tried to look at some of her canvases on the internet, but perhaps they don't really do her justice. The paintings don't really come across very well on the pixelated screen. I imagine they are more convincing in person. She seems to have something of a Canadian Henri Rousseau, at least in the way that she strikes me as being consciously "naive." Vreeland's novel is only partially successful, in my opinion. Some of the descriptive passages exploring the dense forests of the northwest are very striking. But large portions of the dialogue are painfully didactic, so obviously "making a point" about which people are "good" and which people are "bad". If I hadn't been interested in Emily Carr in herself, I would never have finished the book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member juniperSun
What a lyrical ending! I would quote paragraphs from the last several chapters. This woman painter and lover of nature is someone I had never heard of, but now I am curious to view some of her work. Not sure if I could appreciate the boldness of the colors in my home, but wonder how much of the
Emily's friendships tend to be very unconventional also: with a native woman, with a fur trapper, with a younger man who was mentally deficient (whether from birth or from abuse isn't clear). Some of the passages written by that man, Harold, are also lyrically compelling--it's not clear whether Vreeland imagined them or if there was mention in some of Carr's writings.
The beginning seemed to start kind of clunky, but persist and you will find Vreeland enlivening her subject. Some of Emily's "whiz-bang" expressions were jarring to my modern ears, but Vreeland says they are true to Emily's actual usage. I like the chapter titles are mostly named for different native species.
Compare this passage about Emily with the one following purportedly written by Harold: "She would sing the forest eternal. She would place her body in the womb of trees. She would bleed into the earth. She would place her bare feet onto moss and spiced pine needles, peat and mud, and up between her toes and through her pores would ooze the rich dark syrup of Mother Earth, and over her ankles would swarm tiny insects, and around her shoulders would float the exquisite flowing drapery of her green hemlock cape." (p. 328) and "...we dig our toes into squishy mud on the bank then we dig in our feet and legs and lean back and forth and wave our arms like trees...We look long and long out windows at white humps like half moons over children's graves. In spring we see dance laugh sing outside days longer and longer. The gold sun face peeks through green branches we try to climb away to touch it take some in our hands." (p. 314)
Show More
spirit she tried to paint would come across to me. Emily Carr was raised turn of the century (19th) in a quite Victorian household by her older sister who was determined to squelch the passion in her. I'm not quite sure this can be classified as a "cantankerous old woman" novel, since Emily was stubborn all her life, but she is definitely one who cared nothing for convention.Emily's friendships tend to be very unconventional also: with a native woman, with a fur trapper, with a younger man who was mentally deficient (whether from birth or from abuse isn't clear). Some of the passages written by that man, Harold, are also lyrically compelling--it's not clear whether Vreeland imagined them or if there was mention in some of Carr's writings.
The beginning seemed to start kind of clunky, but persist and you will find Vreeland enlivening her subject. Some of Emily's "whiz-bang" expressions were jarring to my modern ears, but Vreeland says they are true to Emily's actual usage. I like the chapter titles are mostly named for different native species.
Compare this passage about Emily with the one following purportedly written by Harold: "She would sing the forest eternal. She would place her body in the womb of trees. She would bleed into the earth. She would place her bare feet onto moss and spiced pine needles, peat and mud, and up between her toes and through her pores would ooze the rich dark syrup of Mother Earth, and over her ankles would swarm tiny insects, and around her shoulders would float the exquisite flowing drapery of her green hemlock cape." (p. 328) and "...we dig our toes into squishy mud on the bank then we dig in our feet and legs and lean back and forth and wave our arms like trees...We look long and long out windows at white humps like half moons over children's graves. In spring we see dance laugh sing outside days longer and longer. The gold sun face peeks through green branches we try to climb away to touch it take some in our hands." (p. 314)
Show Less
LibraryThing member silva_44
Interesting novel depicting a British Columbian artist at the turn of the century, and her personal quest to paint totem poles and other Native American scenes. Her life struck me as rather odd and lonely, but perhaps it is because I do not understand the depth of her art.
LibraryThing member chmessing
Just couldn't get into this one. Moving on to something more interesting...
LibraryThing member SuzyK222
A fictional biography of Emily Carr, a Canadian post-impressionist painter, who sought to capture the Native American culture of the northern reaches of the Pacific Northwest. Unknown to many of us in the lower 48, she lived an adventurous life, travelling up the coast and painting tribal villages
Show More
and especially the totem poles. Vreeland brings to life another feminist free spirit, not widely known. The book is a touching elegy for a culture already vanishing in her time (early 20th century) due to the usual villains, imported diseases, rapacious traders, encroaching civilization. Having lived in this area myself and explored the rain forest, I can confirm that she captures the climate perfectly, the lush fecundity of the vegetation, the incessant rain, the mosquitoes, the moss and mold. She effectively uses the flora and fauna for her chapter titles, and it is not contrived. Show Less
LibraryThing member countrylife
Emily Carr, who loved the Canadian forests in British Columbia, and painted her love into her art, has her life as a study in this fictionalized biography. I found Vreeland's depictions of British Columbia stunning, and although I don't personally care for Carr's art, the story of her life was
(What is it that you want in these paintings?) “I thought I wanted to make an accurate record of the totem poles in their village or forest settings, before they're destroyed. They deserve a record.” (And now?) “Now it's bigger than that. It's that, but also to express their spirit, or my response to them. To make them send the drumbeats I hear when I'm standing in front of them.”
The author has drawn on Carr's own writings and much more in order to create her story. Emily Carr wrote: “There is something bigger than fact: the underlying spirit.” As she wanted to paint the spirit of a thing, so have I wanted to offer the spirit of her courageous and extraordinary life. I believe Vreeland accomplished her goal.
Show More
interesting, as well.(What is it that you want in these paintings?) “I thought I wanted to make an accurate record of the totem poles in their village or forest settings, before they're destroyed. They deserve a record.” (And now?) “Now it's bigger than that. It's that, but also to express their spirit, or my response to them. To make them send the drumbeats I hear when I'm standing in front of them.”
The author has drawn on Carr's own writings and much more in order to create her story. Emily Carr wrote: “There is something bigger than fact: the underlying spirit.” As she wanted to paint the spirit of a thing, so have I wanted to offer the spirit of her courageous and extraordinary life. I believe Vreeland accomplished her goal.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SeriousGrace
Art was the vehicle Emily Carr chose in order to communicate with the world around her. She was fascinated with color and emotion and desperately wanted her art to say something through these characteristics. Whether they are Vreeland's words or Carr's the descriptions of the art of the time (1912
Along the way Carr was confronted with cultural differences between herself (being a white woman) and the tribes of natives she needed to befriend in order to paint their totems. Vreeland goes into deep character development for one Squamish friend, basket maker Sophie. This character development allows Vreeland to illustrate not only how crucial it was for Carr to develop a trust with the different tribes but to say something about Carr's soothing personality and her ability to put anyone at ease.
The third and probably most important element to The Forest Lover is Emily Carr's reaction to Victorian society through her fighting spirit. In addition to having a strong passion for art and the ability to befriend any culture Carr had a devil-may-care feminist approach to confines of her day. For example, during the early 1900s it was unbecoming for a woman to travel alone. While she took her sister as a traveling companion to France Carr was not necessarily worried about what the neighbors might think. She remained true to her spunky attitudes and rarely let anything or anyone intimidate her (although she did seem to have a weird hangup concerning intimacy).
Show More
- Monet, Van Gogh, Carr herself) fairly dance off the page. Images come to life through the passion used to describe them. Early in The Forest Lover Carr was fixated on the totems of the Vancouver Island natives. She sought desperately to convey their spiritual power on the canvas so much so that she traveled to Paris, France with her sister to learn more about capturing color in just the right way. Being able to communicate through art excited her. Along the way Carr was confronted with cultural differences between herself (being a white woman) and the tribes of natives she needed to befriend in order to paint their totems. Vreeland goes into deep character development for one Squamish friend, basket maker Sophie. This character development allows Vreeland to illustrate not only how crucial it was for Carr to develop a trust with the different tribes but to say something about Carr's soothing personality and her ability to put anyone at ease.
The third and probably most important element to The Forest Lover is Emily Carr's reaction to Victorian society through her fighting spirit. In addition to having a strong passion for art and the ability to befriend any culture Carr had a devil-may-care feminist approach to confines of her day. For example, during the early 1900s it was unbecoming for a woman to travel alone. While she took her sister as a traveling companion to France Carr was not necessarily worried about what the neighbors might think. She remained true to her spunky attitudes and rarely let anything or anyone intimidate her (although she did seem to have a weird hangup concerning intimacy).
Show Less
LibraryThing member Dmtcer
I like Susan Vreeland; her books are historical, but fictionalized and are pretty interesting!
LibraryThing member christinejoseph
icon Emily Carr — Vancouver Artist does wild paintings — good
In The Forest Lover, Susan Vreeland traces the courageous life and career of Emily Carr, who — more than Georgia O'Keeffe or Frida Kahlo — blazed a path for modern women artists. Overcoming the confines of Victorian culture, Carr
In The Forest Lover, Susan Vreeland traces the courageous life and career of Emily Carr, who — more than Georgia O'Keeffe or Frida Kahlo — blazed a path for modern women artists. Overcoming the confines of Victorian culture, Carr
Show More
became a major force in modern art by capturing an untamed British Columbia and its indigenous peoples just before industrialization changed them forever. From illegal potlatches in tribal communities to artists' studios in pre-World War I Paris, Vreeland tells her story with gusto and suspense, giving us a glorious novel that will appeal to lovers of art, native cultures, and lush historical fiction. Show Less
LibraryThing member Pattymclpn
Emily Carr is a young woman from British Columbia with a passion for painting. She is a no-nonsense kind of girl who doesn’t fit in with her sister’s high society crowd. Her father states that he wishes he had never given her that paint set. Painting is a hobby for women, not a respectable way
I give this book 4 stars out of 5. I think that if you enjoy historical fiction, native american tales or the art of painting you may want to give this book a try. It has a lot to offer.
Show More
to make a living. The book takes place during a time when women got married and disappeared into the woodwork. When Emily becomes involved with Claude du Bois, a fur trader and outdoorsman, things become complicated for her. Emily’s romantic relationship is overshadowed by a disturbing physically abusive event in her past. Emily’s relationship with her best friend Sophie is frowned upon, because Sophie is a native and lives at the Reserve. The book follows Emily’s travels to dangerous areas to paint totem poles and her trip to Paris to study with other master painters. Emily braves bog mosquitoes and sleeps in a tent to paint totems among the natives. Emily was an unconventional woman. She had a parrot, a dog and a monkey, made soap, cut windows in a trailer, rigged chairs to raise on pulleys to save space and was said to have the spirit power in her hands. Claude calls her his dame courageuse.I give this book 4 stars out of 5. I think that if you enjoy historical fiction, native american tales or the art of painting you may want to give this book a try. It has a lot to offer.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BookConcierge
Emily Carr was a pioneering painter, choosing as her subject the lush landscape and pre-European history of British Columbia. She focused her efforts first on recording the incredible art of the First Nations clans, especially as expressed in their totem poles, but soon expanded to capturing the
Vreeland paints a vivid portrait of Emily. She had a wealth of information from which to draw her novel’s characters. Carr, herself, left volumes of journals and narrative sketches, chronicling her efforts to understand, preserve and celebrate the land and the rich culture of its tribal people. I was captured from the first paragraph. There are passages in the novel that are breathtaking, powerful, urgent, serene and/or heartbreaking. I felt Emily’s frustration, elation, confusion, compassion and joy.
I’ve visited Canada many times, going to art museums in Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto and Montreal. Reading the book I can only think that I never saw Carr’s work in all those visits. How could I forget something so evocative and powerful? This novel makes me want to visit “the forest primeval” again, and to see Emily Carr’s paintings.
Show More
spirit of the place - the serenity, power and life’s blood of the centuries-old forests that surrounded her. The path she chose was not an easy one. She refused to conform to the expectations of the white Vancouver society into which she was born. She fought her sisters for the money she needed to paint as she felt she must. She suffered negative reviews and scorn of her countrymen for her focus on native peoples. She pushed her way into art studios in France to learn the techniques she would need to capture the spirit of her beloved forests. She refused to compromise her vision, and finally achieved the recognition she deserved. Vreeland paints a vivid portrait of Emily. She had a wealth of information from which to draw her novel’s characters. Carr, herself, left volumes of journals and narrative sketches, chronicling her efforts to understand, preserve and celebrate the land and the rich culture of its tribal people. I was captured from the first paragraph. There are passages in the novel that are breathtaking, powerful, urgent, serene and/or heartbreaking. I felt Emily’s frustration, elation, confusion, compassion and joy.
I’ve visited Canada many times, going to art museums in Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto and Montreal. Reading the book I can only think that I never saw Carr’s work in all those visits. How could I forget something so evocative and powerful? This novel makes me want to visit “the forest primeval” again, and to see Emily Carr’s paintings.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Eye_Gee
I hoped to learn more sbout the life of Emily Carr, one of Canada's early Impressionist painters, and I did but I found the book more superficial than I'd hoped. She was a fascinating woman, many years ahead of her time, attracted to native art and culture during a period when many whites were
Show More
sending children to "residential schools" where they were pressured to give up the old ways and language and become "Christianized". What was it that so attracted her to this aboriginal culture? How was she introduced to it? She resonated with it in a way that very few whites did at the time. This is not explained in the book. Her family was British, and she was the only one to show an independent streak. Early on, her goal was to visit and paint as many of the totem poles and long houses as she could before they were lost to the elements, or taken away to museums. This was no mean feat. Traveling alone to remote villages was an adventure in itself. As time went on, and she was influenced by new impressionist movement, her work focused less on keeping a record of what was there and more on expressing the way the forest and the carvings made her feel. She is now recognized as one of Canada's great painters of the early 20th century, more remarkable by virtue of the fact that she developed her style in relative isolation, unlike the Group of Seven who collaborated closely with each other in Ontario and Quebec. All in all the book was enjoyable and I did learn a few things, but it left many unanswered questions. Show Less
LibraryThing member steller0707
I picked up this book in anticipation of seeing the Emily Carr exhibit at the AGO in Toronto. Although the writing itself is not inspiring, nonetheless, it has heightened my interest in seeing these paintings "in person." Despite her artistic training in England and France, she developed her own
Show More
distinctive style. Though not in the famous Canadian Group of Seven, she shows an affinity with them and their love of the Canadian wilderness. Show Less
LibraryThing member AngelaLam
I started this book, but my heart wasn't into it. I will return to it at another time.
LibraryThing member judithrs
Forest Lover. Susan Vreeland. 2004. Vreeland also wrote Girl in Hyacinth Blue, which I loved. This is a fictionalized biography of Emily Glass, a Canadian artist who painted British Columbian Indians and forests at a time when such things were not proper. The book follows her life as she fights
Show More
convention to go into the wilds, befriend the Indians, and paint their totems and the land in which they lived. She studied in France and was compared with the Fauves. For most of her life she struggled for acceptance. She preceded the Group of Seven, but they appreciated her and one of them purchased one of her paintings. I liked the discussion about art technique and purpose and loved reading about the time she spent in France. It was a good book but I prefer to read about European painters Show Less
LibraryThing member CozyLover
When I bought this book I really had no idea what it was about. The title and cover were what intrigued me. It turned out to be a truly excellent book, based on the life of Canadian artist Emily Carr who lived during the Victorian era. Truly magnificent.
LibraryThing member LynnB
I generally struggle with historical fiction featuring a real person. I feel compelled to know what is true and what is made up. Fortunately, the internet makes this much easier than in the past. Also, when the featured person died relatively recently, I worry about what family members may think
The book didn't have much of a plot, It was the strong character of Emily Carr that held my interest. The book made me think about the acceptance of "women artists". Would Emily's avant-garde style have been more accepted had she been male? Was it a greater transgression for a woman to stray beyond realism than for a man?
Other issues raised include cultural appropriation; not something considered much at the time the novel is set, but certainly an issue today. And spirituality is a major theme. I wondered to what extent a "forest lover" could be religious in the traditional sense prevalent at the time of the novel's setting.
I didn't enjoy the book itself so much as the experience of having read it and thought about the many issues it provoked.
Show More
about how their relative is treated. In this case, the author has an obvious respect and sympathy for her character, Emily Carr, which makes it easier to read.The book didn't have much of a plot, It was the strong character of Emily Carr that held my interest. The book made me think about the acceptance of "women artists". Would Emily's avant-garde style have been more accepted had she been male? Was it a greater transgression for a woman to stray beyond realism than for a man?
Other issues raised include cultural appropriation; not something considered much at the time the novel is set, but certainly an issue today. And spirituality is a major theme. I wondered to what extent a "forest lover" could be religious in the traditional sense prevalent at the time of the novel's setting.
I didn't enjoy the book itself so much as the experience of having read it and thought about the many issues it provoked.
Show Less
Subjects
Language
Local notes
Novel based on the life of Emily Carr