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Publisher:
Viking Press |
Release
Date: February 2004 |
ISBN:
0670032670 |
Awards:
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Format
Reviewed: Hardcover |
Buy
it at Amazon |
Read
an Excerpt |
Genre:
Historical Fiction |
Reviewed:
2004 |
Reviewer:
Nancy Mehl |
Reviewer
Notes: |
Copyright
MyShelf.com |
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The
Forest Lover
By Susan Vreeland
Emily
Carr (1871-1945) is an unconventional artist, misunderstood by her
family as well as her peers. Carr has a passion for the earthy and
unusual. In her native British Columbia, she discovers the power
and beauty of the Indians who live in isolated villages, tucked
quietly into the wilderness. The magnificence of the forests and
their people cry out to her artistic gift, and she answers with
haunting and vibrant paintings that portray the uniqueness of the
culture and the land.
In
portraying a relationship with a Squamish woman, Sophie Frank, Vreeland
allows us, through Sophie’s eyes, to experience Carr as a
real person. The Indian mother will bury nine of her children, but
through it all, she finds a way to cope with life through her Christian
beliefs. Although Sophie is considered by “proper society”
to be primitive in her attitudes, Carr sees beyond the stereotypes
and forms a strong and lasting bond of friendship. The narrow-minded
views of her family and the world she seeks to leave behind creates
frustration and insecurity for the independent artist, but she fights
on, braving physical danger and hardship to fulfill her desire to
preserve the rich native civilization for posterity. Fearful that
collectors will eventually remove all of the totems created by the
tribes, Carr feels a deep need to immortalize them. However, she
is frustrated in her own efforts and criticized by other artists
who see her as an intruder.
Once
again, as in Girl in Hyacinth Blue, and The Passion
of Artemisia, Author Susan Vreeland combines exhaustive research
with a fertile imagination. Vreeland breathes life not only into
the artist, but also into the art, helping us to experience the
humanity behind the work. The Forest Lover is another Vreeland creation,
deftly painted with the fine brushstrokes of her magnificent and
well-chosen words. This is her medium, and once again, she has left
us with a masterpiece.
Highly Recommended
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