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One Woman Show: A Novel
A “modern masterwork” (NPR)—remarkably told through museum wall labels—about a 20th-century woman who transforms herself from a precious object into an unforgettable protagonist.
Author Christine Coulson spent twenty-five years writing for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her final project was to write wall labels for the museum’s new British Galleries. During that time, she dreamt of using The Met’s strict label format to describe people as intricate works of art. The result is this “jewel box of a novel” (Kirkus Reviews) that imagines a privileged 20th-century woman as an artifact—an object prized, collected, and critiqued. One Woman Show revolves around the life of Kitty Whitaker as she is defined by her potential for display and moved from collection to collection through multiple marriages. Coulson precisely distills each stage of this sprawling life, every brief snapshot in time a wry reflection on womanhood, ownership, value, and power.
“A moving story of privilege, womanhood, and the sweep of the 20th century told through a single American life” (Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind), Kitty is an eccentric heroine who disrupts her porcelain life with both major force and minor transgressions. Described with poignancy and humor, Coulson’s playful reversal on our interaction with art ultimately questions who really gets to tell our stories.
Author Christine Coulson spent twenty-five years writing for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her final project was to write wall labels for the museum’s new British Galleries. During that time, she dreamt of using The Met’s strict label format to describe people as intricate works of art. The result is this “jewel box of a novel” (Kirkus Reviews) that imagines a privileged 20th-century woman as an artifact—an object prized, collected, and critiqued. One Woman Show revolves around the life of Kitty Whitaker as she is defined by her potential for display and moved from collection to collection through multiple marriages. Coulson precisely distills each stage of this sprawling life, every brief snapshot in time a wry reflection on womanhood, ownership, value, and power.
“A moving story of privilege, womanhood, and the sweep of the 20th century told through a single American life” (Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind), Kitty is an eccentric heroine who disrupts her porcelain life with both major force and minor transgressions. Described with poignancy and humor, Coulson’s playful reversal on our interaction with art ultimately questions who really gets to tell our stories.
204 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 17, 2023
57 people are currently reading
7744 people want to read
About the author
Christine Coulson
4 books72 followersChristine Coulson began her career at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1991 as a summer intern in the European Paintings Department. She returned in 1994 and, over the next 25 years, rose through the ranks of the Museum, working in the Development Office, the Director’s Office, and the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts.
In 2017, Coulson was given a yearlong sabbatical from the Met to write her first novel, Metropolitan Stories, after she published this personal essay in The New York Times.
She left the Met in April 2019 to write full-time.
In 2017, Coulson was given a yearlong sabbatical from the Met to write her first novel, Metropolitan Stories, after she published this personal essay in The New York Times.
She left the Met in April 2019 to write full-time.
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January 7, 2025
‘She is stilled by the knowledge that she will emerge from this isolation a one woman show.’
This is such a unique and creative book that asks how can one present the entirety of a life. What artifacts and still frames from our collection of days could best be arranged to tell the story of our existence? For Christine Coulson, who spent twenty-five years writing for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, what better way to show a life than as a museum exhibit, which she does brilliantly in the quirky yet gorgeous novel One Woman Show. The focus of this exhibit is Kitty, living from 1906 to 1999, and her life is presented entirely through museum wall label texts with a few bits of overheard gossip from throughout her life sprinkled in for a bit of seasoning. Through these snapshots of her life—all written with a wry wit mimicking discussions on artistic themes and presentation while employing a clever and well refined lexicon—we see Kitty who ‘was raised as a prize—a pretty thing entitled to pretty things’ by wealthy parents enter into a tumultuous adulthood with the Great Depression and WWII rending all pre-planned futures asunder, go through multiple marriages and be a bit of a scandal amongst high society. Through the framing of a museum exhibit, One Woman Show is an effective and creative experiment that examines how women are often garniture in their own lives, being considered precious objects in a collection subject to appraisal from society.
‘Even at age ten, Kitty senses a suffocating tyranny on the horizon. Not the war in Europe, but the fragile need to be forever cared for according to someone else’s tastes and appetites.’
This is such an intriguing little book and Coulson—who wrote the wall labels for the MET’s British Galleries—successfully manages to probe a great depth of character and nuance through her miniature expressions of a person as a work of art. It is a quick book with each page being a single “piece” in the collection and given a single, succinct paragraph. For example:
“BULLFIGHTER, AGED 44, 1950
Mrs. Luis de Braganza (known as Kitty)
Collection of Luiz Carlos Alfonso Antonio de Braganza Ex-Collection of Martha and Harrison Whitaker; William Wallingford III
Traveling exhibition
Rejecting the vernacular during a visit to London, Kitty champions the canon in a discreet assignation with Picasso during the second of his two trips to England. The artist's legendary appetites are no match for Kitty in full force. She seduces with industry and abandon, replacing traditional modes of expression with robust techniques based on curvilinear forms. Picasso, awed by the stark and savage edges beneath Kitty's gilding, handles her as if she were made of bronze.”
Its clever but never falls into the trap of substituting substance for format and becomes a rather incisive way to both follow Kitty’s story but also address aspects of society. While this one is listed as a ‘traveling exhibition,’ we often see the character’s represented as belonging to various collections, such as Kitty belonging to her parents private collection, and later each of her three husbands. We see how Kitty is quite literally an object on display, a high society woman who must live ‘within the confines of its pillowed virtue’ that become rather stifling. The text is playful, with character’s value appraisals changing along with events and new details about their persons and the composition of each display comes loaded with implications about the people and events depicted. Coulson should be praised for sustaining the style throughout while being always enjoyable and insightful as well as knowing how to keep the novel short enough that it doesn’t overplay the technique. It manages to avoid seeming like a gimmick and more like unique artwork.
‘What are we girls but farm animals once we get married off?’
Objectification of women is a predominant theme in the novel, and we see how Kitty’s “value” is attached to whatever “collection” she is currently a part of. Her first marriage to Bucky is high quality, with museum cards for each bridesmaid that shows them all in a bit of surprise to find Kitty the centerpiece of a wedding collection instead of themselves marrying into Bucky’s Philadelphia fortune, but also shows the how for people of this status, love and marriage was more a business deal than actual affection. ‘Someday, I might really like you’ he tells Kitty on their wedding night. But her value changes in the collection, especially as a solo piece as a widow, or when she divorces her second husband (‘His highly polished veneer cannot conceal the violent carcass to which it is attached.’). The novel also looks at how women are harshly judged in society for aging, with Kitty being less valued by everyone around her in her advanced age, or how her lifelong habit of stealing small objects is sort of charming in youth but viewed as creepy when she is older.
Kitty is quite a dynamic character, being quirky and a bit of a scandal (having been rumored to have slept with Picasso when he painted her) and her life takes us through many major events of the 20th century. I enjoy how she has a love for words as well. Coulson manages to address heavy topics in playful ways, such as how she combines Bucky’s bafflement at Kitty’s vocabulary with a somber moment when Kitty accepts that her multiple miscarriages are a sign she will never have children (and therefor never a “collection” of her own). She says there will be ‘no surfeit of babies after all,’ and he, not understanding what many of her words mean, responds ‘who needs surfing babies anyways.’ Coulson keeps the story moving quickly and lightheartedly without sacrificing depth.
One Woman Show is an exciting and entertaining read that takes art criticism and shifts it’s gaze to human life. It is a fast read but you come through feeling like you’ve experienced much more beyond the mere length of pages. A great look at society, patriarchy and a must read for lovers of art and museums.
3.5/5
This is such a unique and creative book that asks how can one present the entirety of a life. What artifacts and still frames from our collection of days could best be arranged to tell the story of our existence? For Christine Coulson, who spent twenty-five years writing for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, what better way to show a life than as a museum exhibit, which she does brilliantly in the quirky yet gorgeous novel One Woman Show. The focus of this exhibit is Kitty, living from 1906 to 1999, and her life is presented entirely through museum wall label texts with a few bits of overheard gossip from throughout her life sprinkled in for a bit of seasoning. Through these snapshots of her life—all written with a wry wit mimicking discussions on artistic themes and presentation while employing a clever and well refined lexicon—we see Kitty who ‘was raised as a prize—a pretty thing entitled to pretty things’ by wealthy parents enter into a tumultuous adulthood with the Great Depression and WWII rending all pre-planned futures asunder, go through multiple marriages and be a bit of a scandal amongst high society. Through the framing of a museum exhibit, One Woman Show is an effective and creative experiment that examines how women are often garniture in their own lives, being considered precious objects in a collection subject to appraisal from society.
‘Even at age ten, Kitty senses a suffocating tyranny on the horizon. Not the war in Europe, but the fragile need to be forever cared for according to someone else’s tastes and appetites.’
This is such an intriguing little book and Coulson—who wrote the wall labels for the MET’s British Galleries—successfully manages to probe a great depth of character and nuance through her miniature expressions of a person as a work of art. It is a quick book with each page being a single “piece” in the collection and given a single, succinct paragraph. For example:
“BULLFIGHTER, AGED 44, 1950
Mrs. Luis de Braganza (known as Kitty)
Collection of Luiz Carlos Alfonso Antonio de Braganza Ex-Collection of Martha and Harrison Whitaker; William Wallingford III
Traveling exhibition
Rejecting the vernacular during a visit to London, Kitty champions the canon in a discreet assignation with Picasso during the second of his two trips to England. The artist's legendary appetites are no match for Kitty in full force. She seduces with industry and abandon, replacing traditional modes of expression with robust techniques based on curvilinear forms. Picasso, awed by the stark and savage edges beneath Kitty's gilding, handles her as if she were made of bronze.”
Its clever but never falls into the trap of substituting substance for format and becomes a rather incisive way to both follow Kitty’s story but also address aspects of society. While this one is listed as a ‘traveling exhibition,’ we often see the character’s represented as belonging to various collections, such as Kitty belonging to her parents private collection, and later each of her three husbands. We see how Kitty is quite literally an object on display, a high society woman who must live ‘within the confines of its pillowed virtue’ that become rather stifling. The text is playful, with character’s value appraisals changing along with events and new details about their persons and the composition of each display comes loaded with implications about the people and events depicted. Coulson should be praised for sustaining the style throughout while being always enjoyable and insightful as well as knowing how to keep the novel short enough that it doesn’t overplay the technique. It manages to avoid seeming like a gimmick and more like unique artwork.
‘What are we girls but farm animals once we get married off?’
Objectification of women is a predominant theme in the novel, and we see how Kitty’s “value” is attached to whatever “collection” she is currently a part of. Her first marriage to Bucky is high quality, with museum cards for each bridesmaid that shows them all in a bit of surprise to find Kitty the centerpiece of a wedding collection instead of themselves marrying into Bucky’s Philadelphia fortune, but also shows the how for people of this status, love and marriage was more a business deal than actual affection. ‘Someday, I might really like you’ he tells Kitty on their wedding night. But her value changes in the collection, especially as a solo piece as a widow, or when she divorces her second husband (‘His highly polished veneer cannot conceal the violent carcass to which it is attached.’). The novel also looks at how women are harshly judged in society for aging, with Kitty being less valued by everyone around her in her advanced age, or how her lifelong habit of stealing small objects is sort of charming in youth but viewed as creepy when she is older.
Kitty is quite a dynamic character, being quirky and a bit of a scandal (having been rumored to have slept with Picasso when he painted her) and her life takes us through many major events of the 20th century. I enjoy how she has a love for words as well. Coulson manages to address heavy topics in playful ways, such as how she combines Bucky’s bafflement at Kitty’s vocabulary with a somber moment when Kitty accepts that her multiple miscarriages are a sign she will never have children (and therefor never a “collection” of her own). She says there will be ‘no surfeit of babies after all,’ and he, not understanding what many of her words mean, responds ‘who needs surfing babies anyways.’ Coulson keeps the story moving quickly and lightheartedly without sacrificing depth.
One Woman Show is an exciting and entertaining read that takes art criticism and shifts it’s gaze to human life. It is a fast read but you come through feeling like you’ve experienced much more beyond the mere length of pages. A great look at society, patriarchy and a must read for lovers of art and museums.
3.5/5
December 8, 2023
a book told through museum wall labels??? this sounds like a dream...
but unfortunately the format was the coolest part.
this book's medium outshone its story. it is a very cool idea to talk about the concept of a wealthy 20th century woman as a glowing object, intended to be owned and to look pretty and nothing else, through museum labels, emphasizing the concept of the object.
but i wish it were only done partially: perhaps each chapter begins with the label, but in some way there is character development or relationship dynamics or themes of any kind. in other words, that there were something preventing this book from being dry and literal and repetitive. but alas.
i will follow this author though!
bottom line: sounded too good to be true, and was.
(2.5 / thanks to the publisher for the copy)
but unfortunately the format was the coolest part.
this book's medium outshone its story. it is a very cool idea to talk about the concept of a wealthy 20th century woman as a glowing object, intended to be owned and to look pretty and nothing else, through museum labels, emphasizing the concept of the object.
but i wish it were only done partially: perhaps each chapter begins with the label, but in some way there is character development or relationship dynamics or themes of any kind. in other words, that there were something preventing this book from being dry and literal and repetitive. but alas.
i will follow this author though!
bottom line: sounded too good to be true, and was.
(2.5 / thanks to the publisher for the copy)
May 10, 2024
One Woman Show is a short, satisfying story about Kitty Whitaker, a privileged woman in New York City during the 20th century. This is an original story, told through a unique format of museum art wall labels. It’s a one sitting read/listen and I enjoyed the audiobook.
Read
January 17, 2024Reviewed in the January 2024 edition of Quick Lit on Modern Mrs Darcy:
WSIRN guest and literary agent Elisabeth Weed recommended this book, which she called a good example of a title "has a thimble full of weird. Coulson worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for 25 years, where one of her last jobs was writing the 75-word wall labels for the museum's new British galleries. She imagined a novel in that form, and this life story of Kitty Whitaker is the result: a sly and stylish novel told solely through museum wall labels about a 20th-century woman who transforms herself over the course of her lifetime. This short novel could easily be read in one sitting, and is an excellent pick for structure nerds or art and design fans.
WSIRN guest and literary agent Elisabeth Weed recommended this book, which she called a good example of a title "has a thimble full of weird. Coulson worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for 25 years, where one of her last jobs was writing the 75-word wall labels for the museum's new British galleries. She imagined a novel in that form, and this life story of Kitty Whitaker is the result: a sly and stylish novel told solely through museum wall labels about a 20th-century woman who transforms herself over the course of her lifetime. This short novel could easily be read in one sitting, and is an excellent pick for structure nerds or art and design fans.
February 4, 2026
I came across One Woman Show through Edioak’s reader program, and what surprised me most is how quickly it stopped feeling like a performance and started feeling like a confession.
This book has a bold title, but the story underneath it is much more layered than I expected. It isn’t just about being independent or strong in the obvious, motivational way. It’s about what it actually costs to hold everything together when you’re the one expected to carry the emotional weight, the responsibility, and the survival of your own life.
What stood out to me was how real the voice feels. There’s no polished “look how powerful I am” energy here. Instead, there’s honesty. There’s exhaustion. There’s humor that feels like defense and resilience at the same time. The writing captures that specific kind of strength that doesn’t come from confidence, but from having no choice but to keep going.
The emotional beats hit because they’re grounded in everyday truth. This is the kind of story where the smallest moments carry the most impact, a glance, a quiet decision, a private breakdown no one sees. The book understands that loneliness isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s just the constant realization that you’re doing everything alone, and no one is coming to rescue you.
By the end, it didn’t feel like I had watched a “show.”
It felt like I had witnessed someone.
Fully.
Honestly.
Without a mask.
This isn’t a story that tries to impress you.
It tries to tell the truth.
And that’s exactly why it works.
This book has a bold title, but the story underneath it is much more layered than I expected. It isn’t just about being independent or strong in the obvious, motivational way. It’s about what it actually costs to hold everything together when you’re the one expected to carry the emotional weight, the responsibility, and the survival of your own life.
What stood out to me was how real the voice feels. There’s no polished “look how powerful I am” energy here. Instead, there’s honesty. There’s exhaustion. There’s humor that feels like defense and resilience at the same time. The writing captures that specific kind of strength that doesn’t come from confidence, but from having no choice but to keep going.
The emotional beats hit because they’re grounded in everyday truth. This is the kind of story where the smallest moments carry the most impact, a glance, a quiet decision, a private breakdown no one sees. The book understands that loneliness isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s just the constant realization that you’re doing everything alone, and no one is coming to rescue you.
By the end, it didn’t feel like I had watched a “show.”
It felt like I had witnessed someone.
Fully.
Honestly.
Without a mask.
This isn’t a story that tries to impress you.
It tries to tell the truth.
And that’s exactly why it works.
October 1, 2023
Thanks to Netgalley and Avid Reader Press for the advanced reader copy of One Woman Show, in exchange for this honest review
First, about me:
- I love many books and short stories that experiment with unique narrative formats
- I love short stories, especially those that paint a vivid portrait with the briefest amount of prose
- I love art museums and I often read the wall panels
So you'll understand why I thought I might fall in love with One Woman Show, but I only fell in like. I've spent a couple of days pondering why....
1) I thought the wall label format was playful and I was rooting for it to work, but it was the handful of pages where Coulson's stepped out of this format that I found the most intruiging. The other character's intimate conversations as they viewed the "collection" pieces were electric and I wanted more. The wall label vignettes felt like charcoal studies, the few pages of dialogue felt like colourful German Expressionist paintings - where the ugliness of the character's inner minds are visible to all
2) I like the trend of biopic films focusing on short periods of a famous person's life. I think films that try to encapture decades, in two hours, often pale in comparison. One Woman Show would have worked better for me if it explored a shorter period, in more depth.
3) It's 2023 and I think many of us have certain expectations when it comes to stories depicting the most privileged people in the world. I expected more critique than I read.
Recommended for:
- Those who enjoy light period dramas and are interested in trying something a little different, without having to worry about it being too "weird"
- AND those with a higher disposable income - this only takes 1-2 hours to read and is priced the same as novels 3-4 times its length
collage artist: isabel chiara
First, about me:
- I love many books and short stories that experiment with unique narrative formats
- I love short stories, especially those that paint a vivid portrait with the briefest amount of prose
- I love art museums and I often read the wall panels
So you'll understand why I thought I might fall in love with One Woman Show, but I only fell in like. I've spent a couple of days pondering why....
1) I thought the wall label format was playful and I was rooting for it to work, but it was the handful of pages where Coulson's stepped out of this format that I found the most intruiging. The other character's intimate conversations as they viewed the "collection" pieces were electric and I wanted more. The wall label vignettes felt like charcoal studies, the few pages of dialogue felt like colourful German Expressionist paintings - where the ugliness of the character's inner minds are visible to all
2) I like the trend of biopic films focusing on short periods of a famous person's life. I think films that try to encapture decades, in two hours, often pale in comparison. One Woman Show would have worked better for me if it explored a shorter period, in more depth.
3) It's 2023 and I think many of us have certain expectations when it comes to stories depicting the most privileged people in the world. I expected more critique than I read.
Recommended for:
- Those who enjoy light period dramas and are interested in trying something a little different, without having to worry about it being too "weird"
- AND those with a higher disposable income - this only takes 1-2 hours to read and is priced the same as novels 3-4 times its length
collage artist: isabel chiara
January 23, 2025
Came for the concept—a woman’s life told entirely in art gallery exhibition cards—and stayed for the concept, as it was executed very well. This is a fast read! But not a shallow one.
I recommend to all who love art, high-end gallery atmospheres, unique fiction, and women’s stories.
I recommend to all who love art, high-end gallery atmospheres, unique fiction, and women’s stories.
May 26, 2024
A unique book chronicling the life of a New York socialite through a novel comprised of words arranged as labels on art works in a museum. A very unique and interesting way to tell a story that is at once propulsive and thought provoking
December 4, 2023
Zwischenstand bei 50%: Es ist so großartig und lustig, sowohl die Idee (einen Roman nur in Form von Kunstbeschreibungen erzählen) als auch die Umsetzung. Dass es bisher wenig Handlung gab, macht gar nichts, weil es auch nur wenig Text ist.
Update bei 100%: Ich bin von fünf Sternen auf vier runtergegangen, weil ich das Gefühl hatte, dass die Autorin das Thema "alleinstehend und kinderlos ist das Schlimmste überhaupt" kaum weniger energisch an ihre Figur heranträgt als die Welt im Buch. Format weiterhin super.
Update bei 100%: Ich bin von fünf Sternen auf vier runtergegangen, weil ich das Gefühl hatte, dass die Autorin das Thema "alleinstehend und kinderlos ist das Schlimmste überhaupt" kaum weniger energisch an ihre Figur heranträgt als die Welt im Buch. Format weiterhin super.
September 22, 2023
An exquisite story of one woman’s life, told in the form of museum wall labels. I was excited to pick it up and I’m thrilled to say it exceeded my expectations, the writing is so thoughtful and visual. Each page quite literally paints a picture and tells an entire story and series of emotions in just a few sentences. The story felt so fully formed despite the unusual format. Cannot recommend this enough, especially for those who love art.
October 25, 2023
Such an original format.
The life of a New York socialite told in museum wall labels..
The writing is masterful and the descriptions let you fill the blank pages with your own visions.
Loved it!
The life of a New York socialite told in museum wall labels..
The writing is masterful and the descriptions let you fill the blank pages with your own visions.
Loved it!
November 19, 2023
Told through the imaginative idea of using stylishly witty museum wall labels, One Woman Show, Coulson's follow up to her short story collection Metropolitan Stories is a unique approach to a life-and-times tale of one woman's 20th century life.
Coulson's whip-smart, side-eye approach to her subjects continues here as she imagines a young woman born into the pre-World War I world of wealth and privilege, and its limited opportunities for and low expectations of its women. Kitty Whitaker is an embellished, decorative vase in a garniture that changes through the stages of her life. First part of the set into which she was born, Kitty's value is determined by her pedigree, appearance, and accomplishments.
As she moves through the different displays of her marriages, widowhood, and later years, Kitty's life is reflective of many affluent white women of her era. Initially, One Woman Show's unique approach, narrating exclusively through museum wall labels, was intriguing. However, as the story progressed, this method started to feel increasingly tedious. The interplay between the wording used for human beings and the continued attempt at sticking with the related vernacular for art and display pieces broke too often. Additionally, as many other characters are introduced through their own wall labels, the WASPy nicknames that were common of the time became overplayed and tiresome with each character and their related parents' names.
Overall, while the concept itself was interesting, the execution left me wanting an occasional dip into a more standard approach to characterization and storytelling. The idea overall felt stretched, despite its short length, and would potentially have been better served as another short story in a second collection. Nonetheless, I still remain a fan of Coulson's writing and look forward to see what she offers in the future.
Coulson's whip-smart, side-eye approach to her subjects continues here as she imagines a young woman born into the pre-World War I world of wealth and privilege, and its limited opportunities for and low expectations of its women. Kitty Whitaker is an embellished, decorative vase in a garniture that changes through the stages of her life. First part of the set into which she was born, Kitty's value is determined by her pedigree, appearance, and accomplishments.
As she moves through the different displays of her marriages, widowhood, and later years, Kitty's life is reflective of many affluent white women of her era. Initially, One Woman Show's unique approach, narrating exclusively through museum wall labels, was intriguing. However, as the story progressed, this method started to feel increasingly tedious. The interplay between the wording used for human beings and the continued attempt at sticking with the related vernacular for art and display pieces broke too often. Additionally, as many other characters are introduced through their own wall labels, the WASPy nicknames that were common of the time became overplayed and tiresome with each character and their related parents' names.
Overall, while the concept itself was interesting, the execution left me wanting an occasional dip into a more standard approach to characterization and storytelling. The idea overall felt stretched, despite its short length, and would potentially have been better served as another short story in a second collection. Nonetheless, I still remain a fan of Coulson's writing and look forward to see what she offers in the future.
July 28, 2023
Oh this was fabulous. A very abstract view of a person’s entire life. I’m not a very loquacious type of woman, nor am I very deep in thought. I read this in about an hour or so and enjoyed it. Thank you to Goodreads, Christine Coulson, & Avid Reader Press for the opportunity to read & review this ARC. This is my unbiased opinion.
Available October 2023
Available October 2023
March 27, 2024
Clever premise: the story about Kitty, a 20th century woman/artifact, is primarily told through museum wall labels, with occasional interstitials of dialogue or a quote. It’s meta, which worked for the most part but I wouldn’t have minded a straightforward story just about Kitty as a woman, instead of as garniture.
Content notes: intimate partner violence, image-based sexual abuse (boarding school janitor had nude photos of the girls), stillbirth and miscarriages, infertility, death of husbands (WWII, accident), divorce, death of parent, father revealed to not be MC’s biological parent, infidelity (secondary character), racism, shoplifting, theft, diet culture, colonialism, cultural appropriation, broken hip (secondary character), death of adult stepson (hit by bus), secondary character’s husband wears her lingerie at night (unclear if this is derogatory or accepted), family planning discussion, alcohol, inebriation, cigarettes, ableist language
Content notes: intimate partner violence, image-based sexual abuse (boarding school janitor had nude photos of the girls), stillbirth and miscarriages, infertility, death of husbands (WWII, accident), divorce, death of parent, father revealed to not be MC’s biological parent, infidelity (secondary character), racism, shoplifting, theft, diet culture, colonialism, cultural appropriation, broken hip (secondary character), death of adult stepson (hit by bus), secondary character’s husband wears her lingerie at night (unclear if this is derogatory or accepted), family planning discussion, alcohol, inebriation, cigarettes, ableist language
September 23, 2023
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
One Woman Show
by Christine Coulson
A short and snappy novel about Kitty Whitaker, whose life spans most of the 20th Century, born into Manhattan wealth, her purpose is decorative.
This author was a writer for the Met for 25 years. Her fluency in the language of Art is employed here to stunning effect, as she describes Kitty's life in snapshots from age 5 to 91, in the format of art labels.
It's stylish, creative and smart. I wondered how engaging this would be, but take my word for it, Kitty somehow leaps from the page in 3D, stroppily, outrageously, hilariously. If you are familiar with the way Jennifer Egan used PowerPoint slides to capture the narrative of a neurodiverse character in "A Visit From the Goon Squad", then you'll believe it possible to draw a fully fleshed character, a supporting cast, a strong sense of place and time and a compelling narrative arc from something as rigid and prescribed as a museum wall label format.
Hats off to @nyccoulson
for a truly unique structure that works on every level.
Publication date: 17th October 2023
Many thanks to #netgalley and #avidreaderpress for providing an ARC for review
#bookreview
#irishbookstagram #onewomanshow #christinecoulson #artliterature #5starread #literaryfiction
One Woman Show
by Christine Coulson
A short and snappy novel about Kitty Whitaker, whose life spans most of the 20th Century, born into Manhattan wealth, her purpose is decorative.
This author was a writer for the Met for 25 years. Her fluency in the language of Art is employed here to stunning effect, as she describes Kitty's life in snapshots from age 5 to 91, in the format of art labels.
It's stylish, creative and smart. I wondered how engaging this would be, but take my word for it, Kitty somehow leaps from the page in 3D, stroppily, outrageously, hilariously. If you are familiar with the way Jennifer Egan used PowerPoint slides to capture the narrative of a neurodiverse character in "A Visit From the Goon Squad", then you'll believe it possible to draw a fully fleshed character, a supporting cast, a strong sense of place and time and a compelling narrative arc from something as rigid and prescribed as a museum wall label format.
Hats off to @nyccoulson
for a truly unique structure that works on every level.
Publication date: 17th October 2023
Many thanks to #netgalley and #avidreaderpress for providing an ARC for review
#bookreview
#irishbookstagram #onewomanshow #christinecoulson #artliterature #5starread #literaryfiction
December 2, 2023
I’ve never read anything like this before, and it was very enjoyable. This is a minor thing, but one of my favorite character quirks ever is casual kleptomania. Why does this caviar spoon need to be pocketed? No real reason. It’s just very neat 🤭
October 30, 2023
Witty! Clipped at an exciting pace! So many careful ideas that flower into blushing little jokes. It’s so meaningful to enjoy the idea of the novel on every page, and for it to be throughly fun to read.
This one it’s for the museum girlies who love to read every label! <3
This one it’s for the museum girlies who love to read every label! <3
October 19, 2023
What a wonderfully odd book. And very nice to read something that is really unlike anything else I've read. It really did feel like wandering through a gallery reading the signs and taking in the art, all of it about a woman's life (yet very succinct, snapshots instead of a full film).
January 23, 2024
Where the art of curation meets life. Gives a new meaning to “Traveling exhibition” and “On loan,” not to mention “WASP artistic production.” A recommendation, if you love going to museums and reading a well-worded label.
October 1, 2023
This is so cool!! One woman’s life told in the form of art labels, with interludes from friends and partners who come and go. An experiment that worked very well for me.
December 6, 2023
This seems to be plagiarized from the 2019 book The Ambrose J and Vivian T Seagrave Museum of 20th Century American Art by Matthew Kirkpatrick. It’s far too similar to be a coincidence, and I’m quite concerned to see this novel get so much praise when it is so obviously a complete rip-off of a much better novel published by a small press.
I don’t know Coulson, but whether she or her publisher and editorial team came up with the idea to steal another author’s ideas, it doesn’t really matter. It’s intellectually and artistically dishonest and it should never have been published.
If the concept interests you, check out the brilliant and well-written original, The Ambrose J and Vivian T Seagrave Museum of 20th Century American Art by Matthew Kirkpatrick.
I don’t know Coulson, but whether she or her publisher and editorial team came up with the idea to steal another author’s ideas, it doesn’t really matter. It’s intellectually and artistically dishonest and it should never have been published.
If the concept interests you, check out the brilliant and well-written original, The Ambrose J and Vivian T Seagrave Museum of 20th Century American Art by Matthew Kirkpatrick.
December 10, 2023
Unique + Clever + Stylish. This is a short book at just 1.5 hours on audio (narrated by the author).
The author worked for the Metropolitan Museum of Art for 25 years and drew inspiration from her work there for this book.
Definitely recommend if you're looking for something fresh and quick.
The author worked for the Metropolitan Museum of Art for 25 years and drew inspiration from her work there for this book.
Definitely recommend if you're looking for something fresh and quick.
December 11, 2023
who would think that you could narrate a woman's life through museum wall labels? this was SUCH a unique and refreshing idea tbh and props to the author (who's a museum label writer herself) for deciding to go with such an unconventional yet inspiring narrative mode.
the story itself wasn't anything groundbreaking but i loved how everything was connected with art movements of the 20th century (eg cubism, surrealism, postmodernism, picasso's blue + rose period etc) but also huge historical events (eg the great depression, WWI + WWII etc). what i mean is that the intertextuality added soooo much to the narrative.
all in all, totally recommend it even if you're NOT an art connoisseur (neither am i)
the story itself wasn't anything groundbreaking but i loved how everything was connected with art movements of the 20th century (eg cubism, surrealism, postmodernism, picasso's blue + rose period etc) but also huge historical events (eg the great depression, WWI + WWII etc). what i mean is that the intertextuality added soooo much to the narrative.
all in all, totally recommend it even if you're NOT an art connoisseur (neither am i)
April 4, 2024
This receives five stars for consistently maintaining the tone, atmosphere, and storytelling integrity. While I didn't resonate with Kitty and felt that her story's strengths hinges entirely on how well Coulson handles the storytelling style, I did like how her story was told and loved how each label was written. I cannot fathom how difficult it must have been to careful choose each word so as not to break the immersion of the medium, but Coulson did it and it paid off.
And yes, I did have to have a Google tab at the ready to define a lot of the words used, but rather than being frustrated by it, I enjoyed seeing how these words worked together to paint, sculpt, or otherwise manipulate whatever the readers were meant to gauge from each label. I was also grateful that there were a handful of pages that were straight dialogue, not just to break up the inherent monotony of the writing style, but it reminded me of patrons at an art gallery (which I wouldn't be surprised was the intent) and that enhanced the story for me. The final label was a gut punch and brought home everything this novel was trying to convey.
This was a shockingly fun, engaging, and thoughtful read. I decided to pick it up on whim because of the storytelling style, but I had a lot of fun reading it and learning more about art. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a quick but interesting read.
And yes, I did have to have a Google tab at the ready to define a lot of the words used, but rather than being frustrated by it, I enjoyed seeing how these words worked together to paint, sculpt, or otherwise manipulate whatever the readers were meant to gauge from each label. I was also grateful that there were a handful of pages that were straight dialogue, not just to break up the inherent monotony of the writing style, but it reminded me of patrons at an art gallery (which I wouldn't be surprised was the intent) and that enhanced the story for me. The final label was a gut punch and brought home everything this novel was trying to convey.
This was a shockingly fun, engaging, and thoughtful read. I decided to pick it up on whim because of the storytelling style, but I had a lot of fun reading it and learning more about art. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a quick but interesting read.
December 4, 2023
This book is brilliant. It’s written in the form a museum description- it’s the life of Kitty! Her younger years, marriages, her ups and downs. I’ve never thought of a story told through these restraints but I loved it. I would love more books written with this creative boundary! Very unique and delightful for an artist/reader.
October 5, 2023
✨ Review ✨ One Woman Show by Christine Coulson
After reading this was a book written in the format of museum labels, I was SO CURIOUS. The author spent 25 years writing labels for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and she brings this very rigid format to do the impossible! The book consists of 90%+ narrative written in the form of labels with a few short interludes written as dialogue to provide some extra perspective.
The book follows the life of a woman, Kitty Whitaker, an east-coast socialite from her childhood in the 1910s through the end of her life in her 90s. The book uses the label format to explore the role of women as objects, cycling between the ownership and care of parents, husbands, and more. Topics of beauty and aging, friendship and jealousy, gender relations and marriage all appear in these short blurbs. She also situates Kitty's life in an evolving 20th century US society & history with WWI and WWII, the Great Depression, and increasing freedoms for women playing a role in this story. Artistic styles of the 20th century also play a role in the story.
This was a fast read (maybe 40 minutes max) because the labels are so short, and in the style of museum label, she doesn't mince words -- every word counts! I thought this was such a fun experiment with style, and while the narrative itself wasn't necessarily surprising, I enjoyed the book thoroughly. It also brings just a bit of subtle humor throughout. Definitely a great pick if you're looking for something unique!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: literary fiction
Pub Date: Oct 17, 2023
Read this if you like:
⭕️ experimental style
⭕️ topics of women and gender relations
⭕️ quick reads
Thanks to Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, Book Club Favorites, for an advanced copy of this book!
After reading this was a book written in the format of museum labels, I was SO CURIOUS. The author spent 25 years writing labels for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and she brings this very rigid format to do the impossible! The book consists of 90%+ narrative written in the form of labels with a few short interludes written as dialogue to provide some extra perspective.
The book follows the life of a woman, Kitty Whitaker, an east-coast socialite from her childhood in the 1910s through the end of her life in her 90s. The book uses the label format to explore the role of women as objects, cycling between the ownership and care of parents, husbands, and more. Topics of beauty and aging, friendship and jealousy, gender relations and marriage all appear in these short blurbs. She also situates Kitty's life in an evolving 20th century US society & history with WWI and WWII, the Great Depression, and increasing freedoms for women playing a role in this story. Artistic styles of the 20th century also play a role in the story.
This was a fast read (maybe 40 minutes max) because the labels are so short, and in the style of museum label, she doesn't mince words -- every word counts! I thought this was such a fun experiment with style, and while the narrative itself wasn't necessarily surprising, I enjoyed the book thoroughly. It also brings just a bit of subtle humor throughout. Definitely a great pick if you're looking for something unique!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: literary fiction
Pub Date: Oct 17, 2023
Read this if you like:
⭕️ experimental style
⭕️ topics of women and gender relations
⭕️ quick reads
Thanks to Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, Book Club Favorites, for an advanced copy of this book!
November 4, 2023
Clever portrait of a life and a zippy read!! I love a unique form and this delivers. Felt like I visited an imaginary exhibition and have folded Kitty’s story into history a bit. Bridesmaids descriptions were my fave!
January 7, 2024
3.5 stars
Witty and extremely well-written. I've never read something like that book before. But I feel like at the end of the year I won't remember a thing about it.
Witty and extremely well-written. I've never read something like that book before. But I feel like at the end of the year I won't remember a thing about it.
March 20, 2024
This was a gift from my husband Paul, after hearing review on NPR.
It took a little to into, but by the time Kitty married, I was hooked.
Format and writing style soon very different than anything I've read before. It's a thinking read with little formatting structures that added nuance and background "color". My art friends should live it. My experimental reader friends should find it delightful. A really excellent and thoughtful gift.
It took a little to into, but by the time Kitty married, I was hooked.
Format and writing style soon very different than anything I've read before. It's a thinking read with little formatting structures that added nuance and background "color". My art friends should live it. My experimental reader friends should find it delightful. A really excellent and thoughtful gift.
January 2, 2025
My first book of 2025 and what a delightful read! So unexpected- the premise and execution were both incredibly unique and it gave the story such a joy to read. A short and memorable story! Highly recommend!
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