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Restoration
When journalist Jack Charbonnet meets Rhys Goudeau, a beautiful art restorer, he is soon caught up in intrigue more fascinating than any news story. She is determined to find a lost painting by the great, controversial Southern artist Levette Asmore, who killed himself soon after being forced to whitewash a scandalous masterpiece. As they try to keep ahead of unscrupulous collectors who are on the same trail, Jack and Rhys are drawn ever more deeply into the racially troubled history of pre-WWII New Orleans, and into the secret histories of friends and family.
A piquantly atmospheric story of race, romance and art, Restoration is provocative, suspenseful and altogether entertaining.
A piquantly atmospheric story of race, romance and art, Restoration is provocative, suspenseful and altogether entertaining.
320 pages, Paperback
First published February 18, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 14, 2013
Several years ago I found this book for 50 cents at a used-books sale to benefit the library. I opened it only the other day and found this inscription: To Jerry, from "Rhys Goudeau"/ Blake Vonder Haar/ May 2004/ New Orleans. Rhys Goudeau is the main female character, a fictional art restorer in N.O., and Blake Vonder Haar is a real-life art restorer in N.O. In the acknowledgements the author thanks Vonder Haar and says without her help, he couldn't have written this book. I've had a run of this kind of find recently. (See my review of The Pedant in the Kitchen.) Fairly late in the novel you discover Rhys' full name is Jean Rhys, though there's no further comment. A fairly obvious reason for the author (and the character's mother?) to name her thus exists, but I think it's heavy-handed.
Some minor characters are very well-drawn and the novel's sense of place is fine. My biggest complaint is of characters' responses to the narrator being more like lectures, sometimes in lengthy speeches, and many of these are repetitive, though the narrator, who has lived in N.O. his whole life, isn't stupid -- and neither are readers. Actually, that's my second-biggest complaint: the worst thing is New Orleanians explaining New Orleans terms to other New Orleanians! The narrator even defines garconniere in conversation after it's already been explained for the reader.
I enjoyed the mentions of the many real artists who lived in N.O. at the time of the fictional deceased artist whose work is the focus of the novel, and how his story spools out, even though much of it seems to be given to us in long lessons. Though he is not mentioned, I wondered if some crucial plot points were influenced by Walter Inglis Anderson's own controversial designs for federal art projects in the 30's. I know more about Anderson than I do other Southern artists, so my view is most likely skewed toward him. However, Louisiana irises are said to be depicted in another painting by the fictional artist and irises were a frequent Anderson symbol, so I wondered anew if that was a nod toward him.
While the work of art restoration was made very interesting, quite a bit of the plot machinations don't ring true. Some of the narrator's thoughts about the love-interest are hokey, though these are few, and while I understand a beloved is always beautiful to the 'belovee,' why does the beloved always have to be so beautiful that everyone else thinks so too?
Some minor characters are very well-drawn and the novel's sense of place is fine. My biggest complaint is of characters' responses to the narrator being more like lectures, sometimes in lengthy speeches, and many of these are repetitive, though the narrator, who has lived in N.O. his whole life, isn't stupid -- and neither are readers. Actually, that's my second-biggest complaint: the worst thing is New Orleanians explaining New Orleans terms to other New Orleanians! The narrator even defines garconniere in conversation after it's already been explained for the reader.
I enjoyed the mentions of the many real artists who lived in N.O. at the time of the fictional deceased artist whose work is the focus of the novel, and how his story spools out, even though much of it seems to be given to us in long lessons. Though he is not mentioned, I wondered if some crucial plot points were influenced by Walter Inglis Anderson's own controversial designs for federal art projects in the 30's. I know more about Anderson than I do other Southern artists, so my view is most likely skewed toward him. However, Louisiana irises are said to be depicted in another painting by the fictional artist and irises were a frequent Anderson symbol, so I wondered anew if that was a nod toward him.
While the work of art restoration was made very interesting, quite a bit of the plot machinations don't ring true. Some of the narrator's thoughts about the love-interest are hokey, though these are few, and while I understand a beloved is always beautiful to the 'belovee,' why does the beloved always have to be so beautiful that everyone else thinks so too?
May 18, 2018
Wonderful work of preservation of New Orleans history and culture. A story of intrigue looking into the secret histories of several racially troubled Louisiana families in the 30’s. Sorry LSU Press missed this one!
April 3, 2018
A bit slow until around the middle of the story but then it picks up nicely. Great ending.
July 26, 2021
I loved the writing style of this book, but I really couldn't stand the story. It was just so boring to me.
July 17, 2024
Picked this up at a bookshop in NOLA. Local author. There were multiple water stained copies in a sea of crisply bound new fiction so I took notice. Like they’d had a box of them in the basement the last two decades, and when they sold a couple, they’d haul out some more and restock the shelf. I enjoyed reading while in New Orleans. While not everything stands up, I give it credit for being an antecedent of stories with similar literary devices that have become hackneyed from overuse in recent years. I’ll send you my copy if you’d like.
December 6, 2010
This book would have rated much higher for me if it had been historically sound and truly a historically based book of fiction. There were some plot twists that did not quite set right with me. I was also not completely taken by either of the main characters (Jack or Rhys.) Deception is deception. The only truly interesting thing is it's setting in New Orleans. Oh well. Next.
March 7, 2008
Chock full of detail about Southern art (though often given through an exposition dump of monologue), but the "racial tension" thread woven throughout feels heavy on white guilt and weak on substance.
October 10, 2009
Planned as a fun summer read and it was just that. New Orleans flavor, lots of fun with regional southern painters, but an ending that didn't make sense. Great characterizations, though.
January 6, 2011
Pretty darn good, but My Juliet is a better book by this guy.
May 19, 2016
very interesting. loved that it was set in New Orleans. Good story, lots of twists
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2008
It wasn't a bad read, but for some reason I felt like I had read this same story before.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews