Schemertaal

by Susan Dodd

In the summer of 1914, the celebrated young painter Oskar Kokoschka was in the throes of a passionate love affair with Alma Mahler, the beautiful and seductive widow of the great composer. Now, four short years later, Kokoschka has become a casualty of the Great War. Unlike many of his compatriots, Oskar has survived both a bayonet wound and mustard gas, yet he cannot seem to recover from his inconstant mistress's ruinous betrayal.

Determined to have her — somehow — the grieving artist turns to a servant, the shy, reserved Hulda. Shrouded in sadness, this tender young woman reawakens in Oskar desire — and the passion of creation. But their secret liaison is fueled by Oskar's preoccupation with his lost love, a dangerous obsession that could carry him-and the innocent Hulda — beyond hope to a place of no return.

Author Biography: Susan Dodd, who has taught at Harvard and the Iowa Writers' Workshop, is the author of four critically acclaimed books. Her work has been honored by the Friends of American Writers, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Faulkner Society, among other organizations. She lives in Ocracoke, North Carolina.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

364 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2001

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Weird. Took me about 1/2 way thru to get into it. Most of my old book club friends would've put it down after a few chapters.

[Mary Neilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Susan Dodd's novel "The Silent Woman" concerns the painter Oskar Kokoschka's love for Alma Mahler, the widow of the composer. Lush, sensuous and beautifully written we are drawn into this tale of loss, desire and art. A marvelous read.

[Dcall · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. But it was terrible. The writing was good, the characters were interesting, but the story was not good.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars really. The writing was rich like his paintings, the idea was thoughtful and provocative, but we were asked to care about the poor maid and what a lack lustre ending - no steam left at all.

[Brigid Kuehn Beachler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three days of my life I'll never get back.

[Heleen]

Gekocht in de kringloop in Dieren omdat het verhaal gaat over het liefdesleven van Kokoschka en het zich afspeelt in en na WO 1.

[Cynthia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay... so-so. Wound around too much.

[Alison · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't get through it. Should have followed the majority of reviews on this one.