The Passionate Journey

by Irving Stone

Kansas small town 19 year old boy artist trying to find his place and ever searching to find himself...his addiction to creating and alcohol are eventually the things he can never master.

The celebrated novelist and master storyteller weaves yet another magnificent tale - and brings to life a vivid and unforgettable hero. John Noble - brilliant artist, hot-blooded lover and reckless adventurer, who fired a smouldering legend across two continents. From the dim-lit bistros of Paris to the glittering salons of New York, from European boulevards to the treacherous trails of the American West, Noble lived and loved with violent abandon - ruled only by one dazzling beauty who would lead him past the point of no return on a voyage into heartbreak and glory.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Art

337 pages, Hardcover

First published September 26, 1949

About the author

In 1923, Stone received his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley. In the 1960s, Stone received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Southern California, where he had previously earned a Masters Degree from the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.

When at home, Stone relied upon the research facilities and expertise made available to him by Esther Euler, head research librarian of the University of California at Los Angeles, to whom he dedicated and thanked, in addition to many others, in several of his works.

Stone enjoyed a long marriage to his wife and editor on many of his works, Jean Stone. The Stones lived primarily in Los Angeles, California. During their lifetime, Stone and his wife funded a foundation to support charitable causes they believed in.

Stone's main source for Lust for Life, as noted in the afterword, were Van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo. It seems probable that Vincent's letters to and from his own brother Theo provided a foundation for Adversary in the House. Stone additionally did much of his research "in the field". For example, he spent many years living in Italy while working on The Agony and the Ecstasy. The Italian government lauded Stone with several honorary awards during this period for his cultural achievements highlighting Italian history.

From Wikipedia

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read many Irving Stone titles over the years and usually when I am through with one, I want to learn even more about whatever character was featured. This book was just as enjoyable for the writing as other Stone books have been, but the main character, artist John Noble, earned nothing but my contempt.

He was a spoiled young man who was indulged by his wealthy parents. He was a self-pitying binge drinker, probably had severe manic-depression, and was almost completely self-centered as well as insecure. He was a real mess and not even his talent could redeem him in my eyes, although his friends put up with his bizarre behavior over the years because of his art.

Well, anyway, the book tells the story of this tortured soul, following him from his youth in Wichita Kansas to his painting years in Paris to a creative burst in Brittany and eventually a return to America where he settled on the East Coast.

It can be painful to read, and I often wondered what might have become of Noble if he had been born in our era instead of in 1874. Would he have been able to get help? Would he even have been interested in getting help? Would he still have been able to paint if he had? I would imagine that if nothing else he might have had a more tranquil life, with less time lost to drunken sprees and depressions. Maybe.

Creative people seem to have many demons, even in our times. Usually when I read the life stories of artists, composers, or writers, I feel sympathy for their struggles and respect for their endurance and strength of character . But in this case, I was merely disgusted, no matter how much I tried to feel something softer for him.

This is another on my Encore List, and although I have kept most of my Irving Stone collection, I will give this away because I have no desire to ever read it again. As I said, not because it is not well written, but because I simply did not like the main character. At all.

[Penelope Przekop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read! Made me want to read more of Irving's work. I'm now finishing up The Agony and the Ecstasy.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this biography, Irving Stone tells the story of the artist John Noble. He was born in 1874 in Wichita, Kansas. He was a tortured soul, who according to the book, struggled with alcoholism, and a deep sense of loneliness.
I had never heard of Noble but I am acquainted with Irving Stone’s style. It was through Stone’s Lust For Life that Vincent Van Gogh became one of my favourite artists. Stone had a way of taking a character and bringing them back to life with his pen. He did the same with Noble with compassion and respect for which this man desperately needed.
He struggled with God and sought to find him in his paintings. His paintings do have a certain depth and glow to them. He was never satisfied with his works and went on to destroy or do over his works to disastrous results. There are not many images to find of his paintings on the internet. The Wichita Art Museum houses some of his work. I would like to visit there some day.

His son, John A. Noble, was also another artist and created the Maritime Collection.

[DaveA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biographical novel of the life of John Nobel, an American Post-Impressionist artist taught by Camille Pisarro.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

©1949 Purchased at DDR in SD 2021

I really like Irving Stone's biographical novels (think Agony and the Ecstasy, Lust for Life, etc.) This book tells the story of the artist John Nolan from Wichita, KS. I had never heard of him, but his contemporaries (whom he met) are Henri Matisse, Toulouse-Lautrec, Cezanne, Pissarro, etc. and he moved among them. A wikipedia article comes up, but I definitely want to know more. His story is SO amazing...a very tortured genius. Still not sure of his artwork, but will investigate further.

[Barbara Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of one of the first famous American artists. Whenever he found himself unable to produce ,he would go on a drunken spree, eventually killing himself. But he did have a very productive life, producing many paintings, mostly of ships, sailors, and waterfront scenes. He also married very happily and had two children.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a difficult book for me to finish. American artist John Noble led such a depressive life, one that he was unable to conquer. He did manage to leave behind some of his talented work, however. Irving Stone did an amazing job of putting into words the life of turmoil and torment that Noble obviously lived.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I thought that this was fiction, then I found out the Stone was writing a novel about a real American painter. It was tough to hear the agonies of John Noble's life, his passionate journey to become the artist he wanted to be. If being an artist is that painful, I would never want to be one. The book should have been called "the passionate and agonizing journey". Also, John Noble was a pitiful example of a husband and father.

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Irving Stone has long been one of my favorite authors, but sad to say I thoroughly hated this book. This biographical novel is about a famous painter named John Noble. It was painful to read the life story of a man that I thought of as an idiot, asshole, alcoholic and a total jerk. I also thought Stone got excessively verbose and over wrought in parts of this novel. Read Irving Stone's other novels, they are very good, but skip this book.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this hadn't been a biographical novel (about John Noble), I may not have finished the book. Stone could have 'novelized' the story a little more to make it more gripping.

I knew nothing about Noble (not even his name), so this is my introduction to an American painter.

[Cws]

F Sto