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The Sense of Paper
“Think for a moment what paper means to people. How ubiquitous it is in everyday life….A material of paradoxes, it can be used and abused in a thousand ways and still be the same under its skin. It is the embodiment of man’s achievement, yet it is as transient and as flimsy as tissue…. In its strengths and weaknesses, faults and flaws, it is intensely human….”
A lush and intoxicating blend of art history, eroticism, and suspense, Taylor Holden's The Sense of Paper is like no other debut novel you’ve ever read. An enthralling exploration of the role of paper in art, it is also the sumptuous story of a woman living on the dangerous edge of obsession, passion, and murder.
A lush and intoxicating blend of art history, eroticism, and suspense, Taylor Holden's The Sense of Paper is like no other debut novel you’ve ever read. An enthralling exploration of the role of paper in art, it is also the sumptuous story of a woman living on the dangerous edge of obsession, passion, and murder.
367 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
6 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Taylor Holden
12 books2 followersSee https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... for her personal page.
Wendy Holden, also known as Taylor Holden, is an experienced author and novelist with more than twenty books already published including a novel plus two screenplays. She has had numerous works transferred to radio and television.
A journalist for eighteen years, ten on the Daily Telegraph, her first novel THE SENSE OF PAPER was published by Random House New York in 2006 to widespread critical acclaim. Her non-fiction titles have chiefly chronicled the lives of remarkable subjects, such as her latest collaboration with Barbara Sinatra, widow of Frank, in LADY BLUE EYES to be published in March 2011, and Pauline Prescott wife of the Deputy Prime Minister in SMILE THOUGH YOUR HEART IS BREAKING. She also wrote the memoir of the only woman in the French Foreign Legion in TOMORROW TO BE BRAVE and chronicled the life of the mother of a woman killed after marrying a Sudanese warlord in TILL THE SUN GROWS COLD. She co-wrote A LOTUS GROWS IN THE MUD, the memoir of actress Goldie Hawn, a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, and HEAVEN AND HELL, the life story of guitarist Don Felder of The Eagles.
In BEHIND ENEMY LINES she wrote about a young Jewish spy who repeatedly crossed German lines and in MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS she chronicled a biography of Dean Martin as seen through his daughter's eyes. She worked with Billy Connolly on JOURNEY TO THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, his TV-companion travel guide to the Northwest Passage, and co-wrote American male supermodel Bruce Hulse's explosive memoir SEX, LOVE AND FASHION. Other works have included CENTRAL 822, the autobiography of a pioneering policewoman at Scotland Yard and serialised on BBC Radio 4, BITING THE BULLET charting the remarkable life of an SAS wife, and FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW the story of a paraplegic made into a TV drama starring Caroline Quentin. Wendy was also responsible for the bestselling novelisations of the films THE FULL MONTY and WAKING NED. Her first book UNLAWFUL CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, the true story of the controversial Irish abortion case was banned in Ireland. SHELL SHOCK charting the history of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder went with an award-winning Channel 4 television documentary series. She lives in Suffolk, England, with her husband, chickens and dogs. Learn more at www.wendyholden.com
Wendy Holden, also known as Taylor Holden, is an experienced author and novelist with more than twenty books already published including a novel plus two screenplays. She has had numerous works transferred to radio and television.
A journalist for eighteen years, ten on the Daily Telegraph, her first novel THE SENSE OF PAPER was published by Random House New York in 2006 to widespread critical acclaim. Her non-fiction titles have chiefly chronicled the lives of remarkable subjects, such as her latest collaboration with Barbara Sinatra, widow of Frank, in LADY BLUE EYES to be published in March 2011, and Pauline Prescott wife of the Deputy Prime Minister in SMILE THOUGH YOUR HEART IS BREAKING. She also wrote the memoir of the only woman in the French Foreign Legion in TOMORROW TO BE BRAVE and chronicled the life of the mother of a woman killed after marrying a Sudanese warlord in TILL THE SUN GROWS COLD. She co-wrote A LOTUS GROWS IN THE MUD, the memoir of actress Goldie Hawn, a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, and HEAVEN AND HELL, the life story of guitarist Don Felder of The Eagles.
In BEHIND ENEMY LINES she wrote about a young Jewish spy who repeatedly crossed German lines and in MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS she chronicled a biography of Dean Martin as seen through his daughter's eyes. She worked with Billy Connolly on JOURNEY TO THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, his TV-companion travel guide to the Northwest Passage, and co-wrote American male supermodel Bruce Hulse's explosive memoir SEX, LOVE AND FASHION. Other works have included CENTRAL 822, the autobiography of a pioneering policewoman at Scotland Yard and serialised on BBC Radio 4, BITING THE BULLET charting the remarkable life of an SAS wife, and FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW the story of a paraplegic made into a TV drama starring Caroline Quentin. Wendy was also responsible for the bestselling novelisations of the films THE FULL MONTY and WAKING NED. Her first book UNLAWFUL CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, the true story of the controversial Irish abortion case was banned in Ireland. SHELL SHOCK charting the history of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder went with an award-winning Channel 4 television documentary series. She lives in Suffolk, England, with her husband, chickens and dogs. Learn more at www.wendyholden.com
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
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June 6, 2018Just couldn't get into it and life is too short...
January 18, 2022
While it kept my interest, it was a bit dark for my taste.
September 20, 2009
Paper appears to be a metaphor for the lives and personalities of the books characters. Charlie, whose life experiences have left her a fragile as tissue paper, Alan, attractive, unique and possessing an unusual edge, Cassie, durable and constant as brown shipping paper, Nick, flawed but with an inner strength.....well, you get the idea.
There are many lessons to be learned from this read. Lessons in art history, the process for producing quality handmade paper and and the importance of that quality in the production of great masterpieces by artists such as Turner.
Through the main characters, we also venture into the realms of obsession, erotic love, war and its consequences, suicide, obsession and death. A remarkable and engrossing story. I doubt if you will find a more interesting and compelling read this year.
There are many lessons to be learned from this read. Lessons in art history, the process for producing quality handmade paper and and the importance of that quality in the production of great masterpieces by artists such as Turner.
Through the main characters, we also venture into the realms of obsession, erotic love, war and its consequences, suicide, obsession and death. A remarkable and engrossing story. I doubt if you will find a more interesting and compelling read this year.
September 21, 2007
I guess the paper is supposed to be a metaphor for life and the characters in this book. The main character, Charlie Hudson, is trying to get over the trauma she suffered whilst a journalist in war-torn Kosovo. She becones interested in the qualities of paper and its' history, specifically that used by the British artist J.W. Turner and subsequently has an affair with an artist who shares that interest. The info on paper and how it was made 200+ years ago is amazing and I was glad I picked up this book if only for that.
November 22, 2012
It held promise for me as it combined paper/papermaking/paper history/paper conservation with another altogether different plot. I felt both plots dragged on from middle to end though and lost interest in the details of both. I skimmed through the pages getting the nuggets I wanted and to find out the mystery that was revealed at the end.
April 22, 2013
Enjoyed the imagery the author used in this book, the plot, and the information on the production of paper. I read this for a book group I'm in, and I'd really like to re-read it because as I was commenting during our book group's meeting, I leafed through the book and kept finding references to paper woven into the book--images I'd missed sometimes on the first read.
March 31, 2014
I might have given this book four stars had I not been a bit mislead by the jacket summary which led me to think there was a 'devastating discovery' relating to their research on the history or paper making. I had it pegged as a different kind of book than it turned out to be.
August 27, 2016
3+ stars. Extremely interesting journey regarding paper-- especially in connection with Turner and other artists. The melodramatic story used to make the journey makes my review less than it would have been.
November 20, 2021
A great read. So well researched on technical details on firstly how paper is made but on the life of Turner. Such a brilliant plot and evoking our own values and beliefs along the way. Wendy is a great writer and I await her next novel.
April 29, 2008
enjoyed the history within the story, within the story within the mystery of this story.
October 22, 2008
I picked this up on a whim and absolutely loved it. Mystery, history, art and love all wrapped in one elegant package.
May 14, 2012
Read advance copy -- was really absorbed in this one...
July 31, 2012
Moving story of a female reporter recovering from her brutal rape in the Balkans and her meeting an artist who helps her understand the quality and impotance of paper.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2016
Fascinating read for anyone involved with paper: through books and reading, through writing; through art; through wrapping gifts.... Just imagine all of the avenues!!
May 19, 2012
I`m intrigued by the cover picture. A Turner, for all the art aficionados out there.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews