4.21 avg rating — 351,914 ratings

"Memoir by artist-poet-musician Patti Smith of her early struggles in 1970s Greenwich Village. As a contemporary of hers, I found the book nostalgic but also harrowing. Her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe is also intriguing - reciprocal muses?
"

3.67 avg rating — 12,716 ratings

"A tense, beautifully crafted novel which explores a controversial art competition in the context of American [and humanitarian] values. I found it chilling - ringing true at every turn. "

3.89 avg rating — 6,226 ratings

"This is a first person, ego-in-full-bloom, FU I'm gonna be me, tell-all. And if you were a major fan of the brothers back in the day, you're going to roar. On the other hand, if you're not a fan you probably won't make it through. It still belongs on this list because it reveals a lot about the artistic and human tensions between artists when their collective fate depends on each other."

3.78 avg rating — 114,597 ratings

"Yes, THAT Steve Martin is not only a comic genius and a talented banjo player but also an accomplished novelist. I enjoyed the way this novel explored the commerce of art and revealed the dysphoric subculture of art galleries in NYC."

3.75 avg rating — 6,327 ratings

"Sorry Sheila -your writing drove me crazy! You may have to struggle with your inner-editor to get into the stories beneath all the run-on sentences & polluted stream of consciousness! But the stories ARE AMAZING. If you are a 70s era music junkie - these are the people behind your life's soundtrack. Gossipy, sexy and chock-full of artistic insight."

3.94 avg rating — 351 ratings

"This memoir will become a classic in the genre of Artist's Journey. If you're interested in how artwork reflects the emotional development, life experiences and inner-workings of a painter, you will find this a rich read. "