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Mary

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In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin

by Erik Larson (Goodreads Author)

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May 23, 2011 04:58PM

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The Swan Thieves

by Elizabeth Kostova

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read in January 2011

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Mary said: " Having read Elizabeth Kostova's two novels (her debut novel, The Historian, and now The Swan Thieves) and followed the reviews of both works here, I have come to the conclusion that the readers fall into two camps: those who whine that "the books are Having read Elizabeth Kostova's two novels (her debut novel, The Historian, and now The Swan Thieves) and followed the reviews of both works here, I have come to the conclusion that the readers fall into two camps: those who whine that "the books are too long and boring" and those who savor every page.

Count me into the latter camp.

The similarity of the two books is the way Kostova gradually unfolds the story with several voices adding to the narrative, some through the use of letters. Both stories bring past events into the present and wind together various plots that converge with the conclusion. All this takes time! And I found both stories to be complete and satisfying.

The Swan Thieves is about a "tortured artist". And yes, that is a cliche. This particular tortured artist, Robert Oliver, has an obsession with a 19th century artist, Beatrice de Clerval, that threatens his sanity and drives away the women who love him. A mystery lies at the center of his troubled psyche which gradually comes to consume Oliver's psychiatrist, Andrew Marlow. Marlow develops his own obsession with finding answers about the mysterious woman who has Oliver in such a maddening grip. He follows the trail across continents and centuries to reach the conclusion that can set both himself and Oliver free.

This book is about art - the temperaments of artists, the methods and madness of painting, the birth of Impressionism, the technical aspects of artwork, etc. If I have any problem with the story it is that every character is a painter, including the psychiatrist. As a non-artist myself, I began to get the feeling that I am the only person on the planet who doesn't set up an easel to paint a landscape everywhere I go! I think it would have been a refreshing change of pace to introduce at least one main character who wasn't a painter to serve as a foil to all the artistic personalities. Even among painters immersed in the world of art, there are bound to be those around them - spouses, family, friends - who are decidedly NON artistic. (A few minor characters, such as Marlow's father or Beatrice's husband, are not artists but they are peripheral.)

The descriptive passages are as vivid as paintings themselves. Kostova wields her words like an artist's brush. If you enjoy looking at a painting with all the strokes and nuances of color and composition then you will enjoy reading this beautifully scripted story that shows you the world through the eyes of a painter. ...more "

Jan 04, 2011 11:40AM · see review