Thursday, April 24, 2014

Still life with bread crumbs, by Anna Quindlen



Having just finished a real life memoir about finding oneself in mid-life through a retreat to the woods (Out of the woods, a memoir of wayfaring, by Lynn Darling), I was quite startled to find almost the same theme in the new novel by Anna Quindlen.  Like her real-life counterpart, Rebecca Winter has rented a rural house, sight unseen, largely because it is what she can afford and what is available.  It comes with a raft of problems and resident raccoon in the attic through which she meets a local roofer, Jim.  Rebecca is 60 and has had a successful career as a photographer, best known for the eponymous “Still life with breadcrumbs,” which has become a feminist icon.  But life and art have moved on and she is wondering “what’s next.”  This quietly romantic story is really quite lovely.  272 pp.

No comments:

Post a Comment