A review by ryner
The Forest Lover by Susan Vreeland
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Following the deaths of her parents, Emily Carr endures a "proper" (stifling) existence living with her three older sisters in Victoria, British Columbia, but Emily only feels alive when she's painting, and she feels drawn to paint native art and communities of the Pacific Northwest. Despite her siblings' disapproval, Emily embarks on a number of journeys to remote sites in pursuit of her dream, but the beauty of what she sees contrasts with the increasingly bleak lives of the people she meets and the destruction and theft of their art.
The story is moderately interesting, but this novel is probably one of Vreeland's weakest. Though her passion for art history shines through, this book might be forgettable if it hadn't been based on a real historical figure. It is always fairly uncomfortable reading an author's attempt to depict "broken English," and to rub salt in the wound it appears to have been used inconsistently among the very same speakers. I wouldn't necessarily recommend unless you are already a fan of Vreeland and are working your way through her oeuvre.
The story is moderately interesting, but this novel is probably one of Vreeland's weakest. Though her passion for art history shines through, this book might be forgettable if it hadn't been based on a real historical figure. It is always fairly uncomfortable reading an author's attempt to depict "broken English," and to rub salt in the wound it appears to have been used inconsistently among the very same speakers. I wouldn't necessarily recommend unless you are already a fan of Vreeland and are working your way through her oeuvre.