A review by jodi_b
The Forest Lover by Susan Vreeland
5.0
I have a love/hate relationship with Emily Carr as she is depicted in this book. At least that is what I thought when I started reading the book. In the beginning, Emily came across as whiny. Poor me, my sisters don't understand me, the local artists don't understand me.... But she seems to grown as you read. Because she is also strong -- headed out into the forests of British Columbia to paint totem poles and indigenous peoples.
It has taken me a while to get through this book, but I don't want it to end. It is so beautifully written. And so painful. It is so beautiful partly because of the rich descriptions of Emily Carr's art. I can almost envision turn of the century British Columbia; the relationships between indigenous peoples and Europeans; the impact of missionaries and anthropologists; the post-impressionist art scene in British Columbia and beyond; as well as the vivid green of the landscape and the multiple and divergent ways of viewing art and beauty.
It makes tears sting my eyes. The pain of growing up in a missionary family, playing with native boys, not understanding why your parents want you to be different from those boys. The pain of losing child after child, wondering why white women's children live. The tension between doing what you love, what makes you feel good and what other people find socially acceptable.
I could probably find flaws with this book, but tonight I found those tear wrenching pages, so beautifully written, portraying so many things that I have read about and envisioned, all within a story about art.
It has taken me a while to get through this book, but I don't want it to end. It is so beautifully written. And so painful. It is so beautiful partly because of the rich descriptions of Emily Carr's art. I can almost envision turn of the century British Columbia; the relationships between indigenous peoples and Europeans; the impact of missionaries and anthropologists; the post-impressionist art scene in British Columbia and beyond; as well as the vivid green of the landscape and the multiple and divergent ways of viewing art and beauty.
It makes tears sting my eyes. The pain of growing up in a missionary family, playing with native boys, not understanding why your parents want you to be different from those boys. The pain of losing child after child, wondering why white women's children live. The tension between doing what you love, what makes you feel good and what other people find socially acceptable.
I could probably find flaws with this book, but tonight I found those tear wrenching pages, so beautifully written, portraying so many things that I have read about and envisioned, all within a story about art.