The Drawing Lesson: The First in the Trilogy of Remembrance by Mary E Martin

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The Drawing Lesson: The First in the Trilogy of Remembrance by Mary E Martin

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Buy The Drawing Lesson: The First in the Trilogy of Remembrance by Mary E Martin at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

Category: General Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Reviewed by Sue Magee
Summary: A sparkling start to the Remebrance trilogy as Alexander Wainwright wins the Turner but seems about to lose everything else he values, including his sanity. The characters will stay in your mind and the places will come to life. Recommended
Buy? Yes Borrow? Yes
Pages: 336 Date: June 2010
Publisher: iUniverse.com
ISBN: 978-1450229364

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Alexander Wainwright is the UK's premier artist. He's just won the Turner with The Hay Wagon – a painting with a luminous, moonlit landscape. He should be at the peak of his powers, but he's about to lose his muse and, more worryingly, there seems to be something wrong with his sight and the year to come is going to be traumatic. The story of it is told by his friend, art dealer Jamie Helmsworth, who has pieced together what he knows, what he's heard – and used a little artistic licence to fill in the gaps. It's a most unusual story which will take you deep into the world of artists and writers.

I loved Helmsworth – a sensitive man, conscious that he is not an artist but a man of commerce – and he tells Wainwright's story, which moves from London to Venice, Toronto and New York with a very English restraint and an obvious sympathy for his friend's predicament. There is no prize in art more coveted than the Turner and every winner has their detractors. Rinaldo wouldn't admit to jealousy, maintaining that the time for love of beauty in paintings is past, but he takes his revenge by defacing The Hay Wagon. Wainwright could probably cope with this, but it's not enough for Rinaldo, who wants to destroy the man and not just his art.

Most troubling for Wainwright – and for Jamie Helmsworth – are the visions he has of ugly, misshapen, humanoid creatures. Seeing them in his mind is bad enough but before long he's driven to introduce them into his paintings. It's his search for their meaning which takes him first to Venice and then to North America. The people he meets, each with their own story to tell, shine lights into forgotten corners of his psyche. I loved his meeting with the man who rode a hay wagon just like the one he had painted - and the couple on a journey to remember their daughter. The meetings are like a mirror which gently distorts an image until it becomes something which can be accepted.

Mary Martin has a real skill when it comes to lifting her characters off the page in very few words. Relatively minor personalities have stayed with me long after I finished reading the book and she's equally good with places. I know London well and frequently found myself walking the streets with Wainwright and when you're in the Turbine Gallery at the Tate Modern you'll feel the vast space around you. Superb.

The plot is a real page-turner, but there were a couple of points which pulled me out of it. Jamie Helmsworth occasionally slips into North American English, which is a little disconcerting and without spoiling the plot too much (I hope!) if Wainwright was young enough to win the Turner he must have been particularly precocious in his pre-teens. Suspend disbelief though and you'll find a book which is well-worth the read. I'm very much looking forward to parts two and three of the trilogy, despite the fact that The Drawing Lesson reads well as a stand-alone.

I'd like to thank the author for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

I always feel that it can be something of a burden to compare a relatively unknown author to one of the greats, but whilst I was reading this book and as I've thought about it since my mind has been taken back to Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje because of the way that seemingly unconnected stories build to form a greater story. If you enjoy one then I think that you will appreciate the other.

Bookinterviews.jpg Mary E Martin was kind enough to be interviewed by Bookbag.

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Buy The Drawing Lesson: The First in the Trilogy of Remembrance by Mary E Martin at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy The Drawing Lesson: The First in the Trilogy of Remembrance by Mary E Martin at Amazon.com.

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