The Sense of Paper (A Novel of Obsessions) [Paperback]

Taylor Holden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 2006

“Think for a moment what paper means to people. How ubiquitous it is in everyday life….A material of paradoxes, it can be used and abused in a thousand ways and still be the same under its skin. It is the embodiment of man’s achievement, yet it is as transient and as flimsy as tissue…. In its strengths and weaknesses, faults and flaws, it is intensely human….”

A lush and intoxicating blend of art history, eroticism, and suspense, Taylor Holden's The Sense of Paper is like no other debut novel you’ve ever read. An enthralling exploration of the role of paper in art, it is also the sumptuous story of a woman living on the dangerous edge of obsession, passion, and murder.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British journalist Holden (Shell Shock) delivers a superior novel of suspense in her well-plotted fiction debut. Charlotte "Charlie" Hudson, a former reporter suffering from physical and psychological wounds incurred while covering the war in Kosovo, decides to give up on the book she's writing about Kosovo and begin one on her new passion—handmade art papers and the use thereof by the great 19th-century British painter, J.M.W. Turner. Part of this passion involves a growing romantic attraction to world-famous painter Sir Alan Matheson. Holden weaves pages of esoteric paper lore into a tale that involves Charlie's tenuous mental stability and the growing mystery surrounding the suicide death of Sir Alan's daughter, Angela. Readers who are interested in art history and artists' lives will find themselves enthralled with the depth and scope of information, while those with less intellectual tastes may find themselves guiltily skipping ahead. Holden is the pseudonym of Wendy Holden, who has covered wars for the Daily Telegraph. (Sept.)
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From Booklist

The wasp's paper nest, made by bugs chewing tree fibers that mix with the insects' saliva, inspired the ancient Chinese to develop papermaking. From such humble beginnings eventually came richly textured, handmade papers highly prized by centuries of artists. Never one to "stay home and write about nice things," despite her mother's pleas, British journalist Charlotte "Charlie" Hudson returns from covering the Kosovo war. She has a widely acclaimed book to show for her efforts there--and also hideous flashbacks and nightmares. Desperate for a new focus, she meets well-known painter Alan Matheson--by happenstance? Kismet?--while admiring handmade papers at the Bloomsbury artists' supply shop her artist grandfather had patronized. Alan is interested in her idea for a book about the historic importance of artists' papers and provides her books and academic treatises on the consequence of specific papers for the great English painter Turner. So begins Charlie's transformation in this lusciously textured novel of suspense and discovery, full of emotional nuance as accurately and delicately rendered as Turner's clouds. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 367 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Books (September 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553803948
• ISBN-13: 978-0553803945
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,477,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wendy Holden, also known as Taylor Holden, is an experienced author and novelist with more than twenty books already published including a novel plus two screenplays. She has had numerous works transferred to radio and television.

A journalist for eighteen years, ten on the Daily Telegraph, her first novel THE SENSE OF PAPER was published by Random House New York in 2006 to widespread critical acclaim. Her non-fiction titles have chiefly chronicled the lives of remarkable subjects, such as her latest collaboration with Barbara Sinatra, widow of Frank, in LADY BLUE EYES to be published in March 2011, and Pauline Prescott wife of the Deputy Prime Minister in SMILE THOUGH YOUR HEART IS BREAKING. She also wrote the memoir of the only woman in the French Foreign Legion in TOMORROW TO BE BRAVE and chronicled the life of the mother of a woman killed after marrying a Sudanese warlord in TILL THE SUN GROWS COLD. She co-wrote A LOTUS GROWS IN THE MUD, the memoir of actress Goldie Hawn, a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, and HEAVEN AND HELL, the life story of guitarist Don Felder of The Eagles.

In BEHIND ENEMY LINES she wrote about a young Jewish spy who repeatedly crossed German lines and in MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS she chronicled a biography of Dean Martin as seen through his daughter's eyes. She worked with Billy Connolly on JOURNEY TO THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, his TV-companion travel guide to the Northwest Passage, and co-wrote American male supermodel Bruce Hulse's explosive memoir SEX, LOVE AND FASHION. Other works have included CENTRAL 822, the autobiography of a pioneering policewoman at Scotland Yard and serialised on BBC Radio 4, BITING THE BULLET charting the remarkable life of an SAS wife, and FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW the story of a paraplegic made into a TV drama starring Caroline Quentin. Wendy was also responsible for the bestselling novelisations of the films THE FULL MONTY and WAKING NED. Her first book UNLAWFUL CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, the true story of the controversial Irish abortion case was banned in Ireland. SHELL SHOCK charting the history of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder went with an award-winning Channel 4 television documentary series. She lives in Suffolk, England, with her husband, chickens and dogs. Learn more at www.wendyholden.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WITHOUT PAPER THIS BOOK WOULD NOT EXIST, November 1, 2006

By 

Red Rock Bookworm (St. George Utah) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Sense of Paper (A Novel of Obsessions) (Paperback)

Paper appears to be a metaphor for the lives and personalities of the books characters. Charlie, whose life experiences have left her a fragile as tissue paper, Alan, attractive, unique and possessing an unusual edge, Cassie, durable and constant as brown shipping paper, Nick, flawed but with an inner strength.....well, you get the idea.

There are many lessons to be learned from this read. Lessons in art history, the process for producing quality handmade paper and and the importance of that quality in the production of great masterpieces by artists such as Turner.

Through the main characters, we also venture into the realms of obsession, erotic love, war and its consequences, suicide, obsession and death. A remarkable and engrossing story. I doubt if you will find a more interesting and compelling read this year.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Quick and Easy Read, January 24, 2007

By 

A. A. Tranmer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sense of Paper (A Novel of Obsessions) (Paperback)

A story about a journalist suffering from a war-torn past and her journey through healing and the rediscovery of love as she researches her new book, a history of the art of paper-making, this book has a little bit of everything--history, love and romance, mystery, action and adventure. Overall, I found the story interesting, but somewhat lukewarm. I can't imagine anyone hating this book, but it's also not much for discussion.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read!, October 12, 2006

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sense of Paper (A Novel of Obsessions) (Paperback)

Reporter Charlie Holden, now in her 40s, is back in London after some grueling and dangerous years covering world conflicts, recovering from physical and emotional wounds she received in Kosovo four years earlier.

In London, Charlie comes across painter Sir Alan Matheson, who suggests she write a book on paper, art paper manufacture in England and the work of Turner. He provides her with research ideas, contacts, and shows her his small and precious collection of Whatman papers, the same ones Turner used.

As Charlie gets to know Sir Alan, she discovers disquieting facts about his daughter Angela, dead of a drug overdose; and his first wife, still somewhat mentally unstable. She is reminded of her beloved grandfather, also a painter, and her own suicide attempt. The parallels in their lives both repel and attract Charlie to Alan.

Charlie's patient husband Nick, who has lived apart from her for years, and her best friend Carrie, try to provide a stable backdrop for Charlie, and what they see as a possibly problematic relationship. As Charlie's book, Paper Chase, is finished, and their relationship draws them closer together, several startling and frightening events in the lives of the lovers change them forever.

Taylor Holden was a journalist for the Daily Telegraph, covering Northern Ireland, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. This is her first novel.

Armchair Interviews says: Lots of clues about relationships Charlie Holden ignores.