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Smoking Mirror: An Encounter with Paul Gauguin (Art Encounters) [Hardcover]

Douglas Rees (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)


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Book Description

Art Encounters September 1, 2005
A Junior Library Guild Selection


"A haunting, deeply affecting book. Set on the island of Tahiti, this story of artist Paul Gauguin and the young man he immortalized in his paintings reads like a tropical breeze—easy and relaxed at first feel, but hinting at dangerous storms brewing ahead. Highly recommended."—Brent Hartinger, author of The Order of the Poison Oak and The Last Chance Texaco


This second book in the new Art Encounters series centers on Paul Gauguin's painting Landscape with Peacocks, or Matamoe, and recreates the world the artist found in Tahiti when he painted the picture in 1892.



This action-packed South Sea adventure is about a young sailor, Joe Sloan, and his mission to avenge the death of his friend, Robert. Joe searches for Robert's girlfriend, a Tahitian girl named Tehane, to deliver the sad news personally. He doesn't have to go far before fate reunites him with his friend's killer, the Marquesan warrior, Gun, and his evil master, a man known as the White Wolf.



As Joe navigates the unknown territory of Tahiti and its people, he finds an unlikely ally in French artist Paul Gauguin. In the course of the story, readers are introduced to Gauguin and his work, the artist's relationships with the Tahitian natives, and his artistic temperament.



Paul Gauguin in Tahiti

Paul Gauguin spent his life searching for paradise, a propensity that must have been set during his vagabond youth spent sailing around the world. He became a painter relatively late in life, with encouragement from Pissarro, Cézanne, and other impressionists.



Ever the outsider, Gauguin left France and sailed for Tahiti in 1891 to escape debt and ruin, as well as "everything that is artificial and conventional." But to his deep disappointment, Tahiti was not the tropical paradise he had imagined. It had been thoroughly westernized.



Nonetheless, he settled in Papeete and created some of his finest paintings. He had not found the simplicity of primitive life, so he painted it in such works as Landscape with Peacocks, or Matamoe.



Except for one visit to France, he remained in the South Pacific for the rest of his life.



• For readers 12 and up

• The second book in the new Art Encounters series

• Gauguin is frequently studied in elementary school because of the importance of his art to the post-impressionist period

• The story is based around Gauguin's painting Landscape with Peacocks, or Matamoe (Pushkin Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia)


Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up–It is 1891 and Joe Sloan, a half-Mexican, half-American sailor from California, has recently disembarked in Tahiti. His friend Robert was murdered minutes after they arrived, and Joe is left with feelings of grief and revenge. To fulfill a pledge to his friend, he searches for and finds Tehane, the girl Robert loved. When Paul Gauguin arrives in the small village, Joe has several encounters with him; most of them involve insults and punches, but they become friends. Joe's relationship with Tehane also changes as they fall in love. But she, along with the rest of her village, doesn't trust the French artist, which causes a rift in their relationship. This novel is likely to lose readers. In the first three chapters alone, the author begins to develop several topics–the death of Robert, the death of the Tahitian king, the death of the Tahitian culture and way of life, Joe's despair and suicidal thoughts, his need for revenge, and the search for Tehane. Many of these plot threads have acceptable conclusions. Others seem to be dropped altogether. The initial encounters with Gauguin seem to be added as an afterthought, and dialogue with him is often stilted. When readers finally get to know the artist, in the second half of the novel, he becomes a more developed character. Overall, this story is not likely to sustain readers' interest.–Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL

From Booklist

Gr. 9-12. Like other titles in the new Art Encounters series, this weaves biographical facts about a famous artist into a compelling novel. Here, the narrator is 15-year-old Joe Sloan, a Mexican American who flees his unhappy home, becomes a sailor, and lands in Tahiti in the 1890s, just as Paul Gauguin arrives. In a remote village, Joe forms an intense friendship with the mercurial Gauguin and falls deeply in love with a Tahitian girl. Gauguin's complicated, condescending views of the Tahitians as "noble savages" may jar contemporary readers, as might moments of violence: throughout, Joe plots to avenge a friend's murder; and a subplot that centers on smuggling leads to a heart-pounding conclusion. Rees has clearly done his research, and he admirably incorporates Gauguin's work and voice (a few famous quotes are included) into a romantic coming-of-age story that asks compelling questions about how artists create and where their lives and art intersect. An afterword and a time line of Gauguin's life will help readers separate fact from fiction. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  • Hardcover: 176 pages
  • Publisher: Watson-Guptill (September 1, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0823048632
  • ISBN-13: 978-0823048632
  • Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 0.8 x 8.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,613,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved It, March 23, 2005
By 
Brent Hartinger (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Smoking Mirror: An Encounter with Paul Gauguin (Art Encounters) (Hardcover)
This is such a masterfully written book. Even apart from the fact that it is based on historical events (interesting enough!), I thought the story worked so well as just a damn good story. If you have any interest at all in Paul Gauguin (or even if you don't!), I highly recommend this book.
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2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars cool story, February 21, 2005
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This review is from: Smoking Mirror: An Encounter with Paul Gauguin (Art Encounters) (Hardcover)
This book is soooo cool! about a guy who gets revenge for his best friend's death at the hands of pirates. paul gaggin is in it too. he was a famous artist. he painted lots of pictures and had sex with lots of hot Tahitian girls! then he died of siphilis!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Tahiti was beautiful that afternoon. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
cocoa palms
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
White Wolf, Smoking Mirror, Monsieur Gauguin, Los Angeles, Mademoiselle Tehane, Cercle Militaire, Joe Sloan, Paul Gauguin, Robert Fort, Devil's Island, New Zealand
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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