Restoration: A Novel (Hardcover)

by John Ed Bradley (Author) "The buses have not yet begun to arrive: the garden club ladies in sandals and straw hats, the schoolchildren on field trips, the pale, weary..." (more)
Key Phrases: post office mural, southern art, auction company, Levette Asmore, Tommy Smallwood, New Orleans (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Bradley (Tupelo Nights; My Juliet) is back in top form with this smart and disarmingly romantic novel about the artistic, erotic and racial history of New Orleans. Disenchanted after 10 years as a columnist for a New Orleans newspaper, Jack Charbonnet sells his deceased father's art collection and retires from journalism at age 32. At a small dinner party, Jack, who's white, meets and falls in love with an African-American art restorer, Rhys Goudeau. She awakens in Jack a passionate interest in the paintings of Levette Asmore, a once renowned, now nearly forgotten New Orleans artist who committed suicide in 1941 at the age of 23. Asmore, a white artist who created sexually charged paintings of black women, had created a large-scale WPA-sponsored painting for the city shortly before his death; the subject of the mural-blacks and whites dancing together at Mardi Gras-caused such a furor that he voluntarily whitewashed it. Rhys becomes convinced that the painting still exists and can be restored, and she and Jack become co-conspirators in an art heist. Though Rhys clearly returns Jack's affection, she still refuses to become his lover. Their quest turns up unexpected revelations about Asmore's family history and the racy shenanigans of New Orleans high society; it forces both Jack and Rhys to reconsider the ways they think about race. The novel is an artful combination of history, mystery, romance and a comedy of Southern manners. Bradley probes racial politics thoughtfully, with a light touch. This is his best novel in years.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Like the John Sayles film Lone Star, this novel concerns a white man's confrontation with race issues in America. It succeeds the same way the movie did: by using a historical mystery to examine honestly how close our society has (or hasn't) come to treating all people equally--and how far one man can go in a personal journey of enlightenment. The story follows a former New Orleans newspaper columnist as he immerses himself in southern art while chasing the elusive story of Levette Asmore, a promising artist of the early 1940s who jumped off the Huey P. Long Bridge after being forced to destroy his mural of an interracial Mardi Gras celebration. Compelling, complex characters doing interesting things while working through important emotional and philosophical issues--this is the stuff of genuine literature, and all underpinned by exacting research. Although it's a bit too earnest at times and offers up a straw man for a villain, the narrative flows rich and smooth as chicory coffee at a Vieux Carre cafe. It's a rewarding read. Frank Sennett
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (February 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385502613
• ISBN-13: 978-0385502610
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #460,812 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A TASTY TIME IN NEW ORLEANS, June 6, 2003

By	ROBERT PURCELL MOYER (Winston-Salem, NC United States) - See all my reviews

In John Ed Bradley's novel RESTORATION, Jack Charbonnet and Rhys Goudeau window-shop for antiques along Magazine, then stop in for a bite to eat at Casamento's just off Napoleon Ave. You can, too. Like this ex-Times-Picayune columnist and his art-restorer crush, you can also get a Ferdi Special, covered in "debris," at Mother's Restaurant at the foot of Poydras Street. While cruising around in the French Quarter, you could also come across a painting by artist Noel Rockmore hanging in some bar. However, no matter how hard you look, even in the gem-like New Orleans Collection of Art on Royal, or the venerable New Orleans Museum of Art ensconced in City Park, you will not find a picture by bohemian artist Levette Asmore, famous for his female portraits and an infamous WPA mural. You see, just like Jack and Rhys, Levette is fictional.

Some time ago, Bradley got involved with the attempt to salvage a WPA mural in New Orleans. Now, he has combined that experience and some research into a novel that sheds light on the intricate skein of race relations in New Orleans. So, out of the bubbling roux of many colors that compose the Crescent City's population, and the deep, rich tradition of Big Easy art, Bradley fashioned the figure of Levette Asmore. In a way, Bradley has come up with mystery "lite" here: the only death is Asmore's untimely demise some sixty years ago, and the only danger is the potential death of someone living on that rich N'Awlins diet. However, the author entertains us with colorful characters and dialogue, and enlightens us with his research into art auctions, art restoration, and art history. Asmore's bohemian life and magical work serve as the touchstone which sets off a series of questions that compel Jack and Rhys: Who is that woman in the photo behind Levette? How is she related to Rhys? Will they get the mural out of the post office? Will they get away with the crime? Will that boor of an art collector come away with the canvas of his dreams? Where was Jack's crippled landlord the night Levette took that dive off the Huey P. Long Bridge? And, will Rhys ever accept Jack's bids for her affections? We don't get to know until they come to the end of their queue of questions. Nevertheless, you'll enjoy taking a tour through the streets and society of the city, past and present. By the way, anyone going to New Orleans, write down whatever restaurant Bradley mentions; he knows what he's talking about. Laizzer les bon temps rouler!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery with a message., March 3, 2003

By	An avid reader. "dalesondericker" (NY, USA) - See all my reviews

Journalist, Jack Charbonnet, meets and falls for art restorer Rhys Goudeau. Together they investigate why, in 1941, the south's most talented and promising artist committed suicide by jumping off the Huey P. Long bridge.

This is a captivating mystery. I couldn't put the book down. It's well written and has an intriguing plot, likable and colorful characters and a great setting, New Orleans. Successfully woven into the novel's lighthearted tone is a sensitive examination of a serious subject - race relations in the south - then and now

As a bonus, we learn something about the world of southern regional art and the people who collect it. A resident of New Orleans and an art collector, Mr. Bradley's expertise is apparent

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Restoration by John Ed Bradley, July 15, 2003

By	Joanne Mumpower (Las Vegas, NV United States) - See all my reviews

This was my first book by this Author but I am sure it WON"T be my last. This was a GREAT BOOK! It's the type of book you do not want to put down but then are very sorry when you finish it. New Orleans is where my heart is even though I don't live there. I visit twice a year and always buy all the New Orleans Fiction I can find when I am there. This book was my luckest find on my last trip. Now I can go to Amazon to search out other books by this Author. Other readers may want to try O'Neil DeNoux & Julie Smith.