(N.B.: I am not able to do this review justice because I listened to the book on a trip to Phoenix from Denver. Usually, I refer back to highlighted passages. In this case, I have none.)
An amazing story and not at all what I expected. The set up for Bear, the famous artist, to potentially emotionally wreck his favored son is so well done you'll never see what's really coming. Pinch, just one of philandering Bear's many children from multiple wives, idolizes his father. Bear has several artistic idiosyncratic tendencies. For one, he burns his art if he doesn't feel it's perfect. Hence, there's a great demand for his work, and a limited supply. He lets only Pinch into his sordid life. Only Pinch knows his secrets, his womanizing, has a key to his secret studio, knows where his "missing" canvases are.
As Pinch grows from a child into a man, he forfeits his true passion based upon his father's "recommendation", and becomes an Italian teacher. He begins to see his father for who he is. With that awakening, his childhood passion awakens, too, first in an act of duplicity, then in acts of compassion.
We as readers see Bear as a loathsome, lying, egomaniac who is never held accountable to his children whom he abandons time and time again. But it's only after Pinch befriends one of his half-sisters and after he catches his father contradicting himself on theories of art that Pinch thought were gospel, that Pinch changes his view of the man. Pinch's reactions are astonishing, delightful, and surprising. I found myself shouting, "Hooray Pinch!"
We're also immersed in the world of buying and selling art. Who decides art's value? Is art "good" simply because it bears the name of a particular person? What if someone else actually painted it, as was the case in the old days when apprentices did the actual painting for some masters? Can anyone ever objectively determine art is good and assign a value? Rachman explores these themes in this clever novel.
In the end, it turns out Pinch is more than an Italian Teacher. He's a real hero.
I intend to read more by Rachman. I enjoyed the audio version but I bet I would have liked the written version even more.
Add Prime
to get Fast, Free delivery
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
I wanted to like it
A book about the rivalry between artists, about the pain of creativity and creation, and about the struggle for success... It all sounded so great and I could not wait to read it.But... I just could not connect with the story.The writing is beautiful, and there are some truly unforgettable lines, but it all felt like I was just reading pages; I never got deeper, never went beneath the page.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2018
- Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2019
- Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2018
- Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2019
- Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2018
Top reviews from other countries
- gerardpeterReviewed in the United Kingdom on April 21, 2020
Life of the Artist's Son
-
Mag. Gabriele HromatkaReviewed in Germany on September 27, 2018
Lesenswert, spannend
- Nepean ReaderReviewed in Canada on April 25, 2018
An Artists's Life Stifled by Insecurities.
