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smusie's review against another edition
2.0
This book answers many important questions, such as what do old New Yorkers eat and drink when they go over to each other's apartments to hash out decades-old resentments/misunderstandings, or just to hang out with old friends and possibly talk about and/or have sex? Also, what do they eat and drink when they go to restaurants and dinner parties? Do they like this food and drink? Do they, for example, like the strange sauvignon blanc ordered by the gay "schwartze" who is writing their dead husband's biography? NO THEY DO NOT. It is oddly fizzy and metallic-tasting. Why oh why did he not consult the sweet, little old lady before ordering the wine? What the hell kind of biographer is that? Why, apparently he is the kind you can buy to write a sympathetic account of the so-called great man, which will then get panned in the Times.
This book also answers many questions about black people, such as, can they be writers? Artists? Intelligent housekeepers? By gosh, they can! It's downright amazing! They can also be somewhat attractive, albeit with a propensity to gather a sweaty "sheen," or sometimes they just "gleam." Their skin is also sometimes "glossy."
Never fear, the answer to the question of what the great man was really like is also bestowed upon us. Apparently, for his mistress he was like a bear, while for his wife he was like a big dog. He wasn't really "there" for any of his children.
Also, have you ever wondered what it's like to have twins? Well, it seems one turns out exactly like the father, and the other exactly like the mother. The mother finds that it's easy to raise the one who is like her, while the father only paints a portrait of the one who is like him. It's so simple, it can be described in a couple of sentences when the twins are 40 years old.
I can remember only two scenes in this book that did not involve people having breakfast/lunch/drinks/dinner together, and those were both with Maxine, the sister of the "great" man. Conveniently, she is also a great or maybe great, well-known artist, who is not great enough to have a biography written of her, but is comfortably well off and cutely re-falls in love with an old flame ( who just happens to hold the keys to a scandalous secret, which I won't give away as that would be a spoiler, in case anyone ever wants to read this book in the future, which I can't imagine but could happen you never know!!!). In one scene Maxine is hanging around her studio, and in another she walks her dog. She does feed the dog breakfast while walking him (???), but since he's not human I won't count that. Maxine made me want to give this book three stars, which would mean (according to Goodreads) that I liked the book. However, I could only muster up two stars, meaning it was OK.
Wait, there is another scence where two characters have sex before eating or drinking anything!!! But then they are terribly hungry so they order Peruvian food and drink the bottle of champagne one of them has conveniently brought along in his briefcase. "How odd, to be calling out for Peruvian food. What was Peruvian food, anyway?" one of them thinks.
The insights into the contemporary art world and the creative process in general suffer by comparison to other novels about art and artists that I have read recently, namely The Blazing World and The Flamethrowers. Plus, there's the language. "Katerina opened the door with a motion of her arm like a knife through water. "Hello," she said. "Come in." " Why must Katerina open the door in such a fashion? Katerina is a minor character, benignly lurking in the background through a few scenes, contributing very little to the plot (not that there is much of a plot), just being a mild Hungarian/sexual distraction for Maxine. Why do we have to hear about how her arm moves when she opens the door???????????? And how does a knife move through water, anyway? Unfortunately, that is one question that this book does not answer. If you want to know the answer, you should read a different book.
This book also answers many questions about black people, such as, can they be writers? Artists? Intelligent housekeepers? By gosh, they can! It's downright amazing! They can also be somewhat attractive, albeit with a propensity to gather a sweaty "sheen," or sometimes they just "gleam." Their skin is also sometimes "glossy."
Never fear, the answer to the question of what the great man was really like is also bestowed upon us. Apparently, for his mistress he was like a bear, while for his wife he was like a big dog. He wasn't really "there" for any of his children.
Also, have you ever wondered what it's like to have twins? Well, it seems one turns out exactly like the father, and the other exactly like the mother. The mother finds that it's easy to raise the one who is like her, while the father only paints a portrait of the one who is like him. It's so simple, it can be described in a couple of sentences when the twins are 40 years old.
I can remember only two scenes in this book that did not involve people having breakfast/lunch/drinks/dinner together, and those were both with Maxine, the sister of the "great" man. Conveniently, she is also a great or maybe great, well-known artist, who is not great enough to have a biography written of her, but is comfortably well off and cutely re-falls in love with an old flame ( who just happens to hold the keys to a scandalous secret, which I won't give away as that would be a spoiler, in case anyone ever wants to read this book in the future, which I can't imagine but could happen you never know!!!). In one scene Maxine is hanging around her studio, and in another she walks her dog. She does feed the dog breakfast while walking him (???), but since he's not human I won't count that. Maxine made me want to give this book three stars, which would mean (according to Goodreads) that I liked the book. However, I could only muster up two stars, meaning it was OK.
Wait, there is another scence where two characters have sex before eating or drinking anything!!! But then they are terribly hungry so they order Peruvian food and drink the bottle of champagne one of them has conveniently brought along in his briefcase. "How odd, to be calling out for Peruvian food. What was Peruvian food, anyway?" one of them thinks.
The insights into the contemporary art world and the creative process in general suffer by comparison to other novels about art and artists that I have read recently, namely The Blazing World and The Flamethrowers. Plus, there's the language. "Katerina opened the door with a motion of her arm like a knife through water. "Hello," she said. "Come in." " Why must Katerina open the door in such a fashion? Katerina is a minor character, benignly lurking in the background through a few scenes, contributing very little to the plot (not that there is much of a plot), just being a mild Hungarian/sexual distraction for Maxine. Why do we have to hear about how her arm moves when she opens the door???????????? And how does a knife move through water, anyway? Unfortunately, that is one question that this book does not answer. If you want to know the answer, you should read a different book.
anniewill's review against another edition
I read about 40 pages and just wasn't feeling it at all. I like this author and may try again another time.
dcmr's review against another edition
4.0
A rare and refreshing novel featuring vivid, well-drawn characters in their 70s & 80s.
An engaging page-turner, sharply rendered.
An engaging page-turner, sharply rendered.
arpentec22's review against another edition
5.0
Kate Christensen is a very thorough writer, and fills each character with a plethora of good and bad qualities. This book was fantastic, and I highly recommend this and the Epicure's Lament (I've been unable to find any of her other books at the library, sadly.)
kpetroll's review against another edition
3.0
It was ok. I didn't really care for Maxine's character too much and the chapter about her bored me. It began well with the story of Teddy and then I lost interest. The book picked up 2/3 in.
chonkooch's review
2.75
Surprising amount of racism some of it seemingly purposeless. Quick and fun read though
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
nappingcat's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
The writing in this was spectacular. The ending didn't hit me quite as satisfyingly as I wished, but I really enjoyed getting to bask in the Kristenson's incredibly sharp, cerebral observations. This is one of those rare books featuring older protagonists that addresses them without the hazy cultural lenses of reverential respect or soft pity. A story of nuanced character portraits on the dramas and delightful freedoms of growing old, mixed with ideas about art, love, and legacy. I also really appreciated the inclusion of one of the most joyous sex scenes I've read this year, featuring a couple well into in their sixties
jaclynday's review against another edition
4.0
Few writers can do complexity this well. Love the wealth of intricate, sarcastic, weary female characters.
bethnellvaccaro's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very enjoyable book about a group of older women and the man that their lives revolved around. Refreshing to read a book from the perspective of much older women.
karasmichelle's review against another edition
4.0
Not about a great man at all, but the strong, unique and falliable women who surrounded a celebrated but morally weak artist in his life.
After the artist's death, his sister, his wife, his mistress, his grown daughters and his mistress's best friend are reminded of their time with him through the eyes of two biographers writing about him.
Sometimes comical, often biting, The Great Man gives us female protagonists who are grandmothers, or old enough to be grandmothers. And their voices are anything but tedious.
After the artist's death, his sister, his wife, his mistress, his grown daughters and his mistress's best friend are reminded of their time with him through the eyes of two biographers writing about him.
Sometimes comical, often biting, The Great Man gives us female protagonists who are grandmothers, or old enough to be grandmothers. And their voices are anything but tedious.