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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.
ecoluccio's review
2.0
This is a well written book that initial captured my attention, but the style of reminiscing about someone to gain information about the person doing the reminiscing got old in a hurry.
rebjam's review
4.0
I am an art admirer but not a terribly educated one. I break out in a sweat when thinking of going into a gallery where know my poor internal thesaurus will fail me. But the story here of a late artist who came to prominence during the time of deKooning, Pollack and the like interested me as it would explore his unconventional life--his relationships with three women, his wife of 50+ years, a mistress with whom he maintained a 40+ year relationship and an older sister, also an artist of some renown. You learn much about these three women, all remarkable and interesting in their own right but you don't learn much about the artist Oscar, or how he managed to have his cake and eat it too as we would say. -Why they all loved him, hated him, and beyond the grave remain loyal to him is discussed but never fully resolved. Its probably best that Oscar and his magnetic aura remain distant to the narrative, if you saw him up close, you'd either late him or love him and this book is more about the women he surrounded himself with who were much more fascinating.
ewf's review
3.0
Skillfully done with a clever premise. I'd give it a four if I'd liked any of the characters more. I'd give it a two if I were only judging based on that.
anniewill's review
I read about 40 pages and just wasn't feeling it at all. I like this author and may try again another time.
alee's review
3.0
I read which is a food-related, fiction novel. This book by the same author is better - the characters have a bit more depth and the mystery & surprise are at once fun and ironic. The book ends with a NY Times style book review examining both biographers' works (funny if you've read a lot of these reviews.)
msmichaela's review
4.0
This is my year of Kate Christensen for me. Really loved the conceit of this novel, in which the "great man"'s life is revealed via the strong, flawed, fascinating women in his life.