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dutchtineke's review against another edition
3.0
Bought from BetterWorldBooks.
Very short book, with a unique concept. But I had hoped for longer stories so that I could actually get invested in them. Maybe I should do it myself someday.
Very short book, with a unique concept. But I had hoped for longer stories so that I could actually get invested in them. Maybe I should do it myself someday.
nehanatu86's review
4.0
On my visit to the library yesterday, I picked up one of the most unusual books I've read till date. "Imagined Lives - Portraits of unknown people" is a collection of imaginary character sketches written by different authors based on 14 unidentified 16th and 17th century portraits from the 'National Portrait Gallery'.
It was quite an interesting read - unique idea for a book. That's the beauty of a Library. You often stumble upon and pick up books that would usually go unnoticed.
It was fascinating to know how even the minutest details in the paintings are studied to confirm the authenticity of their identity. We, as visitors, are normally uninformed about the amount of research that goes into establishing the identity of the portraits and other works of art that are displayed in art galleries and museums.
The next time I go to a museum and see an 'Unknown' tag on a portrait, it will definitely make me think of this book and make me wonder what the life of these unknown people would have been like.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BS2319rDuij/?taken-by=nehanatu86
It was quite an interesting read - unique idea for a book. That's the beauty of a Library. You often stumble upon and pick up books that would usually go unnoticed.
It was fascinating to know how even the minutest details in the paintings are studied to confirm the authenticity of their identity. We, as visitors, are normally uninformed about the amount of research that goes into establishing the identity of the portraits and other works of art that are displayed in art galleries and museums.
The next time I go to a museum and see an 'Unknown' tag on a portrait, it will definitely make me think of this book and make me wonder what the life of these unknown people would have been like.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BS2319rDuij/?taken-by=nehanatu86
janedallaway's review
5.0
This is a book to accompany an exhibition of the same name held at the National Portrait Gallery in London and I read it on the train coming home from seeing the portraits in situ. The exhibition, and book, features 14 portraits painted between around 1520 and 1640 who are now believed not to be who they were bought as by the National Portrait Gallery. Eight authors have imagined the stories behind these paintings. Some are written as encyclopaedia style entries, some as letters, others as very short stories. My favourite is "I Am Mary Douglas" by Minette Wallters whose short 1.5 page reflection is written well enough to connect emotionally. The final section "Did my hero look like that?" by Tarnya Cooper is an interesting explanatory piece educating on how it came to be that such beautiful portraits have lost the details of their subjects. A great souvenir of an interesting, if small, exhibition.
nickelini's review
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
pers's review
4.0
A fascinating collection of short stories based on portraits of unknown men and women held at the National Portrait Gallery. My only complaint is that some of the tales were TOO short - I got to the end and wanted more!
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