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A review by mynameisgreg
The Village Idiot by Steve Stern
3.0
A fictionalised account of the Expressionist painter Chaim Soutine. My favourite parts of this novel were in the descriptions of Chaim creating some of his most famous paintings, especially Carcass of Beef with the stench of rotting meat sending neighbours to the police.
Early on, I really enjoyed the rich descriptions of the artistic community in early 20th century Paris. As the book went along I found the dense writing style became a bit laborious. It was not a novel that I couldn’t wait to pick up again and it often took me a good few pages to get back into reading it. But this book is a lovingly written portrait of an incredible artist with a fascinating and sad life.
Early on, I really enjoyed the rich descriptions of the artistic community in early 20th century Paris. As the book went along I found the dense writing style became a bit laborious. It was not a novel that I couldn’t wait to pick up again and it often took me a good few pages to get back into reading it. But this book is a lovingly written portrait of an incredible artist with a fascinating and sad life.