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Black and White
From the author of Family History and the bestselling memoir Slow Motion comes a spellbinding novel about art, fame, ambition, and family that explores a provocative question: Is it possible for a mother to be true to herself and true to her children at the same time?Clara Brodeur has spent her entire adult life pulling herself away from her famous mother, the renowned and...more
Audio CD, 0 pages
Published
May 15th 2007
by Tantor Media Inc
(first published 2007)
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Depictions of child nudity or children with nude adults appear in works of art in various cultures and historical periods. These attitudes have changed over time and have become increasingly frowned upon particularly in recent years, and especially in the case of photography. In recent years there have been a few incidents in which snapshots taken by parents of their infant or toddler children bathing or otherwise naked were challenged as child pornography. In May 2008, police in Sydney, Austral...more
When I first heard about this book, all I could think was, "Uh, Sally Mann?" It seemed ridiculous. But I still wanted to read it.
And it was the equivalent of staying in bed and watching a bad part-Lifetime original movie, part bad indie film. I mean, the bitchy, size two, angry sister and the sister who was the subject of so many provocative photos, taken by her mother. Her mother who is now dying of cancer. Don't they all?
Ruth Dunne. And no one in the book tho...more
And it was the equivalent of staying in bed and watching a bad part-Lifetime original movie, part bad indie film. I mean, the bitchy, size two, angry sister and the sister who was the subject of so many provocative photos, taken by her mother. Her mother who is now dying of cancer. Don't they all?
Ruth Dunne. And no one in the book tho...more
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This reminded me of a Jodi Picoult novel--a little more subtle, thank goodness, but still an Issue-Driven novel. The main character, Clara, has a problem from her past: in this case, her mother became a famous photographer based on nude photos of the daughter that could be construed as abuse rather than art. Mother and daughter are estranged, then when the mother is terminally ill, Clara visits her. It's not really enough for a whole novel; it would have been a good long story, but there's not e...more
Emotions Run High in this Family Drama
I thought the book "Black & White" was a very excellent book. The characters were well developed and Shapiro's descriptions of the various scenes, especially the photo shoots, were exceptional. I could easily imagine the characters and the scenes in my mind. There are many reviews on this book so I won't clutter up the page with more detail except to reveal that the story focuses on the relationship between the mother, Ruth Dunne, a n...more
I thought the book "Black & White" was a very excellent book. The characters were well developed and Shapiro's descriptions of the various scenes, especially the photo shoots, were exceptional. I could easily imagine the characters and the scenes in my mind. There are many reviews on this book so I won't clutter up the page with more detail except to reveal that the story focuses on the relationship between the mother, Ruth Dunne, a n...more
Dani Shapiro is one of my new favorite authors of all-time! Her writing is intimate and candid, though dark and real. Sadly, Black and White is her latest novel and already going on four years old! However, Shapiro has recently released a memoir called Devotion.
Black and White is about Clara, a woman intent on protecting her young daughter Sam from learning the truth about her grandmother Ruth, a famous artist who used Clara by exploiting her naked body as art in the form of photogra...more
Black and White is about Clara, a woman intent on protecting her young daughter Sam from learning the truth about her grandmother Ruth, a famous artist who used Clara by exploiting her naked body as art in the form of photogra...more
I'm so mad at this book. Shapiro spins a fantastic premise - a woman who grew up having her mother obsessively take borderline porno pictures of her as a child to satisfy her artistic cravings as well as the fame this found her, and how this ruined their relationship - and then fails miserably at the execution.
The idea of a mother putting her art first as well as the question of exploitation is interesting, along with the question of privacy - who has the rights to these pictures, really? ...more
The idea of a mother putting her art first as well as the question of exploitation is interesting, along with the question of privacy - who has the rights to these pictures, really? ...more
My mom suggested this one. It's about Clara, 32 year old woman who left home at 18 and never returned. Her mother who is a famous photographer is gravely ill with lung cancer and Clara returns home. I would've given this 5 stars, but there was something about the way that the story was revealed that kind of made it a little slower paced. The dialog had a lot of unfinished sentences because of the fragile topic and I just didn't like that. Kind of took to long to pry the story out.
Dani Shapiro "has developed a specialty in writing about difficult mother-daughter bonds" (San Francisco Chronicle). Yet while critics agreed that the relationship between Clara and her mother Ruth (who is loosely based on the photographer Sally Mann) presents a rich opportunity, they disagreed over Shapiro's execution. Those praising the novel found the characters well drawn, but others thought the novel uneven, with a compelling storyline weighed down by the predictability of Clara's
...more
This is a powerful and engaging book exploring the most powerful relationship of all--that between a mother and child--to be more specific--the relationship between a mother and a daughter. In this book, the daughter is the unwilling muse and model for her mother's photography. When her mother achieves great success, both are locked in a battle for control while the father and older sister look on. It was fascinating to "watch" the family and their interaction. I wondered throug...more
An intriguing story about a girl who becomes the primary subject of her nother's controversial and best-selling photography in NYC in the 70's and 80's. The book alternates between the modern day story of Clara as an adult with a daughter of her own, (goiing back to NY when her mother is dying of cancer); and the little girl who hated being her mother's model. The author does a great job portraying the dynamic between Clara and her sister, Robin, who is now a successful lawyer in NY and resente...more
I read this because I enjoyed Dani Shapiro's memoir, Devotion. Black & White is an interesting novel, the premise being that the mother, Ruth, takes nude photos of her daughter, Clare when she is three years old, she becomes very famous and wealthy for doing so and she continues to use Clare as a subject until she is 14 years old. Clare, of course has issues with this.
The story begins when Clare learns of her mother's terminal illness after years of estrangement and is called "home"...more
The story begins when Clare learns of her mother's terminal illness after years of estrangement and is called "home"...more
not so great -- except the main storyline: Clara's mom is a photographer who becomes world famous after taking semi-nude photographs of Clara as she grew up -- photos that Clara was coerced into, that many believe are child porn and cause Clara to run away as a teenager to build a separate life. Clara's mom is dying and she has to make choices about what to tell her new family and how to deal with her mother. the writing is sub-par and I seem to be unable to give up on Shapiro because of the lov...more
Dawn Michelle
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommended to Dawn Michelle by:
A lovely old lady in Indigo
Shelves:
books-read-in-2010
Read~June 21,2010
4 Stars
This was an interesting book. I really enjoyed reading this, even as my emotions were on a churning roller-coaster ride.
The main question here is...what constitutes "Art" and what constitutes child abuse?
Clara has been away from NYC, her mother and all the life she has known (but not the memories and the pain the continually cause) for over 15 years when she gets a desperate call from her sister...more
Riveting read. Uncomfortable at times, the question of an artist's responsibility to his or her family-- and to what degree family members and their experiences should be used for the artist's material/inspiration. Dani Shapiro takes this issue to the limit, with a mother photographer obsessed with documenting her young daughter, in photos that rest on the murky line of art or abuse.
Fast paced and beautifully written, this novel will make every artist/writer/parent think about their relat...more
Fast paced and beautifully written, this novel will make every artist/writer/parent think about their relat...more
I was looking for another Dani Shapiro book when I picked this one up -- and it was good enough that I'll probably try to find her new one now too, Devotions. I enjoyed reading this - the descriptions of the art gallery scenes, the upper west side lifestyle, etc were fun to read. I think the big issue in the book, a mother who exploits her young daughter for her art, is a really interesting topic and Shapiro did a pretty good job explaining the mother's pt of view although I was confused by th...more
This is a book that I had to read for an upcoming book discussion. What I love about my discussion group is that it "forces" me to read books that I wouldn't normally pick-up and I would not have touched this with a 10-foot pole!
Having said this, I'm glad that I read it. It takes me out of my comfort zone and if nothing else, it is a very discussable book.
It all begins when Clara receives a phone call in the middle of the night. Her mother is sick & dying and Cl...more
Having said this, I'm glad that I read it. It takes me out of my comfort zone and if nothing else, it is a very discussable book.
It all begins when Clara receives a phone call in the middle of the night. Her mother is sick & dying and Cl...more
Emotional and Riveting
Black and White is the first of Dani Shapiro's novels I've read, and I found it riveting. The excellent writing is very descriptive, which allowed my mind to be fully transported to the two main settings, an L.L. Bean version of a Maine island in winter and the black-clad gallery world of Manhattan. The rich texture of Shapiro's writing shines through with minute detail. She creates nearly every scene with a 360-degree view. This quality added to my ability to ...more
Black and White is the first of Dani Shapiro's novels I've read, and I found it riveting. The excellent writing is very descriptive, which allowed my mind to be fully transported to the two main settings, an L.L. Bean version of a Maine island in winter and the black-clad gallery world of Manhattan. The rich texture of Shapiro's writing shines through with minute detail. She creates nearly every scene with a 360-degree view. This quality added to my ability to ...more
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Something about this book never really got resolved for me. Was Clara's mom actually exploitative? I think we would know if we knew more about Clara's marriage, but her husband (and daughter) are virtually shadows. I needed more information, I think, and fewer plot twists. I agree that it was a little more "Lifetime movie of the week" than I had hoped it would be. But I held out hope until the end, unable to put it down!
This books centers around a young girl named Clara, daughter of a famous NYC photographer who made her living shooting very questionable pictures of Clara ages three –fourteen. The very fine line of art vs. pornography is crossed many, many times and the main plot of the book is Clara’s relationship with her mother, her sister and her daughter. I absolutely loved this book.
I think the story touched different issues, but it got kind of lost in the end. The emotion and struggles between daughter and mother, siblings, or with the one walk right beside. Because the mother is dying due to cancer, all the issues just ran up to everyone's face. somehow they got reconciled in the end of story after the death. I am not sure I follow them. it was ok.
This is a novel that pits artistic inspiration against maternal obligation and asks whether the two can ever be fully reconciled. I know what my answer was at the end because I totally read the book from a mom perspective. I was really angry at the mom the whole book - listened to it on tape which always makes the story a little different for me.
Although I do not entirely agree with the point of view of the main character nor can I swallow the conclusion of the book, this was a very well written and intriguing book. It was a clever (honestly) way to discuss the often times very complicated relationship between mothers and their daughters. A provocative story that lingers for a while after you have finished reading. I enjoyed it very much.
Very good book. She explores family dynamics and the messiness of life. From the start we learn that the mom in the story takes pictures of her daughter. Some may say these pix are works of art while others may say that they were child pornography. Loyalty and family obligations to one another are challenged in the story.
This was a really good read. I think that I identified with the main character's torn relationship with her mother... welcome to my world. It was intriguing to see a mother being abusive, but rationalizing it.
I do think that without my own experience, I never would have bought the ending...
I do think that without my own experience, I never would have bought the ending...
A dark look into the blurred lines of what defines art. More importantly, how do you forgive someone? How do you move on? Black & White was really hard to put down - it was well written and I just wanted to know more.
This was a selection from the Akron Art Museum book club in 2009.
This was a selection from the Akron Art Museum book club in 2009.
Our book club read and discussed this book at length with the focus on one central question: Was, or was not, Ruth Dunne's picture taking of her nude daughter Clara child abuse. Although an intriguing story, I Personally rate the book as borderline chick-lit.
A very affecting book about mother-daughter relationships. I love novels about art, although this one focused more on the way that the art affected the family than the creation of the art itself, so that was a new twist for me. And it was fun to read a book set in my neighborhood.
A woman is called home to New York City because her estranged mother is dying, but the daughter was the subject of the mother's only compelling photographic work, the work that made her famous. Really well written, as are all this author's books, but it started to lose me toward the end, and I wasn't sure about the ending. It felt too neat and came too abruptly.
This mother/daughter relationship certainly has its share of dysfunction. The details of Maine and New York City add to the story as well as offer the contrast the main character feels. The ending was a surprise for me.
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Dani Shapiro is the author of five novels and the best-selling memoir Slow Motion. She has also written for magazines such as The New Yorker and Elle.
She lives with her husband and young son in Litchfield County, Connecticut.
More about Dani Shapiro...
She lives with her husband and young son in Litchfield County, Connecticut.
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