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The Great Man
Oscar Feldman, the renowned figurative painter, has passed away. As his obituary notes, Oscar is survived by his wife, Abigail, their son, Ethan, and his sister, the well-known abstract painter Maxine Feldman. What the obituary does not note, however, is that Oscar is also survived by his longtime mistress, Teddy St. Cloud, and their daughters. As two biographers interview...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
May 13th 2008
by Anchor
(first published August 14th 2007)
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I was going to write a typical Goodreads-y kind of review for this, but I'm too damn tired, so here's the review I posted on my blog:
Kate Christensen’s newest novel The Great Man, for which she recently won the 2008 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction, is actually about three women and their relationship to one not-so-great man, the figurative painter Oscar Feldman. Claire St. Cloud, or “Teddy” as she’s known to her confidants, was Oscar’s lover, Abigail Feldman, his widow and the mother ...more
Kate Christensen’s newest novel The Great Man, for which she recently won the 2008 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction, is actually about three women and their relationship to one not-so-great man, the figurative painter Oscar Feldman. Claire St. Cloud, or “Teddy” as she’s known to her confidants, was Oscar’s lover, Abigail Feldman, his widow and the mother ...more
I picked this book up in an airport bookstore as it had an award and I thought it might be a good plane read. While I finished it in two flights, I can't say that was fast enough.
The story is about an artist, after his death, and the women who surround him; his wife (and their grown autistic son), his sister (also an artist), and his mistress (and their twin daughters). It's a "discussable" book in the sense that I'm sure some people would love how the characters are por...more
The story is about an artist, after his death, and the women who surround him; his wife (and their grown autistic son), his sister (also an artist), and his mistress (and their twin daughters). It's a "discussable" book in the sense that I'm sure some people would love how the characters are por...more
Alannah DiBona
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone!
Shelves:
readwithabandon
Kate Christensen's done it again. The story of the deceased Oscar Feldman (a famed womanizer of an artist), the various women still inhabiting his orbit, and the two biographers warring for his true story. Christensen's voice rings loud and true through her insanely sexy characters. Per usual, the characters themselves are round as eggs and just as wobbly; their faults are endearing, and you'll be tempted to invite them to your own dinner table. Doubtless, the mental images intended by the a...more
The Great Man Book Review-
The book we all read was “The Great Man”, written by Kate Christensen. In this book, set in the upper east-side of New York in the early 2000’s, a well known painter, Oscar Feldman has passed away. Oscar leaves behind his wife, Abigail, their special needs son, Ethan, and his sister Maxine, who also is a painter. What most people don’t know is that he also left behind a second family with his mistress; Claire St. Cloud. As biographers start to become more in...more
The book we all read was “The Great Man”, written by Kate Christensen. In this book, set in the upper east-side of New York in the early 2000’s, a well known painter, Oscar Feldman has passed away. Oscar leaves behind his wife, Abigail, their special needs son, Ethan, and his sister Maxine, who also is a painter. What most people don’t know is that he also left behind a second family with his mistress; Claire St. Cloud. As biographers start to become more in...more
This is a first-rate novel. It is a lively, fast read, but it is also satisfying, like a longer novel whose characters come to seem part of your life. One reason for that is the depth of the characters themselves, at least two of whom are truly memorable.
The situation on which story and meaning are built has its glamor and mystery. It’s slightly odd, but it feels real and it is by no means utterly strange to us. Oscar Feldman has been dead now for several years. His paintings of n...more
The situation on which story and meaning are built has its glamor and mystery. It’s slightly odd, but it feels real and it is by no means utterly strange to us. Oscar Feldman has been dead now for several years. His paintings of n...more
Recommended to me by a very good friend, The Great Man by Kate Christensen was an enjoyable and quick read. A famous NYC painter who specializes in nudes, dies and leaves behind two families, that of his wife, and that of his mistress, and his famous but under-appreciated sister who is an abstract painter. When two different biographers come around to research the dead artist's life, old grudges and resentments rise to the surface and get aired. In the process, the reader has the opportunity ...more
I can't believe this won the PEN/Faulkner.
Yes, it's great to read a novel about smart, interesting women. Yes, it does my heart good to see those older women portrayed as alluring people who still have sex.
BUT THE SENTENCES. The sentences! Christensen can't write a clean sentence to save her life! Just to open a page at random: "Teddy had had Oscar, Lila Sam, but Lila had had son, Teddy daughters; Teddy had had independence, Lila security."
And the ...more
Yes, it's great to read a novel about smart, interesting women. Yes, it does my heart good to see those older women portrayed as alluring people who still have sex.
BUT THE SENTENCES. The sentences! Christensen can't write a clean sentence to save her life! Just to open a page at random: "Teddy had had Oscar, Lila Sam, but Lila had had son, Teddy daughters; Teddy had had independence, Lila security."
And the ...more
Starts off with a bang, but ends with a whimper. I tore through the first 200pp. or so, caught up in and propelled along by the gripping energy of the doubling, trebling, ever-twisting tale (with its twinned families, daughters, biographers, artists, paintings, etc.). Look Jonathan Franzen, a woman can write a "big" "important" novel, too (and about women, no less)! Once the secret was revealed, however, Christensen seemed to completely lose her momentum and discard all the d...more
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This book was used for a book discussion group comprised mostly of senior citizen women who all thought it was good and exchanged lively insights and views about the characters and the themes. The minor thread on GoodReads about whether Christensen's depiction of the African American characters was racist is valid. At one point, she has one of the female characters suggest that Ralph, one of Oscar's biographers, received a scholarship to go to college because he was a minority. We do not know...more
Why has it taken me so long to discover Kate Christensen. After recently reading and liking The Astral, I picked up The Great Man and liked it even better. When I saw that it was about another middle-aged Brooklyn artist (like The Astral) I was a little concerned that the characters and story would be too much the same. However, The Great Man is not really about the man in question at all. The title refers to Oscar Feldman, famed painter but the story takes place entirely after his death and is...more
Actually a 3.5 rating.
It’s a good story but doesn’t have the kind of insights and wit found in Christensen’s other books. The female characters in the book are aging, and while Christensen’s portrayal of them focuses on the trials of aging women, it ends up seeming mostly stereotyped rather than felt. Nor does she offer any particular insights into the art world, although clearly there was an opportunity for it.
Abstraction-vs-figuration is a theme, and Christensen touches on ...more
It’s a good story but doesn’t have the kind of insights and wit found in Christensen’s other books. The female characters in the book are aging, and while Christensen’s portrayal of them focuses on the trials of aging women, it ends up seeming mostly stereotyped rather than felt. Nor does she offer any particular insights into the art world, although clearly there was an opportunity for it.
Abstraction-vs-figuration is a theme, and Christensen touches on ...more
A delightful read, "The Great Man" is full of snark and wit and moments of unexpected tenderness. Set in modern-day(ish), "Man" revolves around the lives of four women who are tangled in the life of a great, painter named Oscar. Maxine is the less-famous though amazingly brilliant sister; Abigail is the widow who endured a marriage of infidelity; Teddy is the beautiful mistress; and Lila is Teddy's dear friend who, from afar, worshiped Oscar and his work. When Oscar dies, the...more
Excellent vacation reading. Intelligent, funny, insightful, and a quick read. The "great man" of the title is a recently deceased painter who doesn't appear in the novel at all; instead, it revolves around four women, all above the age of 70, who figured prominently in his life and are now trying to move on after his death. His wife (now widow), his mistress of 40 years, the mistress's best friend, and his sister -- all of the women in the novel are compelling characters. The author do...more
The premise of this book fascinated me: two biographers are writing about a recently-deceased and notoriously immoral artist. The man in question is dead, of course, so the "main character" is never present and the biographers reconstruct his life through the eyes of the many women in his life, arriving at very different conclusions. I was disappointed that this book failed to fulfill such great potential--the plot and circumstances could have made an excellent novel. But instead of me...more
I'm a huge Kate Christensen fan, in part because of the slight black humor, attention to human interactions, delight in describing good food, and also because of her style. I've read many of her books, and have yet to be disappointed.
"The Great Man" describes the interactions and struggles to go on after Oscar Feldman's death; Feldman is a philandering figurist, who is congenially married to the devoted and doting Abigail, and enamored with the independently-spirited Teddy, ...more
"The Great Man" describes the interactions and struggles to go on after Oscar Feldman's death; Feldman is a philandering figurist, who is congenially married to the devoted and doting Abigail, and enamored with the independently-spirited Teddy, ...more
an author for whom i used to work at random house, kate christensen is the ultimate find -- wildly intelligent, hilarious, and socially observant to the pt of idiot savance. today's rave NY TIMES review is 100% justified. read it NOW. the most convincing and poignant portrayal of love in later life (and the thoughts women have of their prior loves) that i have ever read.
The Great Man is told from the perspective for four women, all in their golden years, whose lives are affected by the same man - Oscar Feldman: painter, genius, artist, manwhore - and the legacy he has left behind following his death, a couple years prior to when this novel takes place. There is Teddy, Oscar's long-time mistress, mother to his illegitimate twin daughters and aging sexpot (think Blanche Devereaux); Lila, Teddy's best friend and biggest admirer; Abigail, Oscar's widow and mother ...more
A famous (fictional) New York artist, Oscar Feldman, dies leaving behind his wealthy wife and autistic adult son, plus his mistress of 40 years and their twin daughters. Two different biographers decide to write a book about him-not knowing the other is doing the same. Each biographer spends time with each of the women in the artist's life, his twin daughters and his sister who is also an artist in her own right, and with whom he has had a life-long difficult relationship. What makes this boo...more
I couldn't put this book down. . .
The style of this novel is very unique and hooks you from the start. I couldn't put it down. The four women who loved this (not-so) great man are so sensitively crafted by the author that you both, at once, admire them and question their devotion to such a hollow person as Oscar. The book also asks some important questions, such as what constitutes "great" art, who gets to decide, what role do women play in the art world, and how are we, a...more
The style of this novel is very unique and hooks you from the start. I couldn't put it down. The four women who loved this (not-so) great man are so sensitively crafted by the author that you both, at once, admire them and question their devotion to such a hollow person as Oscar. The book also asks some important questions, such as what constitutes "great" art, who gets to decide, what role do women play in the art world, and how are we, a...more
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 r...more
An engrossing story about three older women joined by their relationship - sister, wife and mistress - to an artist now five years dead. As two competing biographers are writing a book on the artist they interact with the women and bring out emotions.
What I really liked about the book apart from the reassurance that lots of sex is possible when one hits ones mid seventies is that the author makes you care/entertains you with the story of these older women and busts the myths that lif...more
What I really liked about the book apart from the reassurance that lots of sex is possible when one hits ones mid seventies is that the author makes you care/entertains you with the story of these older women and busts the myths that lif...more
Kirsten
rated it
Recommends it for:
those interested in the contemporary art world.
Shelves:
read-in-2009,
xx-chromosome
Do you know who your grandmother's sleeping with?
Refreshingly, Christensen's book gives us four very sympathetic female characters over the age of 70 who, in traditional views of the life a "great man" (in this case, a fictionalized artist named Oscar Feldman), would be marginalized as muse/mistress/wife/sister, but instead come fully, and vibrantly to life. Which is quite clearly the point.
The dialogue is witty, and the partnerships forged in the art world, an...more
Refreshingly, Christensen's book gives us four very sympathetic female characters over the age of 70 who, in traditional views of the life a "great man" (in this case, a fictionalized artist named Oscar Feldman), would be marginalized as muse/mistress/wife/sister, but instead come fully, and vibrantly to life. Which is quite clearly the point.
The dialogue is witty, and the partnerships forged in the art world, an...more
While this is a largely enjoyable read, there are some miscues here and there that hinder it from being a notch or two better. Occasionally the author will offer up an incident or character but doesn't quite capture the intended vibe. Though it's apparent what the type of figure or scene is that she's trying to portray, it's frustrating and a bit distracting to not have it nailed- eg. the proverbial jarring NYC cab ride, a soiree awash in art world pretension, the closeted would-be academic. The...more
Two versions of an artist's biography were written near simultaneously. The two authors focus on the women who surrounded the great man. His wife, long time mistress, daughters, sister and his affairs. All the while these women come into their own, markedly later in life than expected but the spell around the painter is broken and they are all able to see him for what he was.
Some markedly poignant segments about life and love. But otherwise lacking in the prose I expect in a literary ...more
Some markedly poignant segments about life and love. But otherwise lacking in the prose I expect in a literary ...more
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An author who can describe food, meals, and the surrounds in which they are consumed always gets lots of attention from me. I really liked this comic novel; in fact, I couldn't put it down.
I didn't think much of this book. The concepts it tackled are definitely interested--abstract vs. figurative art, artists as rockstar and the morality of celebrity, gender biases, sex and aging, unconventional families and the children they produce, and art criticism from the next generation. I am very suspect of ambitious books.
Also, l found the writing to be poor. The dialogue seemed completely off. I don't believe people ever open themselves up to each other like the characters in...more
Also, l found the writing to be poor. The dialogue seemed completely off. I don't believe people ever open themselves up to each other like the characters in...more
"The Great Man" tells the story of the painter, Oscar Feldman, and the various women in his life - his sister, wife, mistress, and children, both legitimate and illegitimate. The novel is written after the great man has died and his two would be biographers go about interviewing the people closest to him. It's an interesting read insofar as the story is well laid out, immaculately organized, and wonderfully readable. These assets are also what makes the book feel a bit flat in the e...more
Lisa
added it
I picked this book up only because it was a PEN/Faulkner winner. I hadn't previously heard of the author or the book. I'm so glad I picked it up! The story starts with the obit of a noted painter, and the book revolves around his sister, his mistress and his wife -- and the children from both relationships -- remembering their lives with him for two rival biographers. All the painter's women are in their 80s, so it's a unique perspective. They don't act like any 80-year-olds I've ever known! A w...more
Enjoyable summer read. In it old people have sex. yay. something to look forward to.
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| Racist? | 6 | 103 | Oct 18, 2008 07:55am |
Kate Christensen is the author of the novels In the Drink, Jeremy Thrane, and The Epicure's Lament. Her essays and articles have appeared in various publications, including Salon, Mademoiselle, The Hartford Courant, Elle, and the bestselling anthology The Bitch in the House. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband.
More about Kate Christensen...
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