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, his mistress. Both are mothers to his children who have staunchly avoided one another over the years. But the emergence of two would-be biographers of Feldman's life pushes everyone--Abigail, Teddy, his sister Maxine, his childhood best friend and other witnesses--together as they unravel and come to terms with selfishness, and uniqueness, character and figure of Oscar himself.

A well-written novel, Christensen explores the art world, growing old, and the timelessness of love.