I finally finished it this weekend. i was determined! LOL And I will say towards the end it actually seemed to have more of a plot which helped. But still there were soooo many loose ends. I hate loose ends! LOL

But I will say it made me remember the myth of Bloudewedd (Flower Face) which I found fascinating at the time and want to research more. Maybe add something about it to the Magic page of my website.

But that said, I am relieved to have finished the book and more on to something else. LOL

I will say though that I really enjoyed the Chapter where the artist arrives at the mental institution and meets the interesting but mad Mary and her "moral languour" who cannot be tamed.

It also got me pondering on murderers and art. Many serial killers paint and their works are popular. In part mostly for the notariety but also for a mirror into their minds.

Even Patricia Cornwell got into it when she decided that Sickert was Jack the Ripper.

Yes, Terri, I think that's what bothered me most about it...you kind of think you're going somewhere and then you're not. If the author just took one part and followed it through I would have felt more satisfied. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

I feel like it has small beautifully written passages but no cohesion.

Yes, I think you hit upon it, Kay. It seems the main character was the muse, but she wasn't solid enough for all the other characters to mold themselves to. It did seem the author had a strong interest in Art Brut and that grabbed my interest a bit. So many things about this book COULD have worked. Too bad it fizzled.

Rora, thanks for the definition!

Finally finished this one last night- only a month or two late! I had a hard time getting into the plot.

The research and detail that went into this book was very impressive. I loved hearing about the artists and authors. Mental health care is an interest of mine, so the period scenes within the hospital were interesting too.

All around, I enjoyed the book's style, but I think what kept me from liking the book as a whole is also why I hesitate in picking up The Lives of the Muses by Francine Prose (I mention this one, because I see it everywhere and normally I grab up any new book on art I can). I prefer books about things women have done, instead of inspired. Books that highlight the idea that women are inspiration, but not inspired, aren't as interesting to me... or the idea that the perfect muse is a beautiful woman with few thoughts of her own. I understand that the creature in the book wasn't necessarily a human woman, but it seemed to parallel ideas that were only recently discarded.

I could be reading too much into that... the story was a good idea, but it was harder for me to become connected without a solid character.

Thanks Rora!

Points of view

Sorry, I'm tired tonite, Terri, what is multiple POV?

I am enjoying the book - about 1/3 through now. The descriptions are wonderful. But I agree that the characters do no seem to be developed enough, but I do enjoy to multiple POV

I just started the book this weekend. So far so good.

I have to agree with you guys, Pamela and Claire. Didn't get attached to this book though I was really looking to. None of the characters seemed fully developed except as a sort of outline. Ok there was the main woman but even she seemed flimsy at best, more like a magazine add. I enjoyed most the description of the crazy artist's studio in the asylum and the idea of the pictures within the painting that seemed to have a life of their own. Now that I think of it, that reminds me of "The Golden Flowerpot" by E.T.A. Hoffmann. The pot had all sorts of figures that change in looking at it. Much, much better story. Seems the author was inspired by many interesting avenues but they never lead to the forbidden city.

Like Claire, I never developed a strong connection to the characters. They were interesting, but not people for whom I felt strong empathy. Of them all, I think I found Valentine Radborne the most compelling and interesting.

Also, I found myself wondering about the women in the story. It seemed to me that women in this story were either minor characters, or they symbolized the other, but we never really got to know them, or to see them as full human beings. Here were all these men, drawn like moths to a fire to a woman who was mystical, fey, dangerous, and timeless, and their best art was a function of their suffering as a result. The woman (no matter the guise, it seemed to be always the same woman), however much she might have wanted to be an artist, was better able to inspire, than to be inspired.

I wanted to enjoy this book, it had all the elements that made me expect to love it--the rich detail, the mystical, mythical connection, the intrusion of the otherworld into ours--but instead I found myself reading with a sense of disquiet that left me feeling vaguely dissatisfied throughout.

The beginnings of this book have me thinking about recent Tristan and Isolde adaptations that I've seen. My absolute favorite has been the movie Lovespell. But I'm a Kate Mulgrew fan, and somewhat bias. Either way, I think it stands on it's own and would recommend it.

I finished this one recently. I liked the descriptions and I want to pore over the art described in the book. However, I never felt all that invested in the characters.

Sorry I'm so silent of late. There was the exhibit, then the painters, and now boxes from my atelier newly moved home...but I promise to catch up soon! Baobhan, thanks for the wonderful link on the Sisterhood. Need to explore that more. The PR's are one of my absolute favorites. This book has some interesting angles on them and makes me really want to investigate some biographies. Just chose a pattern for a sweater for my knitting class that had this woman wearing it that made me think very much of the main character. Coincidence? I think not!

Like a few others, I'm still in the process of reading this. I will say that I'm very glad it was chosen because it's not something that I would have picked up on my own. It's turned into a fascinating read.

Suppose that's why I enjoy book groups so much.

Still She Haunts Me is on my shelf right now, waiting to be read. All the talk around it has made me want to pick it up soon.

I had the same reaction to Still She Haunts Me - in fact, after reading that and Joanne Harris' book Sleep, Pale Sister, I went hunting for info about Lewis Carroll and John Ruskin, who were friends. I hadn't known at the time that Ruskin was connected to the pre-Raphaelites.
I love when different reading paths link unexpectedly - as though they're all part of one huge tapestry and I'm clearing mud away from the colors in bits until I begin to see larger pictures and patterns.

What a great blog link, Baobhan. I'll definitely be spending some time wandering through it. It's surprisingly easy to find information about the pre-Raphaelite women (poets, artists, models). There are biographies and critical studies, at least one collection of their art - and of course, of paintings for which they modeled.

A question for those of you reading Mortal Love - what do you think about the book's perspective on women and creativity (if, in fact, you think it has a perspective on that)?

I love it when a book inspires me to do some research on the side. Katie Roiphe's Still She Haunts Me (an Endicott pick!) -- a fictionalized account of Lewis Carroll's controversial relationship with Alice Liddell, the young girl many believe may have served as the inspiration for Alice in Carroll's Alice in Wonderland -- sent me on a wild goose chase for all things Alice Liddell.

Because of Mortal Love, I've spent some time reading up on Tristan and Isolde, Lizzie Siddal, and the Pre-Raphaelites in general, all subjects I already had a working knowledge of but found myself wanting to learn more about. I came across a great blog yesterday that focuses on all things Pre-Raphaelite with an emphasis on Pre-Raphaelite women, here:

Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood

All this, and I haven't even finished reading it yet!

I finished it last week. I love when a novel makes me want to track down the references and keep digging deeper. My library order list abruptly filled up with books about the pre-Raphaelites (a very interesting bunch), mythology of the British Isles and Ireland and more Elizabeth Hand novels.
I found the dreamlike movement back and forth between enchantment and the modern world very believable and vivid.
I liked the multiple first-person narrators, although sometimes it was a little hard to keep their time-lines and relationships to each other straight.

Nearly done. Haven't had time to discuss as I have an exhibit coming up, but should be able to chime in some time after Sunday.

I'm about halfway through. It's been a busy month and I haven't had much time to read but I'll definitely be done by the 31st.

I just finished reading it! Has anyone else?

I started reading it a couple of days ago and so far, so good. I love Elizabeth Hand.

I think we're going to discuss it as we go.

I've got it from the library, now! Going to start soon!

Are we going to wait till after Aug. 31st to discuss it, or talk as we read?

I read it a few months ago. I thought it was a great read.

Ok, I'm holding off too, as I'm finishing another book. I did read the Acknowledgments though. It was enticing to read her list of resources. Let me know when you guys are ready and when Odette gets back too we can start.

I own a copy. I'm going to get started on it once I finish my current book, which I'm almost done with it. I only have a couple of chapters left.

I found Mortal Love a few days ago and am ready as well. Reading a few books at once though, so hopefully I can keep it all straight!

Hey Odette, Hey everyone, I got the book so I'm ready to get started. Anyone else?