Sign in with Facebook
344th out of 620 books
—
1,146 voters
Still Life with Bread Crumbs
A superb love story from Anna Quindlen, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Rise and Shine, Blessings, and A Short Guide to a Happy Life
Still Life with Bread Crumbs begins with an imagined gunshot and ends with a new tin roof. Between the two is a wry and knowing portrait of Rebecca Winter, a photographer whose work made her an unlikely heroine for many women. Her...more
Still Life with Bread Crumbs begins with an imagined gunshot and ends with a new tin roof. Between the two is a wry and knowing portrait of Rebecca Winter, a photographer whose work made her an unlikely heroine for many women. Her...more
Hardcover, 252 pages
Published
January 28th 2014
by Random House
(first published January 1st 2014)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
First time I am seeing the cover and it is beautiful. Rebecca Winter, aged sixty, a photographer how became very well known with a grouping of pictures that give the book its title. She could be any woman or every woman, never expected to find herself trying to make ends meet, taking a less expensive cottage and renting out her expensive New York apartment. Finding herself ,like so many of us at that age, sandwiched between two generations, that of her sons and her aged parents.
This is a quiet...more
This is a quiet...more
Love stories can be tricky; they can be too sappy and unbelievable or they can be overdrawn and melodramatic, but now and again they can be life affirming and heartwarming. Anna Quindlen’s latest novel Still Life with Bread Crumbs falls firmly into the latter category. Rebecca Winter is an unlikely protagonist for a love story. A photographer, whose work once defined the feminist movement, is now sixty, divorced, and close to broke. Her aging parents and her son have become somewhat of a financi...more
I admire Anna Quindlen and like her writing a great deal. For that reason, I was anxious to read Bread Crumbs. Sadly, while the book kept me engaged enough to care a bit about the characters and where they ended up, I found the story shallow and trite. Anna's central character (Rebecca Winter) is an intelligent, accomplished and sophisticated professional (photographer), albeit on the downside of a brilliant career and separated from her erudite and egotistical husband. She also has a son and tw...more
First I have to say that I love Anna Quindlen. Maybe it is because we are of a similar generation, maybe it is because we both share Italian heritage and growing up Catholic but whatever the reason, when I read her work I feel like I am reading my own mail!
So I was thrilled to have an opportunity to read an ARC of her new novel, “Still Life with Bread Crumbs.” While this novel does not have the “punch” of some of her other works, it was a very familiar and comfortable read. It is a story of a wo...more
So I was thrilled to have an opportunity to read an ARC of her new novel, “Still Life with Bread Crumbs.” While this novel does not have the “punch” of some of her other works, it was a very familiar and comfortable read. It is a story of a wo...more
Oh, Anna. What a disappointment.
I hope I'm not being overly hard on this book because I expected more from Anna Quindlen. I liked her memoir and remember enjoying One True Thing, and was okay if not thrilled with some of her other fiction. But she lost me with this one.
"Still Life" is definitely a good description of this book. It certainly is still, with not much movement. And it's more a slice of life than an actual story.
There are two types of characters populating this novel. There are peop...more
I hope I'm not being overly hard on this book because I expected more from Anna Quindlen. I liked her memoir and remember enjoying One True Thing, and was okay if not thrilled with some of her other fiction. But she lost me with this one.
"Still Life" is definitely a good description of this book. It certainly is still, with not much movement. And it's more a slice of life than an actual story.
There are two types of characters populating this novel. There are peop...more
I'd rate this 4.5 stars.
Lovely. That's the word that kept coming to my mind as I read Anna Quindlen's latest novel, Still Life with Bread Crumbs. It was just a lovely book, emotional, thought provoking, and really enjoyable.
Rebecca Winter used to be something. A once-revered photographer whose iconic works were viewed as feminist statements, her photographs aren't selling well anymore, her agent is becoming increasingly more hostile toward her, and her bank balance keeps declining. At 60 years o...more
Lovely. That's the word that kept coming to my mind as I read Anna Quindlen's latest novel, Still Life with Bread Crumbs. It was just a lovely book, emotional, thought provoking, and really enjoyable.
Rebecca Winter used to be something. A once-revered photographer whose iconic works were viewed as feminist statements, her photographs aren't selling well anymore, her agent is becoming increasingly more hostile toward her, and her bank balance keeps declining. At 60 years o...more
Still Life with Bread Crumbs has been called the literary equivalent of comfort food, but it just made me feel uncomfortable. I really wanted to like this, since it is authored by Anna Quindlen and the premise sounded somewhat interesting; after the story devolved into a vaguely creepy May-December romance lacking Quindlen's usual gifted writing I was sadly disappointed. I had hoped for a book with more than a predictable plot, one-dimensional characters, and rambling writing, but when I came to...more
3.5/5
While this is characterized as a "love story" in its summaries, I would have to argue that this is less a love story than a story of a woman discovering life at 60. She shares less than a handful of conversations with the man she falls in love with throughout the book, making the relationship feel less credible than it should.
My favorite part of the book was the humorous side stories and anecdotes, which gave the story life it otherwise wouldn't have had. These side stories give you a sense...more
While this is characterized as a "love story" in its summaries, I would have to argue that this is less a love story than a story of a woman discovering life at 60. She shares less than a handful of conversations with the man she falls in love with throughout the book, making the relationship feel less credible than it should.
My favorite part of the book was the humorous side stories and anecdotes, which gave the story life it otherwise wouldn't have had. These side stories give you a sense...more
I really enjoyed this. I felt comforted at the end. Also, it was just good writing.
A really nice story about Rebecca an artist (photographer) who has money problems. So she subleases her New York City apartment to another and then pays lower rent to live in a small town in the country two hours away. She becomes friends with some locals. One friendship turns into something more between Rebecca age 60 and Jim who is 44. The story has a womens fiction feel since it deals with her work, her life, h...more
A really nice story about Rebecca an artist (photographer) who has money problems. So she subleases her New York City apartment to another and then pays lower rent to live in a small town in the country two hours away. She becomes friends with some locals. One friendship turns into something more between Rebecca age 60 and Jim who is 44. The story has a womens fiction feel since it deals with her work, her life, h...more
First I need to get this off my chest: Reviewers, do not say that Rebecca, at 60, is "past her prime". I'm 66 and just zeroing in on my prime. Not acceptable jargon.
OK, my exact rating would be 4.5 as I thought this was a wonderful, beautifully written gift of a story. Rebecca Winters experiences life with the sort of acceptance that opens doors. She takes the time to discover her still photos rather than staging them. She doesn't seek but she finds. She doesn't expect life to be a joyous advent...more
OK, my exact rating would be 4.5 as I thought this was a wonderful, beautifully written gift of a story. Rebecca Winters experiences life with the sort of acceptance that opens doors. She takes the time to discover her still photos rather than staging them. She doesn't seek but she finds. She doesn't expect life to be a joyous advent...more
Jan 18, 2014
Eileen Granfors
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
animals,
art,
divorce,
environment,
families,
friendship,
love-story,
marriage,
medical-issues,
men,
money,
women
When Anna Quindlen chooses a topic she is passionate about (One True Thing, for ex), her writing absolutely shines.
This is the case with her new book. STILL LIFE WITH BREAD CRUMBS. It is dazzling and comfortable and wonderful.
Rebecca Winter, a woman of 60, has had fame and fortune in her life. On a whim, she decides to rent out her over-priced New York apartment and live in a country cabin. She feels like an outsider with the few townsfolks she meets until she gets to know them better. Time alon...more
This is the case with her new book. STILL LIFE WITH BREAD CRUMBS. It is dazzling and comfortable and wonderful.
Rebecca Winter, a woman of 60, has had fame and fortune in her life. On a whim, she decides to rent out her over-priced New York apartment and live in a country cabin. She feels like an outsider with the few townsfolks she meets until she gets to know them better. Time alon...more
Rebecca Winters, the heroine of Anna Quindlen's Still Life with Bread Crumbs, could be the subject of an AARP profile. At 60, Rebecca finds herself at the nexus of escalating expenses and diminishing income. She once enjoyed wide fame and the money it brought. Her photographs hung in galleries and museums, and were reproduced on posters and mugs. But they no longer sell well and her agent is dismissive. Rebecca's parents need assistance: her father is shaky and her mother is worse, suffering fro...more
I found this to be a very thought provoking story. The beginning of the book is pretty slow, but once it gets going it's hard to put down. I found the authors detailed descriptions of the main characters thoughts insightful and profound. During the story when this woman is completely alone and cut off from the world she wrestles with what she has done and wants to do with her life. She is at a cross roads trying to decide how to move forward. There are several interesting characters she interact...more
When Anna Quindlen left the New York Times, I was very disappointed because I knew I’d miss her, and I suspected that she’d never be as good at fiction writing as she was as a keen-eyed columnist. From time to time since then, I sniffed that I had been right – that her fiction was just okay and she never should have abandoned her incisive, out-front spot in the universe. I read her books occasionally but did not become a faithful follower.
But I loved “Still Life with Bread Crumbs.” Anna, you are...more
But I loved “Still Life with Bread Crumbs.” Anna, you are...more
Well, it isn't often that I totally disagree with a book's jacket cover, and the plot description. A love story? Sort of, but not really. And, I started out thinking Anna Quindlen's Still Life with Bread Crumbs was another literary novel with little plot. Then I reconsidered. Quindlen's novel reflects her protagonist, photographer Rebecca Winter. Winter's photographs spoke to women, saying their daily lives were important. It's a message Rebecca herself lost for years. The little details of dail...more
The only other book I've read by this well known and respected author was "Black and Blue" which I absolutely loved, so I was surprised when I so disliked this book that so many people are raving about.
I listened to Still Life on audio and it read like a made-for-tv Hallmark movie of the week. It was predictable, schmaltzy and above all boring. The sentences went on like meandering country roads; going no where and in need of repair.
Perhaps I would have liked this better had I read and not list...more
I listened to Still Life on audio and it read like a made-for-tv Hallmark movie of the week. It was predictable, schmaltzy and above all boring. The sentences went on like meandering country roads; going no where and in need of repair.
Perhaps I would have liked this better had I read and not list...more
A simple story, really. Yet utterly compelling. I couldn’t help but turn page after page wondering “What happens next?”
A woman taken completely out of her context, not so much by choice, but for financial survival, has none of the amenities she’s used to. But through trial and error, she comes to relish her new — stark — environs. And through the lens of authentic and transparency — no pretension whatsoever — she discovers her true self and allows others to find her as well.
A woman taken completely out of her context, not so much by choice, but for financial survival, has none of the amenities she’s used to. But through trial and error, she comes to relish her new — stark — environs. And through the lens of authentic and transparency — no pretension whatsoever — she discovers her true self and allows others to find her as well.
“Still Life with Bread Crumbs” is the title of the photograph that propelled Rebecca Winter to fame and fortune in Anna Quindlen’s new novel by the same name. And while there are baguette crumbs in the picture, sitting quite still, for me bread crumbs evoke trails. And without overreaching, I hope, I note that this novel tells of a journey for Rebecca, from the peak of celebrity through the period described brusquely by her agent as “no sale.”
I was drawn in from the very first chapter, “No Outle...more
I was drawn in from the very first chapter, “No Outle...more
The title sounds like an old Dutch genre painting.
Sixty-year-old main character Rebecca Winter is entering the winter of her life. She’s a long-divorced art photographer whose 15 minutes of fame have passed. She’s sandwiched between her geriatric parents and her son who has just launched into his adulthood. To ameliorate her money woes, she sublets her NYC apartment and moves to the boonies. She begins a romance with a much-younger man, starts a new photo series of white crosses she finds random...more
Sixty-year-old main character Rebecca Winter is entering the winter of her life. She’s a long-divorced art photographer whose 15 minutes of fame have passed. She’s sandwiched between her geriatric parents and her son who has just launched into his adulthood. To ameliorate her money woes, she sublets her NYC apartment and moves to the boonies. She begins a romance with a much-younger man, starts a new photo series of white crosses she finds random...more
‘Still Life with Bread Crumbs’ written by Anna Quindlen is a romantic story about second chances, about never giving up on love, even if it comes to times when it is no longer expected, when we feel that we are no longer able to give ourselves and feel something strong.
The main character, named Rebecca Winter is a jobless photographer who is now sixty and though in the past had been a symbol of feminism, she is now disappointed, lonely, divorced - it seems like she slowly summarizes her life. Re...more
The main character, named Rebecca Winter is a jobless photographer who is now sixty and though in the past had been a symbol of feminism, she is now disappointed, lonely, divorced - it seems like she slowly summarizes her life. Re...more
One needs to be a patient reader, not in a hurry, follow along her slow pathway and you will find little gems of enlightenment along the way. If this is not your kind of reading, don't bother.
Generally I enjoy novels revolving around artwork (in this case photography) and relationships. Personally, I found it hard to come back to this novel in the first half, it was just too slow for me. By the second half I want to be invested in the characters and caring about what happens or doesn't happen to...more
Generally I enjoy novels revolving around artwork (in this case photography) and relationships. Personally, I found it hard to come back to this novel in the first half, it was just too slow for me. By the second half I want to be invested in the characters and caring about what happens or doesn't happen to...more
The title of this new Quindlen novel comes from the name of the Protagonist Rebecca Winters famous Photography Series. A photographer who previous successes are not enough to support her during her early 60’s, Rebecca attempts to economize by renting her well located and decorated New York apartment and leasing a cabin in rural upstate New York.
The small community where she relocates is complete with a colorful cast of characters who you will find truly enduring. Along with way Rebecca Winters...more
The small community where she relocates is complete with a colorful cast of characters who you will find truly enduring. Along with way Rebecca Winters...more
I enjoyed this book about a sixty year old professional photographer who has to make some drastic life changes for various reasons. She had lived in New York City her whole life, but circumstances made it that she had to move to upstate New York and rent out her apartment. The cottage she moves into has an electric stove; the place is drafty and there are other problems with it, but she grows to love it. She also grows to love the place where she finds new inspiration for her photographs. Oh, an...more
Feb 19, 2014
Amanda - Go Book Yourself
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction
A review copy was provided by Gill Hess in return for an honest review
Rebecca winter was just like anyone else. Until once night, after another dull dinner with her husbands pretentious friends she takes out her camera. Her photograph "Still Life with Breadcrumbs" was instantly picked up on by feminist groups, insisting that this photograph depicted the struggle women face when dealing with stereotypes. Rebecca becomes an overnight success. Her photograph is depicted on mugs, posters and even...more
I do like Anna Q. And I did like this book. But it was not my favorite. Another story of a successful woman who finds herself in financial straits who moves out of the glamorous city and to the country to save money and regroup. Meets a man, has some adventures, resets her life. You know the drill. And I don't mind the drill. AND I liked the characters but I had this feeling that I, as the reader, never got to know the characters as well as I would like. There was a veil between us that prevente...more
Maybe it's because the protagonist is a 60-year-old woman who moves to a cabin in the woods, hears critters in the night, and worries about caring for her aging parents with dwindling finances, or maybe it's because Anna Quindlen is such a wonderful writer, but this book really speaks to me. I'm no romantic, but there is something very appealing about Rebecca Winter, a late-middle-aged woman opening herself up to new possibilities and unlikely love. I think the best love stories, like real-life...more
2.5
I enjoyed Quindlen's Every Last One and last year's Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake so I was excited to read this one. She writes beautifully, I'm the right demographic, and the premise is a good one. Rebecca is 60 year old woman suffering an identity crisis when her success as a photographer is fading, her marriage has failed, and she is trying to provide for her aging parents and her son (although it's never quite clear WHY she was sending her son money).
Unfortunately, I found the first ha...more
I enjoyed Quindlen's Every Last One and last year's Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake so I was excited to read this one. She writes beautifully, I'm the right demographic, and the premise is a good one. Rebecca is 60 year old woman suffering an identity crisis when her success as a photographer is fading, her marriage has failed, and she is trying to provide for her aging parents and her son (although it's never quite clear WHY she was sending her son money).
Unfortunately, I found the first ha...more
This is a wonderful book - a story of a mature woman learning about life and love. Rebecca Winter is a 60 year old photographer who finds herself living in a rural area in a rundown house. She thinks her celebrity life is behind her - and it scares her because she has family and financial responsibilities. While living in a totally new setting, she learns many life lessons - to include the idea that maybe what you always have had isn't really what you always wanted. She also learns that you are...more
Rebecca Winter is a 60-yr. old photographer whose career is on the down turn. As is her bank account. She leaves New York City and moves to the country. She is awakened by a scary noise in her attic. The noise turns out to be a raccoon. She calls a local roofer, Jim Bates who rids the attic of the raccoon. He is young, 30 and hunky, an unlikely love interest for Rebecca. Rebecca prides herself on the fact that she photographs things as she finds them. She finds a group of white crosses scattered...more
As others have noted, this book is as comforting as a bowl of pasta with marinara sauce. It is predictable in the genre of girl meets boy, girl loses ... And that in the end all the ne'er do wells get theirs and the good guys benefit from cosmic benevolence. I like the break from the grim newspaper headlines and books about evil. This was a welcome respite. The characters are fun to spend time with, the narrative just detailed enough to speed you along and the author's craft evident without scre...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Is this Chick Lit or Romance? | 2 | 12 | Mar 03, 2014 03:21PM |
Anna Quindlen is an American journalist and opinion columnist whose New York Times column, Public and Private, won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1992.
She began her journalism career in 1974 as a reporter with The New York Post. Between 1977 and 1994 she held several posts at the New York Times. She left journalism in 1995 to become a full-time novelist. She currently writes a bi-weekly colu...more
More about Anna Quindlen...
She began her journalism career in 1974 as a reporter with The New York Post. Between 1977 and 1994 she held several posts at the New York Times. She left journalism in 1995 to become a full-time novelist. She currently writes a bi-weekly colu...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
Jan 18, 2014 01:03PM
Jan 18, 2014 02:10PM