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The Lost Mother
The Lost Mother, published by Melbourne University Press, is a gripping narrative that is part art history, part detective story and part meditation on the relations between mothers and daughters.
It recounts how after Anne inherited a portrait of her mother as a child, she decides to search for the lost companion painting, where her mother was painted as the Madonna.
The story is both moving, and hypnotic as Anne embarks on a parallel quest to rescue the artist, Constance Stokes, from obscurity and to learn the fate of the mysterious Russian émigré collector who originally bought the portrait.
It recounts how after Anne inherited a portrait of her mother as a child, she decides to search for the lost companion painting, where her mother was painted as the Madonna.
The story is both moving, and hypnotic as Anne embarks on a parallel quest to rescue the artist, Constance Stokes, from obscurity and to learn the fate of the mysterious Russian émigré collector who originally bought the portrait.
354 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
3 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Anne Summers
25 books50 followersProfessional
Dr Anne Summers AO is a best-selling author, journalist and thought-leader with a long career in politics, the media, business and the non-government sector in Australia, Europe and the United States.
She is author of eight books, including the classic Damned Whores and God’s Police, first published in 1975. This bestseller was updated in 1994 and, again, in 2002 and stayed continuously in print until 2008. A new edition was published on International Women’s Day 2016.
Her previous books are The Misogyny Factor (2013), The Lost Mother: A Story of Art and Love (2009, 2010) and On Luck (2009), The End of Equality (2003), Ducks on the Pond (1999), Gamble for Power (1983) and Her-Story: Australian Women in Print (with Margaret Bettison – 1980). She writes a regular opinion column for the Sydney Morning Herald.
Anne was involved in the early 1970s, in helping start Elsie, Australia’s first women’s refuge and Refractory Girl, a women’s studies journal.
In 1975 she became a journalist, first on The National Times, then in 1979 was appointed Canberra bureau chief for the Australian Financial Review and then the paper’s North American editor.
She ran the federal Office of the Status of Women (now Office for Women) from 1983 to 1986 when Bob Hawke was Prime Minister and was an advisor, on women’s issues among other things, to Prime Minister Paul Keating for a year prior to the 1993 federal election.
In 1987 in New York she was editor-in-chief of Ms. – America’s landmark feminist magazine – and the following year, with business partner Sandra Yates bought Ms. and Sassy magazines in the second only women-led management buyout in US corporate history.
In November 2012 she began publishing Anne Summers Reports a lavish free digital magazine that promises to be ‘Sane Factual Relevant’ and which reports on politics, social issues, art, architecture and other subjects not covered adequately by the mainstream media.
In September 2013 Anne launched her series of Anne Summers Conversations events with former prime minister Julia Gillard in front of a packed Sydney Opera House.
Anne was chair of the board of Greenpeace International (2000-2006) and Deputy President of Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum (1999-2008).
In 1989 she was made an Officer in the Order of Australia for her services to journalism and to women. In 2011, along with three other women, Anne was honoured as an Australian Legend with her image placed on a postage stamp.
Anne was a leader of the generation and the movement that changed Australia for women. Her involvement in the women’s movement has earned her community respect. She has received Honorary Doctorates from Flinders University (1994), the University of New South Wales (2000), the University of South Australia (2014) and the University of Adelaide (2015).
Personal
Anne lives in Sydney with Chip Rolley, her partner of 27 years who is the editor of The Drum, the ABC’s opinion website.
Dr Anne Summers AO is a best-selling author, journalist and thought-leader with a long career in politics, the media, business and the non-government sector in Australia, Europe and the United States.
She is author of eight books, including the classic Damned Whores and God’s Police, first published in 1975. This bestseller was updated in 1994 and, again, in 2002 and stayed continuously in print until 2008. A new edition was published on International Women’s Day 2016.
Her previous books are The Misogyny Factor (2013), The Lost Mother: A Story of Art and Love (2009, 2010) and On Luck (2009), The End of Equality (2003), Ducks on the Pond (1999), Gamble for Power (1983) and Her-Story: Australian Women in Print (with Margaret Bettison – 1980). She writes a regular opinion column for the Sydney Morning Herald.
Anne was involved in the early 1970s, in helping start Elsie, Australia’s first women’s refuge and Refractory Girl, a women’s studies journal.
In 1975 she became a journalist, first on The National Times, then in 1979 was appointed Canberra bureau chief for the Australian Financial Review and then the paper’s North American editor.
She ran the federal Office of the Status of Women (now Office for Women) from 1983 to 1986 when Bob Hawke was Prime Minister and was an advisor, on women’s issues among other things, to Prime Minister Paul Keating for a year prior to the 1993 federal election.
In 1987 in New York she was editor-in-chief of Ms. – America’s landmark feminist magazine – and the following year, with business partner Sandra Yates bought Ms. and Sassy magazines in the second only women-led management buyout in US corporate history.
In November 2012 she began publishing Anne Summers Reports a lavish free digital magazine that promises to be ‘Sane Factual Relevant’ and which reports on politics, social issues, art, architecture and other subjects not covered adequately by the mainstream media.
In September 2013 Anne launched her series of Anne Summers Conversations events with former prime minister Julia Gillard in front of a packed Sydney Opera House.
Anne was chair of the board of Greenpeace International (2000-2006) and Deputy President of Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum (1999-2008).
In 1989 she was made an Officer in the Order of Australia for her services to journalism and to women. In 2011, along with three other women, Anne was honoured as an Australian Legend with her image placed on a postage stamp.
Anne was a leader of the generation and the movement that changed Australia for women. Her involvement in the women’s movement has earned her community respect. She has received Honorary Doctorates from Flinders University (1994), the University of New South Wales (2000), the University of South Australia (2014) and the University of Adelaide (2015).
Personal
Anne lives in Sydney with Chip Rolley, her partner of 27 years who is the editor of The Drum, the ABC’s opinion website.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 29, 2014
When Anne Summer's mother dies in 2005 she inherits a painting of her mother as a young girl. It is a painting that has always been a part of her life, hanging on the wall of her mother's house. When it is hanging on hers it becomes imperative for Summers to find out more about it than a brief story related by her mother.
As Summers digs deeper she finds out that, tantalisingly, there is a second painting of her mother entitled A Saint. Along the way Summers delves into the life of the painter Constance Stokes or Constance Parkin as she was at the time the paintings were created. In the quest to find out more Summers researches the life of Stokes and then what happens to both paintings and the woman, Lydia Mortill who bought them.
I love the twists and turns of this memoir, the hunt through catalogues, press clippings, a thesis on Stokes, the sale of a wonderful Melbourne house, Latvia during World War II, among many other fascinating things
This book is so much more than a search for a lost painting. It is a voyage of discovery where not only does the author Anne Summers find out about the origin of a painting of her mother but many other things about herself, her mother, a Melbourne socialite and an artist juggling motherhood and a creative life.
As Summers digs deeper she finds out that, tantalisingly, there is a second painting of her mother entitled A Saint. Along the way Summers delves into the life of the painter Constance Stokes or Constance Parkin as she was at the time the paintings were created. In the quest to find out more Summers researches the life of Stokes and then what happens to both paintings and the woman, Lydia Mortill who bought them.
I love the twists and turns of this memoir, the hunt through catalogues, press clippings, a thesis on Stokes, the sale of a wonderful Melbourne house, Latvia during World War II, among many other fascinating things
This book is so much more than a search for a lost painting. It is a voyage of discovery where not only does the author Anne Summers find out about the origin of a painting of her mother but many other things about herself, her mother, a Melbourne socialite and an artist juggling motherhood and a creative life.
July 17, 2017
f2f bookclub read which underwhelmed.
December 10, 2016
I enjoyed reading this personal adventure of discovery , feeling like I was witnessing a "who do you think you are?" Episode. I loved the original painting and I feel invested that I really want Anne and her family to be granted the answers to the outstanding questions. William and Lydia's lives read like a Hollywood movie in themselves, and it is impressive the extent that Anne has followed through on all leads to attempt to fill in gaps in the story. I loved learning more about the artist. It is so true as elaborated by Anne, the Australian historical inequality of celebration and reverence for our female artists compared to our male masters.
After reading this book I am interested to read the offending autobiography as well.
After reading this book I am interested to read the offending autobiography as well.
January 20, 2011
This biography is about four women and a painting. A fascinating exploration of the author's relationship with her mother, as well as the story of the painting done of her mother by Australian artist Constance Spry. We also see glimpses of the enigmatic Russian emigrant who purchased the portrait. Part art history, part detective story and part meditation, this book is both poignant and intriguing.
January 29, 2011
This is a true detective story into the history behind a portrait, which was painted in Australia in the 1930s. For someone who loves art history or history in general, it's fascinating although I think the research is done by luck as much as skill. However it told me a lot about the art scene in Melbourne in this era and I was intrigued until the end.
March 16, 2021
Having visited some of the great galleries of Paris earlier this year I was left wondering, where are all the women artists? This is a problem around the world, of course, and so I was drawn to Summers' book mainly because it put the spotlight on an Australian woman artist, Constance Stokes.
Stokes was a contemporary of Blackman, Nolan and others. An early painting of hers was the talk of an exhibition of Australian work in London in the 1930s. Summers' interest in Stokes' work is based in an early portrait of Summers' mother as a child. The book follows Summers' search for information about the origins of the painting, and a companion work that remains elusively out of reach.
There were times I was really drawn into this mystery-style narrative in which Summers does some fine detective work to uncover the stories of both the artist and the painting's former owner, a Russian woman who was once the toast of Melbourne's social scene. Other times, however, I found the lack of resolution unsatisfying. This is the nature of research, I know, but I was left feeling the book failed to deliver what it promised to some extent.
Still, I did learn more about another seemingly forgotten Australian female artist, Constance Stokes, one who deserves more time in the spotlight of Australia's art history. Overall, I enjoyed the read, even if it didn't hit all the highlights I hoped it would. Recommended for anyone who enjoys learning more about Australian art, and the lives of women artists.
Stokes was a contemporary of Blackman, Nolan and others. An early painting of hers was the talk of an exhibition of Australian work in London in the 1930s. Summers' interest in Stokes' work is based in an early portrait of Summers' mother as a child. The book follows Summers' search for information about the origins of the painting, and a companion work that remains elusively out of reach.
There were times I was really drawn into this mystery-style narrative in which Summers does some fine detective work to uncover the stories of both the artist and the painting's former owner, a Russian woman who was once the toast of Melbourne's social scene. Other times, however, I found the lack of resolution unsatisfying. This is the nature of research, I know, but I was left feeling the book failed to deliver what it promised to some extent.
Still, I did learn more about another seemingly forgotten Australian female artist, Constance Stokes, one who deserves more time in the spotlight of Australia's art history. Overall, I enjoyed the read, even if it didn't hit all the highlights I hoped it would. Recommended for anyone who enjoys learning more about Australian art, and the lives of women artists.
March 17, 2013
Somewhere between the disinterest of youth and the curiosity of maturity Anne Summers lost and found her mother. This is the story of a painting and the other paintings, people and effects drawn together through the search for its story. It is the portrait of her mother as a young girl, but it is so much more. It is the story of a remarkable Australian artist who strangely doesn’t seem to be that well known. Although I had heard of Constance Stokes I didn’t know much about her before reading this work. The few images in colour in the book are astoundingly powerful. I am drawn now to go and see some of them “in the flesh”. Living in Melbourne that is possible, but I would suggest that people in Sydney take the time to discover for themselves what their art gallery has so far failed to appreciate. Australian’s best artist was a female. Some of her works are dotted around the country in various galleries, though most are in private collections. Any effort to see them will be well worthwhile.
June 20, 2013
This is a great book - all about the search for a lost painting but discovering so much more in the process. Fabulous for anyone interested in history and how one painting can have so many different meanings in different contexts - really interesting.
September 13, 2014
I loved everything about this book. Anne's journey to find out about a painting of her mother as a young girl was fascinating. It explored family history and relationships as well as art and collecting during an interesting period of our recent history.
February 18, 2012
Very interesting account of a lost painting, its history and life of the portrait sitter. Set in Melbourne, particulary Tay Creggan, the current year 9 campus of Stathcona Baptist Girls' School.
January 31, 2015
I really enjoyed this book l had never heard of Constance Stokes so l learnt a lot about the Melbourne art scene in the 30's thru to 90's. Anne's style of writing was easy to enjoy.
September 23, 2019
A very interesting non fiction book about the author’s search for a lost painting of her mother, painted when her mother was ten years of age. The painting, titled ‘A Saint’, is by Constance Stokes who in the 1930s was a well regarded Australian female artist residing in Melbourne. The book provides interesting information on the life of Constance Stokes.
In the author’s search for the missing painting she finds out the painting was acquired by a Mrs Lydia Mortill. Mrs Mortill, a Russian, came to Australia in the late 1910s and married a rich businessman, William Mortill. They bought a large property in Melbourne and lived a financially extravagent life during the 1920s and 1930s, including travelling overseas for extended holidays, holding dinner parties with the Melbourne elite and acquiring a number of paintings including two paintings of the author’s mother.
The author also provides details of her relationship with her mother. The author learns more about her mother during the author’s search for the lost painting.
An enjoyable book of investigative journalism of three women. The author started research for the lost painting in 2005 and first published this book in 2009.
(The 2010 edition I read includes an additional chapter titled, ‘afterword’. The additional seventeen pages provide further details the author acquired from readers in the seven months since first publication, providing further facts on Constance Stokes and the Mortills).
In the author’s search for the missing painting she finds out the painting was acquired by a Mrs Lydia Mortill. Mrs Mortill, a Russian, came to Australia in the late 1910s and married a rich businessman, William Mortill. They bought a large property in Melbourne and lived a financially extravagent life during the 1920s and 1930s, including travelling overseas for extended holidays, holding dinner parties with the Melbourne elite and acquiring a number of paintings including two paintings of the author’s mother.
The author also provides details of her relationship with her mother. The author learns more about her mother during the author’s search for the lost painting.
An enjoyable book of investigative journalism of three women. The author started research for the lost painting in 2005 and first published this book in 2009.
(The 2010 edition I read includes an additional chapter titled, ‘afterword’. The additional seventeen pages provide further details the author acquired from readers in the seven months since first publication, providing further facts on Constance Stokes and the Mortills).
May 29, 2019
I loved this book. It was a little hard to get into, but once one had engaged, it was a fascinating journey through the art world of Melbourne in mid-20th century. Occasionally I had to retrace my steps to recall who was who and did what, but Summers skillfully draws all these threads together towards the end. This book has been meticulously researched as one would expect from Anne Summers and would appeal to those who know Melbourne or want to discover more: there is an appendix containing information about the places mentioned.
This is a story grounded in serendipity: it might never have happened if Summers had not been curious about a painting of her mother as a child. Although there is reference to her relationship with her mother, she does not explore this as much as I expected. Perhaps I need to read "Ducks on the Pond" to discover more.
This is a story grounded in serendipity: it might never have happened if Summers had not been curious about a painting of her mother as a child. Although there is reference to her relationship with her mother, she does not explore this as much as I expected. Perhaps I need to read "Ducks on the Pond" to discover more.
January 31, 2011
I read this as part of a book club, so I made an attempt to finish it. It's the sort of book I normally run a million miles from - an academic exploration of certain aspects of 20th century Australian art told through a middle aged woman's search for the lost portrait of her late mother, with whom she had a difficult relationship.
I found myself skimming over whole pages of description about paintings I've never seen. I also completely skipped several chapters on the history of the Russian emigre who once owned the painting (which remains lost at the end of this historical mystery). This book just wasn't interesting enough for me. And the fact that it's crying out for a good editor makes me question why it was published.
I found myself skimming over whole pages of description about paintings I've never seen. I also completely skipped several chapters on the history of the Russian emigre who once owned the painting (which remains lost at the end of this historical mystery). This book just wasn't interesting enough for me. And the fact that it's crying out for a good editor makes me question why it was published.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2013
I would rate this as 3.5 stars. Probably a bit too much speculation along the lines of "who knows whether she thought ... etc" for my taste, which took off half a star.
It's an interesting story that starts with trying to find what happened to a painting done of the author's mother when she was a child. It finishes up covering many different topics including the fate of Russians in Latvia during and after WW2, the social life in Melbourne between the wars, and of course the fraught relationship between the author and her mother. As anyone who has done research knows, you can set off down one path which seems fairly straightforward, only to find yourself going down all sorts of byways.
It's an interesting story that starts with trying to find what happened to a painting done of the author's mother when she was a child. It finishes up covering many different topics including the fate of Russians in Latvia during and after WW2, the social life in Melbourne between the wars, and of course the fraught relationship between the author and her mother. As anyone who has done research knows, you can set off down one path which seems fairly straightforward, only to find yourself going down all sorts of byways.
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November 26, 2015An autobiography and mystery in one, detailing the author's mother, who is the subject of a painting done when she was just ten years old, the artist Constance Stokes' life, and the house in suburban Melbourne now used by a school, but was a private house in the 1930'40's when this painting hung there.
The author stayed at the house when the Church had it, in the 1960's.
Two years ago I attended a High Tea held by the current school at this house, where this book was officially launched.
The author stayed at the house when the Church had it, in the 1960's.
Two years ago I attended a High Tea held by the current school at this house, where this book was officially launched.
June 9, 2015
A long haul! Nobody from my book club liked this book, though there were some interesting elements and I was glad to learn about Constance Stokes. Probably would have been better at half the length, & I felt deceived by the author as the lost mother remained lost!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2013
I found this a real disappointment and relatively poorly written.
August 7, 2016
Didn't enjoy it not my genre but the ladies in my Bookclub discussed it well. We were split in our rating with a few agreeing with me....didn't like
July 21, 2018
Not quite the book I thought it would be when I picked it up. A relatively small number of pages is devoted to the search for the missing painting. Most of the book's pages are devoted to the art scene in Melbourne in the 1920's and 1930's, an account of Constance Stokes career (the artist who painted the portraits), and a potted biography of Mrs Mortill (the Russian woman, who once owned the painting on the cover). The writing is solid enough and is easy to read (although I could see some people calling it dry), but I just wasn't captivated by the unfolding story.
August 24, 2019
I found this book at a library sale and was drawn in my the story immediately as I am a big fan of Anne’s and love Australian art. I learned so much about Constance Stokes and the women artists of her time, and I thought the writing led us on a journey that really highlighted the concomitant pressures & experiences of Anne and the women in the story. And the process of finding lost art is simply fascinating.....
August 7, 2024
I found this book surprisingly interesting. Of course I read Damned Whores and God’s Police many years ago and admired Anne Summer’s analysis of women’s role. I was surprised that Anne Summers wrote this memoir, much of it about a largely ignored woman artist, Constance Stokes. A lot of discussion about art and society in Melbourne in the Depression and WW2 years.
February 14, 2019
Maybe 3.5. It needed a bit of an edit. A bit too long and repetitive in parts. Chop off at least 50 pages. I was very interested in the history and the Melbourne society scene and the mysteries but it felt like this was the little red caboose that couldn’t quite make it up the hill.
June 13, 2024
In this engrossing book, Summers plaits together the lives of four different women through exploring the history of a precious family portrait.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews