The Forest Lover
by Susan Vreeland
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Book Summary Information
Author: Susan VreelandEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-11-30
ISBN: 0143034308
Number of pages: 464
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780143034308
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Book Reviews of The Forest Lover
Book Review: Review: The Forest Lover
Summary: 4 Stars
By using the Canadian wilderness as a backdrop for The Forest Lover, Vreeland paints a magnificent picture of the Pacific Northwest and its native peoples though the eyes of an artist. This powerful historical novel chronicles the personal and professional life of the world renowned British Colombian painter Emily Carr, whose inspiration for her art came from the intense spirit of many native tribes of the Pacific coast region and the far North. Her mission was to preserve the totem poles and disappearing tribal culture of the Indians of the Northwest.
Vreeland does an amazing job of tracing not only Carr's physical journey through the Canadian wilds but also her tremendous personal and spiritual journey as well. She travels to Paris for a year to learn and expand the depth of her painting skills; this European excursion leaves her with an even more intense yearning for the West and the dying culture that she will try to preserve. Upon her return from Paris, she embarks on her quest, more fervently than ever, to find out all she can about totem poles and the Native Canadian way of life. From the many tribes Carr visits, she learns to see herself through the eyes of the natural world around her, the same way the Indians see. This journey leads her through many struggles and hardships, predominately with the other white settlers and the gradual destruction of the Indian way of life by the white man. The injustices of her fellow settlers towards the Indians infuriate Carr and fuel her inspiration to save what is gradually and heartbreakingly dying away. The passion Carr exhibits for preserving the Native spirit through her painting increases as her journey progresses.
As the reader follows Carr on her incredible pursuit of adventure and self-growth, the spirit of the West and its wonderful people becomes more and more evident. Vreeland expresses the freedom and wonder of the natural wilderness of Canada through the images Carr sees and ultimately translates onto the canvas. Her imagery captures the reader and creates a stunning vision of the virtually untouched land Carr loves so much. Vreeland's forests draw the reader in, just as they called out to Carr and her pursuit of pristine natural beauty and truth.
Ultimately, Vreeland leaves the reader with the sense of Emily Carr's success in finding what she so intensely searched for over many years and countless trips into the wilderness. Carr's brilliant paintings of the British Columbian frontier attracted the attention of many, leaving them with much new insight into the native spirit of those living in such harmony with the land - and the forests - she loved so much.
Emily Carr's journey into the wilds was unlike any other. She was an extraordinarily independent woman endowed with the genuine, uncompromising spirit of the West which enabled her to fulfill what she felt truly destined to accomplish. Vreeland also achieves an astounding feat through her inspired depiction of the truly outstanding life of one of the paramount artists of the nineteenth century.
Not having read anything else about the "real" Emily Carr, I have no authority to comment on the historical accuracy of The Forest Lover. However, I did find it to be a captivating story that held my interest throughout the entire novel. I would recommend this book to anyone desiring to know about art and the tremendous process that goes into making it great. Vreeland is exceptional at showing the artist and expressing the true artist's temperament. The Forest Lover is for those wishing to expand their knowledge about the unbelievable world of art, through the eyes of an extraordinary novelist.
Summary of The Forest Lover
In her acclaimed novels, Susan Vreeland has given us portraits of painting and life that are as dazzling as their artistic subjects. Now, in The Forest Lover, she traces the courageous life and career of Emily Carr, who?more than Georgia O?Keeffe or Frida Kahlo?blazed a path for modern women artists. Overcoming the confines of Victorian culture, Carr became a major force in modern art by capturing an untamed British Columbia and its indigenous peoples just before industrialization changed them forever. From illegal potlatches in tribal communities to artists? studios in pre?World War I Paris, Vreeland tells her story with gusto and suspense, giving us a glorious novel that will appeal to lovers of art, native cultures, and lush historical fiction.
Novelist Susan Vreeland has made a career of fictionalizing the lives of artists and of particular paintings, like Artemisia Gentileschišs magnificent Judith in The Passion of Artemisia. In her third novel, The Forest Lover, Vreeland's subject is the courageous Canadian painter Emily Carr, who traveled through native villages and wilderness of British Columbia in the early 1900s, often alone, on a quest to paint totem poles and other artifacts before the indigenous traditions died out and the poles were destroyed or sold. Vreeland's Carr is deeply respectful of the people she meets, and is rewarded with their trust and their stories. She brings the same sensitivity with her to Paris to see the new art, is exhibited at the Salon d'Automne, and returns to Vancouver in 1912 with a style so direct, and colors so expressive, that a conservative local reviewer dubs her a wild beast, literally, a Fauve. Vreeland's strength is in the tacks of emotion during dialogue, and in her nimble, exact prose. As she depicts her, Carr is an endearing and believable balance of sensitivity and determination?an artist of life as well as a remarkable painter. --Regina Marler
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