Elizabeth M. Rees

I did not care for this book was written at all, for several reasons.
1) The author attempted to make everyone a main character. which cannot be done. By doing so, some character's stories were left incomplete. "Lavergne made for her own car. It wasn't until she climbed in & turned on the ignition that she remembered: Cat never had said why he had come here [ Hillcrest Manor] today." But neither her, nor Cat are mentioned in the book again. Is it implied just because he suggested Hillcrest Manor for Lavergne's charity work that he knew someone there that was terminally ill?
(Maybe some parts were left open since the book is part of a series?)
2) In other places, the author bogs the book down with too many details. For example, the scene on the bus: The author could have just had the characters have their conversation, but instead bogged down the paragraph by noting which way the bus was turning, what it passed, etc...
2) On the cover of the book, Daly is supposed to appear to have the perfect life. Her home life seems hardly ideal with an overcrowded house, & expecting another addition to the family after her father is laid-off from his job.
3) The book begins with Daly already dieting & her friends complaining that she is "too thin". Besides her dancing, it never really states what compelled her to first diet, or what caused it to go out of control. If the author had incorporated Daly's stresses at home to be the cause of her continuing to lose weight, it would have made more sense.
4) In my opinion, any attempt made by the media (whether it be books, television shows, or commercials) to make sure all diversities are depicted so that they can be considered politically correct usually come off appearing "phony". Especially when it is coupled with the use of so many stereotypes Daly's family is Irish, so of course they have a big family, half of which have red hair. Carlos is Hispanic . His family is depicted as poor, struggling immigrants with the over-masculine father. And of course the people that run the dance studio are Russian...The book is full of such stereotypes.… (lisätietoja)

Rating: 3* of five

The Publisher Says: Is the bride pregnant? Why does the groom look so old? What's reflected in the mirror? The Arnolfini Wedding is surely the most hotly debated painting of the Northern Renaissance—and one of the most beloved. In this historical novel, E. M. Rees weaves a rich story of love and honor that answers the questions about this great picture. At her first visit to the Duke's court, young Giovanna Cenami falls in love with a mysterious stranger employed by the famous Flemish painter Jan van Eyck. But Giovanna's romantic dreams are shattered when her father tells her she must marry a rich merchant to save them all from financial ruin. When she decides to pursue her own dreams, defying her family, she finds herself in grave danger of losing her reputation, her honor—and perhaps her life.
The Arnolfini Wedding is one of the most famous and most debated paintings in the world.

My Review: I just spent two very busy days, but made a little time to read The Wedding. It's a YA novel based on the famous Jan van Eyck painting The Arnolfini Wedding. Watson-Guptill, primarily an information publisher, did a series called "Encounters With Art" in which YA writers are asked to imagine stories based on or featuring famous works of art that are intended to illuminate (pun optional) the nature of painting and sculpture as storytelling media. Since humans are storytelling apes, this idea interested me.

Ms. Rees tells the story of young Giovanna, the bride in the painting, as she comes of age and discovers love and duty in her very different world. She falls in love with an unsuitable young man, a la Romeo and Juliet, during her first-ever night out as her father's arm ornament at a Burgundian court shindig in her new home of Bruges (recently arrived from Paris after her mother's death). While there, she also meets Jan van Eyck who asks for permission to paint her portrait. Her trip to van Eyck's studio is made still more exciting than it would be anyway by the...gasp!...appearance of the unsuitable love object!

Hijinks ensue. She marries dutifully, but wisely, knowing as she now does about the heart wanting what it wants, or else it doesn't care. The marriage lasts for forty years. Love? NEVER lasts forty anythings longer than maybe days.

Is this a book of brilliant writing? No indeed. Is it an entertaining book? Yes indeed. I like the idea of the series very much, and I liked the way Ms. Rees imagined the world of Bruges in the 15th century, and the way she wove fact and fancy together was deft and engaging. I recommend it withtout making a fuss about it.


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.… (lisätietoja)