Book eighteen: Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore.

As last year 's year of reading books about art and artists continued, it got harder and harder to find books that looked like they were worth reading.  Sometimes you have to take a risk.  I did that with Christopher Moore’s Sacre Bleu.  I’ve read a Christopher Moore book once before and while it was not awful, it wasn’t my favorite read so I’ve stayed away from Moore’s hugely popular books ever since.

With that in mind, I’m pleased to report that Sacre Bleu was a pleasant surprise.  Reading this book was a reminder that books about art and artists tend to be serious, heavy, sometimes dark, frequently depressing, and so on.  So this light and frothy supernatural romp was a welcome change.

Here’s the premise: Maybe there’s a reason Van Gogh went crazy and cut off his ear.  And maybe his suicide (in which the artist shoots himself in the stomach and then walks a mile to a doctor for treatment) is just a little too suspect to not warrant investigation. 

The book opens with news of Van Gogh’s death spreading through Paris.  Baker Lucien Lessard, whose father was an acquaintance of many of the great French Impressionist painters, receives the news and immediately feels the need to spread the word. Eventually Lucien is in cahoots with Henri Toulouse-Lautrec (with many other cameos from artists of the time) as they find themselves caught up in a mysterious tale.

Central to that tale is a twisted, shriveled character called the Colorman (who peddles artists’ paints like drugs) and the beautiful female muses who are associated with the paint maker.  As the book progresses, it takes on a dangerous, supernatural air with loads of surprises. It turns out, that for tens of thousands of years, a mysterious shade of sacre bleu is responsible for some of the world’s greatest paintings.  But the artists may have suffered the consequences.  In fact the color may have been responsible for some horrible moments in history.

Moore makes the French art world of the late 19^th Century a delightful and exciting place where lust, liquor, and artists collide.  His take on historical characters is just plain fun.  Toulouse-Lautrec is one of the funniest characters I’ve read in a long time, even though the humor is frequently, dare I say it, off color, even blue. The adventure sequences crackle with suspense. The result a funny, pleasurable read about a subject matter that tends toward pomposity.

Book seventeen: Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood.

That’s right, I’ve read another book about art and artists.  Oh and women. This time it was Cat’s Eye, a novel by Margaret Atwood.  Actually, I should say I listened to the audio book read by Kimberly Farr.

Cat’s Eye is the story of Elaine Risley, a Canadian Painter who late in her life has achieved enough success that she’s having a retrospective in a Toronto Gallery. But the majority of the book doesn’t concern itself with this moment in time.  Instead the book weaves back and forth to tell the story of Elaine’s life, from childhood, through college, and into maturity.

Central to the story is a girl Elaine meets in elementary school.  Cordelia is a snarky, mean girl who acts as ring leader of a trio of girls who taunt and tease Elaine. All the while, Elaine does her best to fit in.  Their relationship hangs on through high school although by then Elaine has largely left the friendship. However through college and beyond, Elaine can’t seem to quite shake off Cordelia’s cruelty.

The early part of this book which dealt primarily with Elaine’s childhood bored me.  Atwood’s writing is lovely but the story line fell flat.  It might be that although kids were occasionally mean to me as a child, this book represents a different kind of mean.  These girls, particularly Cordelia exhibit a meanness meant to infect the mind.  When Elaine finally starts to lead her own life, going to art school and taking a night drawing class, the book got more interesting.  But maybe that’s because art plays a greater role in the story. And I find art infinitely more interesting than memories of childhood relationships.

No matter how you feel about the story, you can’t fault the writing.  This is an expertly crafted novel that is written with great care and emotion.

Book sixteen: Every Day by David Levithan.

I’m a fan of David Levithan. His Y.A. novels Boy Meets Boy and Will Grayson Will Grayson are two of the most charming books I’ve ever read.  So when my book club suggested reading Every Day, I was all for it. (I listened to the audio book which was read by Alex McKenna whose young, androgynous voice was perfect for the gender-hopping narrator. In fact, with an ambiguous name like Alex, I had to go online to confirm that the reader is a woman.)

The central character in the book (Known as “A”) wakes up every day in a different body.  He or she has just twenty four hours to figure out the life and react appropriately.

“A” has learned that it’s best to keep things as low key as possible and to try and go undetected as an outsider. The hope is to do as little damage or create as little confusion as possible for the host person.  This strategy is working quite well until “A” wakes up as Justin.  Justin is somewhat indifferent when it comes to his girlfriend Rhiannon.  But “A” is smitten and feels he has a personal connection.  So as “A” wakes up in different bodies, those individuals go out of their way to catch a glimpse of or talk to Rhiannon.  Eventually “A” tells Rhiannon about the situation and the two embark on a strange relationship.

I liked the book as it began.  But it didn’t take long for it to get tedious.  I’m guessing the constant teenage angst would appeal to a teenage audience.  But I found it grating.  As the book wore on the pace seemed to get slower and slower. And then it came to an abrupt and sudden stop.

I give Mr. Levithan a pass on this simply because Will Grayson Will Grayson is one of the best teen books I’ve read. But I certainly wouldn't give this book the same recommendation.