- Title:
-
Turner's paintbox
- Written by:
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Paul Morgan
- Published by:
-
Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd
- Published:
-
December 01 2007
- Read by:
-
Humphrey Bower
- Number of CDs / Tapes:
-
6
- Duration:
-
6 hours 40 minutes
- MP3 size:
-
- Genre:
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General
- Available Date:
-
December 01 2007
- ISBN:
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9781742011547
- APN / ISBN-13:
-
9781742011547
- BAB:
-
071201
Qty
Format
Price
Bolinda price
About this book:
Lyrical, stylish, and at times achingly poignant, Turner's Paintbox is a love story like no other.
Gerard Moyne is a Sydney-based art consultant with a passion for the genius of Turner. He has a particular way of looking at things - discerning, sometimes a little callous, always out of the ordinary. When he meets Julia he falls blindly in love with her, unable to see her as she is.
Shadowing their affair is the story of J.M.W. Turner. Known as the Painter of Light, he captured that element within his canvas, as Gerard is captured within the force field of Julia. Her exuberant spontaneity is the opposite of his ordered control, their attraction as mysterious as the workings of art. When it all comes horribly undone, Gerard’s perception of life changes profoundly.
"A terrific story that will keep you reading from the first page - I couldn't put it down!" - Bookseller & Publisher.
"Turner's Paintbox is in every sense a colourful book: it has some intensely lyrical writing - and the Sydney setting is transformed into landscapes seen through Turner's eyes." - The Age.
"A beautifully told story about intimacy and its loss . . . Sensuous, evocative, stimulating, it does for the sense of colour what Perfume did for scent." - Readings magazine
Reviews
The fictional narrator of this Australian novel, Gerard Moyne, is a cold intellectual who, though an expert on art history, has none of the warm emotions that all fields of art require. Therefore, Humphrey Bower faces a dilemma when narrating—how to get the listener to relate to an essentially unlikable character. Bower maneuvers accents—Australian and English—with far more skill than the author interweaves the colors of Turner's paintings. Whereas the author’s Turner descriptions lack authority, Bower fine-tunes the story’s narration in a graceful flow. Luckily, Moyne has the possibility of discovering his emotional depths through his romance with the sensual and spontaneous Julia. Further, this is a story of the failure to understand creativity, and that makes it a worthwhile listen. B.H.B.
AudioFile Magazine [Feb 09]
Paul Morgan's first novel The Pelagius Book drew comparisons from some reviewers to the work of David Malouf. His second, Turner's Paintbox, published earlier this year by Viking, is a more conventional story is set in contemporary Sydney. Gerard Moyne is an art consultant who is on a steady trajectory to international success and wealth. The novel, told as Gerard's memoir, traces the story of his relationship with the great love of his life, Julia, and how he brought about its destruction. Julia is everything Gerard is not: sensual, vibrant, gregarious. This unabridged audio version is read excellently and at a perfect pace by actor Humphrey Bower, who won the prestigious Audie (US) for his performance of Bryce Courtenay's The Family Frying Pan. This elegant and engaging novel is well suited for audio presentation.
[Dec 07]