Afterimage
by Helen Humphreys
WHY I READ THIS BOOK
Previous reads by this author: "The Lost Garden" (5 Stars) and "The Reinvention of Love" (3 Stars - review).
ABOUT THE BOOK
"Inspired by the life of Julia Margaret Cameron, Afterimage is the bold and provocative story of Annie Phelan, a maid in the home of Isabel and Eldon Dashell. Isabel is experimenting with the new medium of photography, and is inspired by Annie, who becomes her muse." (summary from Goodreads)MY THOUGHTS
As always, Humphreys' use of language is lovely, and she excels at creating a sense of time and place. "Afterimage" is a very quiet novel, with much greater emphasis on characters than plot. There is an overarching theme of longing - Isabel with her desire to be appreciated as an artist, Annie with her need to be accepted, Eldon (Isabel's husband) with his thwarted dreams for a life filled with adventure. I loved how vividly Humphreys portrayed these characters, and the ways in which she had them interact with one another.
COMPANION READ
This fantastic collection features all the photographic work of Julia Margaret Cameron, the inspiration for "Afterimage." In addition to the photos, there is extensive technical details about the production of the photographs and biographical info about Cameron. (compiled by Julian Cox; ISBN 9780892366811)
RATING
(for both books)
I absolutely love and adore Helen Humphreys, but haven't read this novel yet. I'm glad to hear that you liked it. I will definitely add it to my TBR!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds fascinating. I had to look up who JMC was to fully understand your review, and I think she was just amazing. This story would be interesting even if just to see when the author takes it. My partners grandmother took up photography around 1930 in Australia, and her work didn't get much airplay. I've thought about trying to get custody of the photo's and exhibit it. I love the old works. Thanks
ReplyDeleteThis sounds awesome! Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteThis was one of my favourites, although I've enjoyed her others as well. I've yet to read her most recent, but heard her read from it the other week and was immediately interested. (BTW, this is my first time here, and I'm pleased to "meet" you...looks like we enjoy many of the same writers' works and share some particular bookish obsessions.)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments everyone. I'm working my way through Humphreys' books after thoroughly loving "The Lost Garden."
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