[Shehzad]

I've definitely read this, and enjoyed it immensely. Let the discussion begin. I'll gather my thoughts and post later.

[Rob B]

I read this over a year ago, but one of the things I remember most about the novel was the feel and atmosphere Ford created in the novel. Obviously, I didn't live in the era in which the novel took place, but it felt extremely accurate.

[Iskaral Pust]

I got this about half a year ago and so far I've read it 3 times. I think it's a fantastic novel that only gets better with each reread. Reading it so wonderfully effortless that I'm always massively suprised by how much I've read after each session. The author's witty and fluid prose is one of the things that makes this book, for me, so great.
The premise is interesting, though perhaps it could have been explored further. Piambo himself is fairly engaging, but mostly because of his narrative rather than his depth. The supporting characters, however, are all fascinating, esspecially Mrs Charbuque. She's just so loopy, I love her. Piambo's meetings with her are some of the highlight scenes.
Great book, one of the best I've read recently. I got my sister to read it, but she got bored halfway through. Did anyone else have pacing problems?

[Luke_B]

I read A Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque by Jeffrey Ford over a year a go. I loved Ford's luminous prose and the way he manages to evoke the New York of 1893 with historic verisimilitude, while at the same time imbuing the work with a surreal, almost fairy-tale, atmosphere. I also love how the themes of perception and the nature of reality are weaved into a plot that revolves around a carefully constructed mystery, which the reader must solve by peeling away layers of reality, until they become completely immersed within the fantasy.

[FicusFan]

I thought it was a pretty average attempt at historical fiction (HF) with a slight twist of fantasy, and a bit of suspense thrown in at the end. While it wasn't bad, to me it wasn't exceptional as either HF or F.

In terms of the actual story I prefered the thread about the painter and current life (1890s). I found the thread with Mrs. Charbuque telling about her childhood to be an interruption to the story for most of the book. I found the splitting of the threads made the book jerky to read and in places boring. I did get into the book and the words did start to flow, but it took a while before I stopped looking for an excuse to put the book down. It just didn't rise above ordinary.

In many ways it seemed almost a short story - with hints about what a fleshed out book could work with (the criminals and the underclass of the time, the theatre of the time and the relationship between the painter and the actress, the police and crime of that time period, the painter's past, upbringing and art training, his work and his search for meaning and forgiveness). Ford added a little bit from each area but I didn't find it particularly satisfying as a whole. I didn't feel the book had a focus.

I thought the crime aspect, and the mysterious murders to be very thinly done, as was the explanation for the substance, her meeting with her husband, and their eventual break-up. The idea that she could marry and expect to keep her husband physically distant was ridiculous - so I can't see that it was in character for her to take the chance and marry him in the first place. I found the switch to the beach at the end to be jarring, since the city had been a part of the story, as was the painter's willingness to just pick up where he left off. It all seemed to be made up to hang together and work for the plot rather than having a feel of real life.

Really good historical fiction has more depth, this wasn't HF-lite, but it also wasn't The Crimson Petal and the White, or An Instance of the Fingerpost. I wouldn't even say this was in the same league as The Alienist, a less dense period piece than the first 2 listed, which used crime and suspense very effectively.

I did like the games the painter played with the 'blind' butler. I liked that Mrs. Charbuque had eventually seen the truth about her father. I liked that Mrs. Charbuque seemed to make a habit of having her picture painted, and that the painter found out about it. But then I thought he wasted the gift - because the author didn't do much with it in terms of the story. I thought the twist at the end was good, I didn't see it coming. If I had to rate this out of 10, I would give it maybe a 6.

[Shehzad]

Echoing what Fitz, IP and Luke are saying, the novel felt immersive. It was the first novel in a long time that drew me in, and was difficult to put down. I deferred sleep for it- and that's saying something for a sleep-deprived resident.

[Eventine]

Hmmm. Not much discussion. Maybe we had less readers because it's not run of the mill fantasy?

I enjoyed the book, and read it in two sittings I was that wrapped up in it. The whole concept of the portrait got me interested, as well as linking it to the deaths. That got me interested, and the novel just held me after that.

I had no problem with the "liteness" of it. I suspect you tend to look for a bit more in your period pieces though FicusFan - you obviously read a lot more historical ficiton than the rest of us and have some different expectations.

One of my favourite moments was when Piambo first sees the monkey hand. I must admit to being just as perplexed as he was, and was amused by his response.

Another of my favourite scenes is the one where Piambo is tricked by his girlfriend into believing she's Charbuque - you really get an idea of his obsession (and his stupidity :)) thanks to that scene.

I didn't have a problem with Charbuque's relationship with her husband. At the time I thought it showed her desperation to reach out to someone for companionship (maybe as a replacement to her father?), and when put into context with the twist at the end of the novel, shows that she solved the problem of her isolation by a different means.

Another thing I liked about the novel was when Piambo found the other portraits. It was an interesting idea that each painter had painted, as Piambo speculated, the ideal woman they wanted to see. Does this mean, that by succeeding in his task, that Piambo's ideal vision was Charbuque?

[Luke_B]

Just in relation to the point Ficus raises, I think it's wrong to read this as historical fiction. It has elements of that genre, but it is a fantasy. Like Ficus, I enjoy a lot of historical fiction, but the ones I enjoy less are by writers who seem more interested in showing off their research skills than writing a good novel. Ford certainly avoids this trap. The plot is always his major concern, but the way he weaves his themes of perception and the nature of reality into the narrative are superb. It's these themes that make it vital that this book be viewed as a fantasy.

There was no lightness for me, and the brevity of the book worked in its favour. Ford kept the novel flensed, eschewing overindulgence (which is what drags a lot of fantasy books down), making the narrative even more taut and gripping. Really, every element in the book worked for me (even the absurdist humour) and it was my favourite to win the World Fantasy Award last year (for which it was nominated but was beaten by stiff competition).

[FicusFan]

Well I have to say HF is the only way I can see this. It is the only thing I can really remember about the book after reading it, and I felt that way 5 minutes after finishing it. It isn't bad, but to me it is totally unmemorable. It just didn't grab me or strike any chords.

[Eventine]

You see it as straight HF? What about the identical snowflakes/turds? And the divination?