The Very Picture of YouThe Very Picture of You
a Novel
Title rated 3.65 out of 5 stars, based on 38 ratings(38 ratings)
Book, 2011
Current format, Book, 2011, 1st ed, All copies in use.Book, 2011
Current format, Book, 2011, 1st ed, All copies in use. Offered in 0 more formatsAt thirty-five, Gabriella Graham--"Ella" to her family and friends--has already made a name for herself as a successful portrait artist in London. She can capture the essential truth in each of her subjects' faces--a tilt of the chin, a glint in the eye--and immortalize it on canvas. This gift has earned Ella commissions from royals and regular folks alike. Ella realizes that there is so much more to a person's life than what is seen on the surface, a notion made even clearer when an unexpected email arrives from the other side of the world. And as her portraits progress, they begin to reveal less about their subjects than the artist herself.
Distinguishing herself as an evocative portrait painter in London, Ella Saville completes three life-changing works that reveal the secrets of her own life.
Distinguishing herself as an evocative portrait painter in London, Ella Saville completes three life-changing works that reveal to her her capacity for choosing to love a good man, the importance of living life to its fullest and the ultimate gift of the person who has most influenced her existence. By the author of A Vintage Affair.
Where the eye sees the brushstroke, the heart sees the truth.
From Isabel Wolff, the internationally bestselling author of A Vintage Affair, comes a beguiling novel about artistic inspirations, family secrets, and the courage to turn one’s life into a masterpiece.
At thirty-five, Gabriella Graham—“Ella” to her family and friends—has already made a name for herself as a successful portrait artist in London. She can capture the essential truth in each of her subjects’ faces—a tilt of the chin, a glint in the eye—and immortalize it on canvas. This gift has earned Ella commissions from royals and regular folks alike.
But closer to home, Ella finds the truth more elusive. Her father abandoned the family when she was five, and her mother has remained silent on the subject ever since. Ella’s sister, Chloe, is engaged to Nate, an American working in London, but Ella suspects that he may not be so committed. Then, at Chloe’s behest, Ella agrees to paint Nate’s portrait.
From session to session, Ella begins to see Nate in a different light, which gives rise to conflicted feelings. In fact, through the various people she paints—an elderly client reflecting on her life, another woman dreading the prospect of turning forty, a young cyclist (from a photograph) who met a tragic end—Ella realizes that there is so much more to a person’s life than what is seen on the surface, a notion made even clearer when an unexpected email arrives from the other side of the world. And as her portraits of Nate and the others progress, they begin to reveal less about their subjects than the artist herself.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and in Isabel Wolff’s vibrant and textured story, these words are brilliantly crafted to convey the humor, mystery, and beauty that exists within each of us.
Distinguishing herself as an evocative portrait painter in London, Ella Saville completes three life-changing works that reveal the secrets of her own life.
Distinguishing herself as an evocative portrait painter in London, Ella Saville completes three life-changing works that reveal to her her capacity for choosing to love a good man, the importance of living life to its fullest and the ultimate gift of the person who has most influenced her existence. By the author of A Vintage Affair.
Where the eye sees the brushstroke, the heart sees the truth.
From Isabel Wolff, the internationally bestselling author of A Vintage Affair, comes a beguiling novel about artistic inspirations, family secrets, and the courage to turn one’s life into a masterpiece.
At thirty-five, Gabriella Graham—“Ella” to her family and friends—has already made a name for herself as a successful portrait artist in London. She can capture the essential truth in each of her subjects’ faces—a tilt of the chin, a glint in the eye—and immortalize it on canvas. This gift has earned Ella commissions from royals and regular folks alike.
But closer to home, Ella finds the truth more elusive. Her father abandoned the family when she was five, and her mother has remained silent on the subject ever since. Ella’s sister, Chloe, is engaged to Nate, an American working in London, but Ella suspects that he may not be so committed. Then, at Chloe’s behest, Ella agrees to paint Nate’s portrait.
From session to session, Ella begins to see Nate in a different light, which gives rise to conflicted feelings. In fact, through the various people she paints—an elderly client reflecting on her life, another woman dreading the prospect of turning forty, a young cyclist (from a photograph) who met a tragic end—Ella realizes that there is so much more to a person’s life than what is seen on the surface, a notion made even clearer when an unexpected email arrives from the other side of the world. And as her portraits of Nate and the others progress, they begin to reveal less about their subjects than the artist herself.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and in Isabel Wolff’s vibrant and textured story, these words are brilliantly crafted to convey the humor, mystery, and beauty that exists within each of us.
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- New York : Bantam Books, c2011.
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