Just for Fun Read...

As part of my Just for Fun Reading Challenge I decided to read this book which has languished on my bookshelf since March 2010, I’m so glad to have now read and enjoyed it.  This excellent debut novel won the Orange Prize for new writers in 2009.

An Equal Stillness

 by

 Francesca Kay 

Phoenix 2009

Told as a fictional biography by an unknown narrator, An Equal Stillness charts the life of celebrated artist, Jennet Mallow. Brought up as a lonely child in a Yorkshire rectory, and largely ignored by her troubled parents, Jennet escaped first to boarding school in Harrogate, and then later to art college in Kensington, where she acquired the nickname “Bird” and met David Heaton, who would change her life. Towards the end of the novel , it becomes apparent the identity of the narrator, which adds an extra dimension to the story.

This beautifully written novel captures perfectly the essence of art and artists, which combined with the author’s unique ability to make pictures come alive, makes this an evocative and mesmerising read.

I really enjoyed it.

Francesca Kay's second novel The Translation of the Bones is due out in paperback in August 2012. 

Another one for my wishlist!