A while back Rikki (Rikki’s Teleidoscope) and I have decided to read Katie Ward’s Girl Reading together. I discovered the book on Danielle’s blog. It was one of those posts that made me want to get the book and read it immediately. I added the blurb but Danielle’s wonderful review (here) will give you a much better idea.
A real wow of a first novel. The premise is alarmingly simple and yet somehow stunning: seven portraits, seven artists, seven girls and women reading . . . A wonderful, imaginative evocation of seven different worlds . . . It’s very rare for a novel to have a real freshness and originality but at the same time to evoke echoes of other literary memories. This feels incredibly clever. It’s a book packed full of adventures and stories and you completely lose yourself in them . . . This book’s great strength: the perfect, separate, involving worlds it creates. Like Mitchell, Ward is equally adept at shifting between completely different registers and voices . . .
What the blurb doesn’t say is that each episode captures another era and according to Danielle’s review some of them are done remarkably well.
If you have enjoyed Susan Vreeland’s Girl in Hyacinth Blue, you might like this as well.
It would be great if you would consider joining us in reading this novel.
We will discuss the book on Monday June 25 2012. Links to other participant’s posts will be added to our respective reviews.
Beauty is a Sleeping Cat 
I read Vreeland’s The Passion of Artemesia last year and it was very interesting. I might give Katie Ward’s book a try.
It would be great if you would join. I’m looking forward to reading it.
I have The Passion of Artemisia in my TBR pile as well.
It would be great of you could join us for this one.
I really liked this and hope you will, too. I’ll be curious which stories will be your favorites. And it is definitely a good book to read along with others as there is lots to discuss. I also love Susan Vreeland (loved Girl in Hyacinth Blue)–it made me want to go pull one of Vreeland’s unread novels from my bookshelf. If you are curious the paintings that Ward was inspired by are on her website, but I decided to look at them after I read the stories, as I was interested to see how they compared to what I had in my imagination.
I’m very curious to see which ones I like as well. Thanks for the tip, I was ging to look at the paintings first. Better wait.
I can’t but happy readalong!
Thanks. We will let you know how it is. 🙂
This book looks wonderful, Caroline! The premise looks quite fascinating! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it.
The moment I saw Danielle’s review, I knew I needed to read it. I like the idea very much.
the book sounds interesting. I look forward to your discussion.
I am currently not following my current reading challenge (once upon a time) so sure I can’t follow this one too even if I can find the book
Don’t worry. We can’t do everything. If I like it a lot you can always read it some other time. 🙂
sounds like an amazing book caroline. waiting to hera your thoughts on it!
I thought the premise sounded intriguin and I’m really looking forward to reading it.