Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #295 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 374 pages

Review
'Poised and pitch-perfect throughout, this is an engrossing portrait of a troubled and remarkable character. A fine writer at the top of his game.' Mail on Sunday 'This is an uplifting, immensely empathetic novel, and Gale's prose, as ever is as clear and bright as the Cornish light.' Guardian 'It has the kind of quietly radiant intelligence, craft and integrity that bypasses superficial questions of originality. A novel with a variety and freshness that is all the more powerful and surprising for being discovering in such a circumscribed and very English milieu.' Adam Lively, Sunday Times 'Skilfully constructed as a mosaic of different viewpoints that shift back and forwards in time. A warm, well-written novel about creativity and the perils of living with the creative spirit.' Times Literary Supplement 'By the end I had laughed and cried and put all his other books on my wish list. This is dense, thought-provoking, sensitive, satisfying, humorous, humane -- a real treat.' Toby Clements, Telegraph 'Beautifully written, slowly unravelling tale!Patrick Gale's serene and carefully crafted prose conveys a profound understanding of the workings of human relationships and the torment that mental illness causes its sufferers and also those around them.' Ross Gilfillan, Daily Mail 'I was completely enthralled by "Notes from an Exhibition." Patrick's Gale's prose grows ever more acrobatic and heartstopping, though somehow he never seems to be showing off. And few writers have grasped the twisted dynamics of family the way Gale has. There's really no one he can't inhabit, understand and forgive.' Armistead Maupin '"Notes from an Exhibition" is a story about family life and the tensions that at once bind it and tear it apart. Patrick Gale's focus is sharp and this small group of characters is carefully observed and lovingly brought to vivid life!the book [is] a kaleidoscope of pictures, sometimes comic, sometimes unutterably moving. Ultimately, Notes from an Exhibition is a rewarding read.' Peter Burton, Express 'All the characters are dimensional and heartbreaking. It is a book saturated with love and humanity. And it has a great last line.' Barbara Gowdy 'A tender, powerful novel.' The Gloss 'This is a book full of insight, intelligence and quiet humour familiar from his previous masterpiece, "Rough Music".' Image magazine 'Gale moves seamlessly between different characters, and from past to present, so we never the narrative thrust. An excellent summer read.' Psychologies magazine 'His sense of place is utterly coherent and he makes the background easy to navigate!the writing itself is so unpretentious, and Gale brings such patience and generosity to the story, that one cannot help but respond to his uplifting faith in human nature.' New Statesman

Guardian
`This is an uplifting, immensely empathetic novel, and Gale's prose, as ever is as clear and bright as the Cornish light.'

Sunday Times
'It has the kind of quietly radiant intelligence, craft and integrity that bypasses superficial questions of originality. A novel with a variety and freshness that is all the more powerful and surprising for being discovering in such a circumscribed and very English milieu.' Adam Lively,

Customer Reviews

superb, moving, inspiring
a moving and inspiring account of a family battling against the dark forces of mental illness, combined with the dynamics of contemporary family life made this an intriguing and unmissable book.

Ashendon Book Group says...
This is a good choice for a book group - everyone enjoyed reading it and we all took different things out of it. Some of us didn't switch on to the style of writing at first (i.e. what the `notes' were all about) but soon got the hang of it. It was an easy to read book though not necessarily a page turner. There were some intriguing twists and plenty of tension throughout.

The story of a talented, artist Rachel Kelly with her strong yet disturbed character is told through an almost visual description of her own and the lives of those she influenced and is well illustrated by the `notes'.

The other central character Anthony clearly loved Rachel and his strength of love is what holds their family together. Though Rachel was a Mum she was not really very good at it and certainly was not a good role model. Anthony, on the other hand, was a great Dad and an excellent role model for their children.

Rachel was not without love for her children howeverand little things in the book remind the reader continually of this.

Patrick Gale connects with his readers throughout the book. One good example of this is again beach day - every one of us have had `stones `moments with our own parents or children.

There were so many characters and each stood out from the others. There was no one character we couldn't love - big parts and small.

The `twists' in the tale are superbly constructed and entwine through the book.

Those of us who know Penzance were able to visualise the setting for much of the story and this made it quite special. Do take the opportunity to do the walking tour at the end of the book if (when) you visit Penzance, it takes about 2 hours and it's recommended. And the cinema is exactly as described in the book. So, go see a film there is you get chance.

We say, read it and enjoy. And we also recommend `Rough Music' by Patrick Gale

I loved this book!
This was the first Patrick Gale book I have read, and I mean to search out the others. It's an engrossing tale about family, love, loyalty, creativity, mental illness and Quakerism. It uses the device of reproducing descriptions of objects and pictures at an exhibition and having them as introductions to chapters. This sounds a bit contrived but I found the counterpoint between them and the main story convincing and moving. The writing style is superb: quiet and controlled, but full of emotional resonance. The characters are deftly drawn and invite your empathy. Brilliant!