Rounding up to 4 stars. The characters are fully realized and memorable in this relentlessly sad story. The structure is unique and worked for the most part, but at points I found it tiresome. I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first, which moved forward slowly. ( )

3.5 / 5 ⭐️‘s

"Feast Your Eyes" by Myla Goldberg

“Picture or no picture, people will keep killing each other using methods old and new—day after day, year after year, centuries of killing—until one way or another we’re all dead, and all the guns and cameras of the world are just so much garbage lying in the dirt.”

As someone who typically sticks to certain genres, I was intrigued by The American Library Association's recommendation to read this book in my 2023 reading planner.

The novel is presented as a collection of photographs and commentary, chronicling the life and work of Lillian Preston, a photographer whose controversial work was both celebrated and reviled during her lifetime.

It gave me a glimpse into Lillian's complex and sometimes heartbreaking personal life, as well as her creative process and the reactions to her work.

One of the things I appreciated most about it was the way it challenged my expectations of what a novel could be. The format was unconventional, but it worked to draw me in and keep me engaged. I found myself invested in Lillian's story and eager to see what would happen next.

The writing itself was also excellent, with beautiful descriptions and a strong sense of voice. Myla Goldberg has crafted a memorable and thought-provoking novel that explores themes of art, motherhood, and the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated industry.

My only real complaint was that it was at times hard to keep track of the “who and when” of the timeline as it bounced around to different people and times fairly often.

Overall, I am glad I branched out and gave this one a chance. ( )

Each photograph is beautifully described, so we can picture the same photo in our minds. (It reminded me of the song descriptions listed in “Daisy Jones and the Six”). Interspersed with the photographs are journal entries and letters from Lillian, presenting more depth to her state of mind and life at the time of the said photo. We also hear from Samantha’s perspective as she reflects on each photo. ⁣
Lillian Preston may be a fictional character, but she was also an artist and mother in a time when it was difficult not only being one thing, but both. I don’t know much about the art world as I do writers, but Myla Goldberg seamlessly writes about the photography process and the art world culture so one is easily understand the art form and these characters. My only complaint about this book was that there weren’t actual examples of the beloved photographs, as I felt about the songs so wistfully described in “Daisy Jones and the Six”. ⁣ ( )

Set up: the book is the catalogue for an exhibition of controversial photographs by a dead woman whose daughter--the sometime subject of some of the photos--has written the text. The story concerns a single mother who is also an artist, struggling to make the two work together in the 1950s, Halfway into the novel, the exhibition is mounted featuring the photographer and her daughter in various stages of undress that will get her arrested for "child endangerment" and lead to life-long notoriety. Though Lillian is accused, Samantha actually collaborates, posing then calling her mother in, knowing she's presenting a great photo op. Interesting on artist and subject. ( )

I had not read a Goldberg novel for about 20 years - since Bee Season, which I loved. I should have known what I was missing. As usual, she develops characters so well that the reader feels intimately acquainted. Her range of topics is amazing too, and there is always an underlying issue to explore. Here the main one is art - what constitutes it and who gets to decide? Lillian Preston is driven by her passion for photography. In 1953 she leaves provincial Cleveland for NYC to pursue her passion, and here we see one of her flaws: her initial enthusiasm was inspired by a fellow high school Camera Club member, Sam Decker - he is off to fight in Korea and Lillian fabricates a 'romance' conducted mostly of one-sided letters. But that starting point is enough for her to take off on her own and when she becomes acclimated to the big city, she becomes entirely autonomous and completely an artist, yes starving, but that is where the stereotype ends. As a young woman on her own in this time period, she faces many obstacles, which are thoughtfully portrayed. There is no black and white here, only shades of gray to ponder, like Lily's photos themselves. She has two significant relationships: Charles with whom she has a daughter, Samantha and later Ken who initially supports her art, but then wants the traditional family situation which Lily just cannot do. She makes lasting friends: Deb, a poet, Nina a gallery owner, and later Grete, a weaver from Sweden who is married to a black man, another taboo at the time. They have a daughter Kaja who becomes Sam's best friend. The way these women support each other and pursue their art is impressive, though some would argue selfish. That's the fine line Goldberg is walking here. In 1963, when a series of photos Lily takes that include Samantha get labeled obscene and Lily and Nina are arrested, that is when the issues really become debatable: art, censorship, women's rights, family values, justice all have a moment in the lens. What makes this book unique and even more compelling is the way it is told: it is in the form of an exhibition catalogue of the body of Lillian Preston's work. Commentary is provided mostly by Samantha, with some journal excerpts from Lily, some letters from Deb and interviews with Grete and Sam. Having all these different view points lets those who knew Lily best tell the story, and this technique takes it out of her hands. The photos are described so well that you can envision them even though they are not included. I was left wishing they were real so I could look them up and continue the story. What comes through most is the price Lily paid to make art and meet life on her own terms and the unintended toll it took on Sam. "...there was a difference between a promise and an aspiration. The whole point of an aspiration is to make yourself reach. The only people who achieve everything they aspire to are lazy or cowards." (p.318) That's a high standard by which to live. ( )