loved it, loved it. ( )

Really 3 1/2 stars. I'm rounding up because Chanukah starts tonight and I'm feeling generous.

If this book had been half as long, it would have been a home run. The first two-thirds are wildly compelling, if windy and in need of editing; the final third is dull and repetitive. If I were the Grand Editor of the Universe, I would cut out some of the underbrush in the first two thirds, chop the final third into an epilogue, and I think we'd have a great novel.

I read some reviews complaining about Bea, the main character; I actually liked her and found her sympathetic. I liked most of the characters, actually. The real problem is that Leithauser just kept writing and writing and writing while seemingly unaware that his plot had fizzled to a complete stop. ( )

Really 3 1/2 stars. I'm rounding up because Chanukah starts tonight and I'm feeling generous.

If this book had been half as long, it would have been a home run. The first two-thirds are wildly compelling, if windy and in need of editing; the final third is dull and repetitive. If I were the Grand Editor of the Universe, I would cut out some of the underbrush in the first two thirds, chop the final third into an epilogue, and I think we'd have a great novel.

I read some reviews complaining about Bea, the main character; I actually liked her and found her sympathetic. I liked most of the characters, actually. The real problem is that Leithauser just kept writing and writing and writing while seemingly unaware that his plot had fizzled to a complete stop. ( )

I appreciated this story whose main character Is based on the experience of the author's mother-in-law who served as a portrait artist for recovering soldiers during WWII. I especially appreciated the very specific sense of place and time the was almost another character within the story. Some of the writing was particularly beautiful; I was not surprised to see that the author is also a published poet. A worthy story, a little long in parts, but overall a satisfying read. ( )

I didn't think I would like The Art Student's War because I'm not a big fan of the overly dramatic. Within the first fifty pages Bianca Paradiso's family is rocked by scandal: her aunt accidentally reveals a breast when her bathing suit slips. The dynamics between the two families is never the same after that. Yes, I know the times are different now and you can almost expect to see a bare breast on a beach these days, but the amount of anguish the entire family suffers at the hands of this one mistake seems a little exaggerated...until I read on. First of all, mental illness plays a part here. And. And! And, I should have known better. Bianca's character has been melodramatic from the start. Once, she was moved to anxious tears because she regretted not talking to a soldier on a bus. She lamented he didn't hear her say thank you.
As the story deepens, and you get to know the characters better, Bianca rounds out to be a steadfast good girl with all the dreams and aspirations of becoming a worthy artist. Those dreams are first realized when she is asked to help with the war effort: to use her talents to draw portraits of wounded soldiers in the local hospital, the very hospital where she was born. It is here that she meets Henry. The relationship that blooms is complex and sets Bianca's Coming of age in motion.
Halfway through the book there is a weird break that is told from the perspective of Bea's uncle. It's a glimpse into the future and doesn't quite fit with the flow of the story. If you are paying attention, it gives away the plot and reveals more than it should. When we come back to Bea, she is a married woman with twin six year old sons. She has remained close to a few childhood friends, but is not the artist she used to be. Life goes on. Detroit is like another character in the book, growing along with Bea.

An added benefit of the Art Student's War is the art history lesson you get along the way. ( )