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Notes from an Exhibition [Paperback]

Patrick Gale
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (178 customer reviews)
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Book Description

7 Jan 2008

From the author of A Perfectly Good Man, the bestselling story of an artist tormented by depression and the toll of creativity.

When troubled artist Rachel Kelly dies she leaves behind an extraordinary body of work – but for her family there is a legacy of secrets and painful revelations.

Rachel exerts a power that outlives her. To her children she is both curse and blessing, as they cope with the inheritance of her passions – and demons. Only their father's gift of stillness can withstand Rachel’s destructive influence and the suspicion that they all came a poor second to her art.

Piecing together the clues of her life – as artist, lover, mother, wife and patient – takes the reader from Cornwall to Canada across a span of forty years. What emerges is a tender story of enduring love, and a portrait of a family coping with the sometimes too dazzling brilliance of a genius.


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Product details

  • Paperback: 374 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Perennial; paperback / softback edition (7 Jan 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0007254660
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007254668
  • Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (178 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 44,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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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

About the Author

Patrick Gale was born on the Isle of Wight in 1962. He spent his infancy at Wandsworth Prison, which his father governed, then grew up in Winchester. He now lives on a farm near Land's End. His most recent novels are A Perfectly Good Man and the Richard & Judy bestseller Notes from an Exhibition.


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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book 4 Jan 2010
Format:Paperback
Patrick Gale's Notes from an Exhibition revolves around the life of Rachel, an artist whose life has been shaped by bouts of manic depression, and her family, including her husband, Anthony, who is a Quaker, and their four children. The novel has much to commend it: an accutely sensitive account of the pain caused by bipolar disorder, both to sufferers and to their families, it also manages to retain a sense of warmth and humanity that is both redemptive and tragic. Rather than use a linear structure, the author skips between events in the protagonists' lives, deftly inter-weaving poignant moments of crisis and self-discovery, building up to an ending that finds illumination in great loss and a new sense of perspective. Most striking for me was the portrayal of Quakers in the book, which is neither sentimental nor superficially dismissive. As a Quaker myself, I was struck by how believable the characters were, how their encounters with Quakerism echoed my own frustrations, curiosities and sense of inspiration that has been awakened by that tradition. Gale manages to capture the ways in which Quakers, in their dogged, awkward, utterly serene down-to-earthness, seek out the spark of humanity in all, and in so doing, highlight how what some would call the divine is often found in that which is most human. Humanity lies at the heart of Gale's book: as a theme to be explored, an experience to be celebrated, and a sense of life in which pain and joy are almost inseparable, perhaps even co-dependent. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading, and anyone who likes people.
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83 of 89 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Wears its maturity lightly - a great read. 9 Sep 2007
By Robert
Format:Hardcover
As with a number of reviewers, what really struck me about this book was its lightness of touch. It took a little while for it to sink in just how much observation and subtlety it carries. I yearn for novels to do this. His prose is clear and without fuss, the characters are observed gently and meticulously, and the plot evolves in much the stealthy and surreptitious way that happens - well, in real life. I enjoyed the first few chapters, but after about a quarter of the book I really sat up and took notice that I was reading a splendid, thoroughly mature piece of work. I would recommend this whole-heartedly to anyone who likes fiction to be about real life, rather than simply an escape from it.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars unputdownable 4 May 2009
By Diana
Format:Paperback
This is the first Patrick Gale book I have read, and I was so sad to finish it I have just ordered Rough Music... normally I find novels that move between different characters and time periods annoying - but I so loved this one... it worked so very well.... so fascinating to peer into the mind of someone suffering from bi polar, to glimpse into Quakerism... to relive the time of my youth through the eyes of the 4 children.... and also in turns to so feel for them as they battled with their emotions around loyalty and loving their mother, but just wanting to be mothered...
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61 of 66 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A very clever book 13 May 2008
Format:Paperback
This is the first Patrick Gale novel I have read. I rather think it won't be the last. I was attracted by the subject matter. The link between creativity and mental health is fascinating and, given such a vast topic I think this book works brilliantly. It brings living with a mental health disorder into everyday terms and made it real; accessible without being patronising or facile. In terms of the writing quality, I was very impressed with the apparent ease with which Gale moves between perspectives; each character has a very distinctive voice of their own that is reflected in the narrative and adds to the absorbing quality of the book. By the end some gaps have been filled but there's no sense of every loose end being tied up - the realism doesn't let up for an instant. I feel I want more but know that "more" would be too much. The final scene, which should be harrowing, is sublimely beautiful.
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77 of 84 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Hmmmh... 19 Jun 2008
By pjr VINE VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have, over the years, read a considerable number of Patrick Gale's books and find them enjoyable. Occasionally they rise above this to elevate themselves to a level where I would happily recommend them to others. "Rough Music", his prior novel to this seemed to indicate that perhaps he was about to elevate himself to a place alongside some of Britain's more seriously considered writers. "Notes From An Exhibition" should have been the proof and, whilst it is a thouroughly enjoyable book, it does fall a little short.

Structuring itself around the themes of art, death, and bipolarity the subject matter gives the impression of the serious minded. The handling of the link between central character Rachael Kelly's bipolarity and her creativity is well handled and insightful. Here the book rises to its challenge with aplomb. One clever trick is that the central character is really only fully appreciated from the perspectives of the other characters in the book. This is due, in part I suspect, to her bipolar disorder but it is a very clever conceit indeed.

Gale writes engagingly throughout and I did find the book both easy to read and difficult to put down. You are genuinely engaged by some of the characters in this book. Apart from Rachael, the children Hedley and Morwenna are well rounded, as is her husband Anthony. The trouble is the book devotes time to about 3 more characters and weaves in little subplots.

It's here where the book both falls down and looses its sense of purpose. There is simply too much going on and too many people to spread the story around. The inclusion of Petroc is useful and although his character is not as fully fledged as some his place in the plot is quite important.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Took it with me to a recent visit to relatives and passed it onto them
Published 3 days ago by andrea ellis
5.0 out of 5 stars A good long enjoyable read
I read this after the awful award winning "Enduring Love". THIS book should have got an award, it is lovely, intriguing, interesting. Read more
Published 4 days ago by Ransen Owen
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book.
I loved 'A Perfectly Good Man' but if anything this one was even better. Written in a similar style with all the pieces of the story in a different order according to the pictures... Read more
Published 15 days ago by H A Lee
4.0 out of 5 stars Patrick does it again!
I only discovered Patrick Gale recently and since then he has swiftly become one of my favourite authors. Read more
Published 17 days ago by Miss T J Tomlinson
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous read
This is the second time that I have read it and love it even more! The Quaker angle is very interesting too.
Published 1 month ago by Susan Neilson
5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read
I had heard about this book on 'A Good Read' on Radio 4 and thought it sounded interesting. I have fond memories of Cornwall and so thought that it would make me feel comfortable... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Frances Alison Ney
5.0 out of 5 stars An understanding of other lives
A really lovely book, wakes your mind, when you are searching for something you haven't quite found, needed this as solace whilst caring for someone dying. Read more
Published 1 month ago by harry
5.0 out of 5 stars A MOVING STORY BEHIND EACH ITEM ON DISPLAY
A posthumous exhibition celebrates the life and work of troubled artist Rachel Kelly. The exhibits are accompanied by notes, but these can only hint at the drama and strain which... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr. D. L. Rees
3.0 out of 5 stars Notes from an Exhibition
This book was a choice from our book group. I enjoyed reading this book but was disappointed at the end, would have loved it to carry on.
Published 2 months ago by Mrs Pauline Hinson
4.0 out of 5 stars Living with bipolar disorder
Anyone who has a loved one with bipolar disorder will recognise the minefield Rachel's husband and children have to negotiate, every single day. Read more
Published 2 months ago by MB
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