Still Life with Bread Crumbs begins with an imagined gunshot and ends with a new tin roof. Between the two is a wry and knowing portrait of Rebecca Winter, a photographer whose work made her an unlikely heroine for many women. Her career is now descendent, her bank balance shaky, and she 
has fled the city for the middle of nowhere. There she discovers, in a tree stand with a roofer named Jim Bates, that what she sees through a camera lens is not all there is to life.
Brilliantly written, powerfully observed, Still Life with Bread Crumbs is a deeply moving and often very funny story of unexpected love, and a stunningly crafted journey into the life of a woman, her heart, her mind, her days, as she discovers that life is a story with many levels, a story that is longer and more exciting than she ever imagined.
My review................4 stars
A wonderful read! Perhaps one of my favorite things about this book is that the main character is a 60 year old woman. Not many books out there have an older middle aged woman, who is not ill or dying or defined mostly by being someone's mother, as the subject. And the writing was superb! It's not often when I am reading that I will stop and pause after reading a section just to appreciate how well it was written. I did that on several occasions with this one. There are many quotes, but this is one of my favorites:
"Then when she really thought about it she realized she'd been becoming different people for as long as she could remember but had never really noticed, or had put it down to moods, or marriage, or motherhood. The problem was that she'd thought that at a certain point she would be a finished product. Now she wasn't sure what that might be, especially when she considered how sure she had been about it at various times in the past, and how wrong she'd been.”
Not a lot happens in this book action-wise, it is more of a character development novel. There were some very humorous parts, as well as some sad parts. It pretty much had all your emotions going. The end was pretty predictable, but how I loved the characters, and was rooting for them all.
If you are looking for a great read that takes you on a journey into the self discovery of a woman, this is the book for you.
I got the chance to hear Anna Quindlen speak about this book at a local college library back in November. Suffice it to say, hearing her speak is as wonderful as reading her writing! And yes, she had wonderful quotes to take away from her appearance. One I can remember:
"We read in bed because books are the bridge between reality and dreams"
The other I can only remember the gist of, but it was when she was speaking about her two boys (who are now grown). She said that she knew she had done her job raising them when the only criteria they had about where they were living was if there were enough bookshelves. 🙂
has fled the city for the middle of nowhere. There she discovers, in a tree stand with a roofer named Jim Bates, that what she sees through a camera lens is not all there is to life.
Great review! I enjoyed this book too. I love your quotes.
Thanks, glad to see you enjoyed it also!
Anna Quindlen is wonderful! So neat that you got to hear her speak. Someone gave me her "Short Guide to a Happy Life" for high school graduation, and it's one I've always held onto. Great review!
She was a wonderful speaker, which comes across in her books. Thanks for stopping by Kristy!
This sounds delightful, and I love books that reflect growth and personal discovery.
Wonderful review.
This book sounds so perfect for me. I read her book, Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake and enjoyed it.
Thanks for your great post. Beautiful Blog. Love your blog's title.
Thanks also for stopping by my blog.
Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
My Blog
I have also read Lots of Candles, which I enjoyed, but I thought this one was even better. Then again, one was more autobiographical, whereas this one was fiction. Thanks for stopping by.
Nice to hear it is even better. Fiction is one of my favorite genres to read.