Authenticity - Softcover

Madden, Deirdre

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0571298753 ISBN 13: 9780571298754

Publisher: Faber and Faber, 2014

Synopsis

After a brilliant youth, the painter Roderic Kennedy's life has been overtaken by a series of crises - alcoholism, the failure of his marriage to an Italian woman, and estrangement from his three daughters following his return to Ireland. When he meets Julia Fitzpatrick, twenty years younger than he and also an artist, it seems as if this period of turbulence and misfortune from which he has been struggling to emerge is at an end. But when Julia then meets William Armstrong, a middle-aged lawyer, it sets in motion a chain of events which, in the course of the following year, has dramatic and unforeseen consequences for all three of them. Deirdre Madden's ambitious novel is both a moving love story and a thought-provoking meditation upon the nature of painting. It is above all an exploration of what it means to be an artist in contemporary society.

About this title

About the Author:

Deirdre Madden is from Toomebridge, Co. Antrim. Her novels include One by One in the Darkness, Authenticity, Molly Fox's Birthday and, most recently, Time Present and Time Past. She has twice been shortlisted for the Orange Prize. She teaches at Trinity College, Dublin, and is a member of the Irish Arts Academy, Aosdana.

From Booklist:

Julia Fitzgerald is a young Dublin artist distinguished by a thick nest of hair and an open manner. In her relationship with older, accomplished painter Roderic Kennedy, her youth contrasts with his world-weary suspicion, particularly of her latest acquaintance, the wealthy but regretful William Armstrong. Madden's clear, smooth prose explores each character's psyche, one by one, and readers will revel in learning of their fears and failures. Roderic's tale of alcoholism and estrangement from his wife is the most tangible of these, particularly enhanced by the finely wrought relationship with his ever-loyal brother, Dennis. In a novel about art, family, and the work that goes into creating and sustaining both, Madden fashions her characters as though painting the smallest details of a still life. If there is a flaw in the rendering, it's that the relationships--with the exception of the brothers'--run a bit cold. The action is mostly psychological, and although Madden does a superb job in conveying the solitude of making art, it's at the expense of conveying intimacy between her characters. Annie Tully
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About this edition

• Publisher: Faber and Faber
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0571298753
• ISBN 13: 9780571298754
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400