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Notes from an Exhibition

By Patrick Gale

(14)

| Paperback | 9780007254668

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Critics

A brush with despair

Notes From an Exhibition by Patrick Gale 384pp, Fourth Estate, £14.99 Artist Rachel Kelly's beloved youngest son, suitably named Petroc, once gave her six stones collected from a Cornish beach, each chosen to represent a member of the family. Rachel ... (read full critics)

guardian.co.uk published on Sat, 25 Sep 2010

4 Reviews

1 person find this helpful

Slow to start with but once I got into it I really connected with the characters. gives you a great insight into Bipoler Disorder. very well written.

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SexyBean said on Apr 23, 2008 | Add your feedback

This was my first Patrick Gale novel, so I had no preconceived ideas and am delighted to say that I found it absolutely engrossing. I will certainly be on the look out for other titles by this author in future.
The story is a powerful and emotional one revolving around the story of artist Rache ... (continue)

This was my first Patrick Gale novel, so I had no preconceived ideas and am delighted to say that I found it absolutely engrossing. I will certainly be on the look out for other titles by this author in future.
The story is a powerful and emotional one revolving around the story of artist Rachel Kelly as her family deal with puzzling aspects of both her life and death. Rachel suffered from manic depression, now more commonly known as bi-polar disorder and led a life of highs and lows. The novel moves to its climatic and emotional ending through a series of non chronological chapters. At the start of each chapter is a curator’s note from an exhibition held in her honour posthumously. Each note sets the tone for the chapter, each one narrated by various family members, it works very well as one gradually builds a picture of Rachel’s complex life. Rachel has always been something of a mystery to her husband, Anthony and her four children, Garfield, Hedley, Morwenna and Petroc, after her death the family feel the need for answers and it is these we learn. Each characters feelings are well portrayed and I felt drawn to them all, plus I also enjoyed the Cornish setting and learning something about Quakerism.
I will certainly be recommending this title to friends and family that have not yet read it.

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Lindyloumac said on Oct 9, 2009 | Add your feedback

Great Read

Well worth working your way into. It takes a while to get used to the format, but a thoroughly enjoyable novel. Have passed this on to numerous folks

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Liz4211 said on Aug 20, 2009 | Add your feedback

I’m not sure I’ve confessed to this before, but I’m a bit of a fan of Richard & Judy’s book club - I don’t read everything they recommend but I have discovered some great books thanks to them. My latest read comes from their 2008 reading list - and once again I wasn’t disappointed.
I’ve not co ... (continue)

I’m not sure I’ve confessed to this before, but I’m a bit of a fan of Richard & Judy’s book club - I don’t read everything they recommend but I have discovered some great books thanks to them. My latest read comes from their 2008 reading list - and once again I wasn’t disappointed.
I’ve not come across Patrick Gale before so had no idea what to expect from this novel - it took a while to get into it but once I was I really enjoyed it.
The novel tells the story of Rachel Kelly - an artist whose genius stems from her being bipolar. Rachel dies early on in the book and the remaining chapters are presented alongside notes from an exhibition detailing her life’s works. Each note sheds new light on a story that twists and turns as we are introduced to her husband, each of her four children and finally her sister. Through the words of each family member we learn more about Rachel’s life - interestingly each person sees her in a different light, and sometimes perceptions differ quite significantly from the truth.
This book isn’t written in a linear fashion - instead it jumps back and forth in time as each person shares a part of the tale that you as a reader must piece together to understand the bigger picture; to understand how Rachel’s’ illness affects each family member in a different way, to appreciate how events and her mental state impact on her art, and to empathise with Rachel as her illness affects her relationship with her children and her husband.
As well as learning more about Rachel’s life Gale also makes you think about wider themes; mental illness, art, Quakerism and family.
I wasn’t sure how much I liked this book as I was reading it - but now I’m done I think I did enjoy it - and perhaps it would be best read in a single sitting or two - perfect for a transatlantic flight perhaps.

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apfopd said on Feb 9, 2008 | Add your feedback