Tracy Guzeman

An accomplished and reclusive artist, Thomas Bayber, has asked Dennis Finch, an art history professor, and Stephen Jameson, an art authenticator, to sell his previously unknown painting. The catch? It's a triptych, and the two end panels are missing. The men must track them down by finding the two sisters in the portrait. The book unfolds in the voices of Finch, Jameson and one of the two sisters. Spanning over forty years, this story is told with rich, beautiful language, humor and show more poignancy, spanning the art world, ornithology, and sibling rivalry. The scenery shifts from a family beach house to New York City, on to small town America and Santa Fe, as our two detectives search for clues in the details, ultimately finding their lives connecting in ways they never could have imagined. I fell in love with the characters, each wonderfully eccentric and engaging; the plot takes enticing twists and turns and I really couldn't wait to find out how it all turned out. I am in love with this book. Absolutely my favorite read of the year so far! show less

Somehow, this book started slowly for me, but soon I was totally involved, staying up late to read it. It's full of tragedy (starting with the death of the sisters' parents and the younger sister's rheumatic arthritis), butthe characters (the sisters, an artist they knew as young women, his biographer/art historian, an art appraiser) and the mysteries (Where were the sisters and the lost paintings and why did the artist want to find them? Why did they do what they did? etc.) were so show more intriguing that the sadness didn't overwhelm me.

The writing and storytelling were very powerful. At times, I didn't want to hear any more about pain or physical difficulties, but they were observed so beautifully and were essential metaphors to explain inaction. show less

The Gravity Of Birds
by
Tracy Guzeman

My thoughts after reading this book...

This is a book about losses. Aching, blinding, heartbreaking life altering losses. This lovely book with its beautiful writing is about pain and sadness. It is also about lies and separation and choices...all of these made both with love and without love. The sadness in this book is heartbreaking because it can not be undone or made better. It's the kind of sadness that feels as though it could have been avoided if show more everyone involved had just been real and honest. But they weren't because something held them back...some part of them that made them bitter...unfeeling...afraid.

This novel takes place in the present and also in the past...a past that was about 35 years ago. It is the story of Thomas Bayber...an incredibly talented artist...and his relationship with Natalie and Alice Kessler...two sisters he met one summer when they both had lake houses next door to each other. He was in his thirties...they were young...Natalie almost ready for college...Alice still in high school. Alice was at the threshold of a disease...rheumatoid arthritis...that would be with her forever. Natalie was beautiful, moody, free. Over time they both were involved with Thomas. Both relationships were traumatic, secretive, damaging.

In the present time, Thomas has not painted in over 20 years and has requested that a friend of his find pieces of one of his unknown works. That means finding the Kessler sisters because they have these paintings. They might not even know that they have the paintings and that these works are a part of a triptych. Thomas wants the paintings sold together and to do this Natalie and Alice must be found. Enter Finch and Stephen...kind of an odd fellow duo whom Thomas charges to find the sisters.

This also means that Alice will find out the truths and lies that Natalie has peppered their lives with. Once Alice is free of Natalie the lies that Natalie told are revealed. Sounds simple but the truth will change Alice for the rest of her life.

What I loved about this book...

The unraveling of Natalie and Alice's relationship was delicious. Natalie was hateful to Alice for so many years. She was dishonest, hateful, and truly mean.
I wanted to shake Alice...she seemed so gullible...she never doubted Natalie and just accepted her words as truth. I also loved Finch and Stephen...recently widowed history professor and quirky art authenticator...they were tasked by Thomas to find the Kessler sisters and the missing pieces of the painting. Plus Stephen is even more a part of this mystery than he even knows.

Final thoughts...

I loved this book...perhaps it's one of my favorites this year. The past and present intermingle within this fine book and it reads like an unputdownable mystery. I did not want it to end. show less

This is my book club's June selection. The book begins at a lakeshore cabin in 1963. Teenagers Natalie and Alice Kessler are vacationing there with their parents and meet Thomas, the young artist next door, who offers to do a family portrait. The action continues in 2007, when Thomas, now a very famous, but reclusive, embittered, and broken down artist, requests an art history professor and a young art authenticator to find two paintings he completed of the Kessler sisters. The sisters show more themselves seem to have vanished in 1972 along with the paintings.

I enjoyed the book, and the plot and characters certainly kept the pages turning. In the end, though, I have to say I was a bit dissatisfied. This is not one of those books that wraps up neatly, answering all questions, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but in this case it left this reader baffled. In fact, I found two major reasons for this book to exist at all -- the connection of the artist to the girls, and the actions of one of the sisters -- to be completely inexplicable. Other character inconsistencies, and Giant Coincidences toward the end detracted from the story as well. show less