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Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind (2015)

door Anne Charnock

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736362,115 (3.19)2
History is storytelling. But some stories remain untold. In fifteenth-century Italy, Paolo Uccello recognizes the artistic talent of his young daughter, Antonia, and teaches her how to create a masterpiece. The girl composes a painting of her mother and inadvertently sparks an enduring mystery. In the present day, a copyist painter receives a commission from a wealthy Chinese businessman to duplicate a Paolo Uccello painting. Together, the painter and his teenage daughter visit China, and in doing so they begin their escape from a tragic family past. In the twenty-second century, a painting is discovered that's rumored to be the work of Paolo Uccello's daughter. This reawakens an art historian's dream of elevating Antonia Uccello, an artist ignored by history because of her gender. Stories untold. Secrets uncovered. But maybe some mysteries should remain shrouded.… (meer)
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In Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind, we get three parallel stories, all of them have something to do with Antonia Uccello, or her father Paolo Uccello, the famous painter.

In the past we get to follow Antonia Uccello as she is preparing to a life in a convent. Her father decided that's the best solution for her since there she will have a chance to continue to paint since if she would get married, painting would at all probability be denied her.

In the present time, a copyist is getting a commission from a rich Chinese businessman to duplicate a Paolo Uccello painting. He is visiting China with his teenage daughter. They are recuperating from a loss and in a way will this journey will be a new starting point for them. Something good after all the pain.

In the 2200-century is a painting found that could be painted by Antonia Uccello. This discovery is very important for art historian Toniah. She has for a long time wanted to bring light to Antonia Uccello life.

I think one thing that really appealed to me with this story was out of the three parallel stories in this book one was set in the future. I found the idea of time, just around 100 years in the future interesting. The world, almost similar to ours, yet with some differences. And, the largest difference is of course that the families can look a bit different from now. Because of technology, there are now partho families. At first, was I a bit confused about what that meant, then it was explained that thanks to parthenogenetic a woman can have a child without a man. Basically, this is cloning. I found that very interesting. Toniah, the main character in this story is actually a clone.

My biggest problem with this book is that even though all three stories were interesting to read separately didn't they feel linked together that much. I think I wanted something more than a small link, I mean what has the second story, the one about the father and the teenage daughter to do with Antonia Uccello? It felt more like it was linked to Paolo Uccello. I mean I liked the story, but I would have liked it even better if it had been separated from the others. If it had just been one story and not part of three stories. The same can be said for the other two.

Also, the book ended way too abruptly. I felt that the stories never got a closure. Like the last pages of the book was missing. That bothered me to be honest. It didn't feel like an ambiguous ending. It felt like the stories ended when they started to get good.

On the plus side was it interesting to learn more about Paolo Uccello and to learn that he had a daughter that was considered a paintress. Too bad that none of her paintings seem to have survived to present days.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy for an honest review. ( )
  MaraBlaise | Jul 23, 2022 |
I found all three storylines and their characters intriguing, especially the world building for both the past and future stories. The book was very readable, mostly well paced, with engaging characters each with their own voices. The ending was too abrupt for me. I fell like I was jolted out of the book, which didn't seem to be purposeful or useful. (This is the main reason for downgrading to 4 stars.) I would have enjoyed reading more about all three main characters even if their stories never came together more than they did in this book.

There are a few themes that I picked up on in all three of the different stories: the nature of families, relationships in families, especially how children relate to their parents, but not exclusively that; the nature of artistic process or endeavor and the artistic mind; and the idea of work or achievement that is lost either physically or through the process of history being "written by the victors." While these themes recur in each storyline, there is an ambivalence or reluctance to state any particular position on these themes and the main characters are very limited in their willingness or ability to act. In some cases this works - there are real limits to opportunities for a young girl in Renaissance era Florence, and on a young girl living with her father in modern London - but other characters are adrift, and lacking in passion, even when they make decisions there is not certainty, no assuredness, which can work, but here I believe it detracted from the strength of the future timeline story. The ways the characters act and react in relation these themes seems more like variations to be seen and to spur thought but don't give much indication of a cohesive opinion about these things or even cohesive pictures of what the characters themselves feel to be definitely important on these matters of life family and art. There's a lack of commitment which left me feeling a bit off (the other reason for 4 not 5 stars). I felt I had definite opinions about these themes that Charnock and her characters tiptoed around for no obvious reason.

So despite some frustrations, I really enjoyed the book and am looking forward to reading more from the author.



( )
  kbellwether | Apr 16, 2018 |
When someone names half a dozen writers, and includes both myself and another couple of writers whose fiction I like, then it stands to reason I’ll probably like the others I’d not previously read. So I bought a couple of Aliya Whiteley novellas, and read them and thought them very good (although one more so than the other – see here). And now to Anne Charnock… and I have to admit I’d not otherwise have given the book a second look given that title – and yes, I know my own stuff has long and none-too-informative titles. But I’d have missed out. Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind comprises three stories, set in 2013, 2113 and 1469. The links between the three are tenuous (yes, it does remind me a bit of my own writing). In 2113, Toniah has returned to London, is living with her parthogenetic sister (they’re third-generation partho) and has taken up a position as an art history researcher at the Academy of Restitution, which seeks to promote women in history whose contributions were unfairly forgotten, and likewise reassess those of men whose reputation is undeserved (a lovely idea, we should have one of these now). Toniah begins researching the career of… Antonia Uccello, the daughter of Paolo Uccello, a fifteenth-century Italian known for having introduced perspective into Italian Renaissance painting. Although there are a small handful of women painters, it is a male career. Those women were only permitted to paint because they are nuns – and so Antonia, who is talented, must join a convent. By the twenty-second century only her name survives, and only a single painting found in a provincial museum’s archive. The third story follows Toni, a thirteen-year-old Brit, whose father is a professional copyist and whose mother died in a freak accident before the story opens. After a visit to meet a client in China, Toni is inspired to ask her friends and online acquaintances to contribute to her history homework, and so she learns of a great-uncle who died in the Great War before he could marry his betrothed. So Toni and her father go on holiday to France to visit his grave. There’s no neat resolution to the three narratives, to the novel in fact. It tells its stories and lets the reader draw their own conclusions. In some respects, it reminds me of Katie Ward’s excellent Girl Reading (and still no follow-up novel from her, which I would really love to see). I think Ward’s prose style is more to my taste than Charnock’s, which is not to say the latter is bad: it’s unadorned and straightforward, with an enviable clarity. Whoever called out Charnock has done me a favour, and I’ve already put her other two novels (one due in January next year) on my wishlist. ( )
  iansales | Nov 27, 2016 |
Beautifully written and haunting in the sense that it leaves you with things to think about, Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind completely captured me. Blending science fiction, art, and history, its three connected storylines span time--with one in the past, one in the present, and one in the future--but all revolve around the fifteenth century painter Paolo Uccello and his artistically talented daughter Antonia, two real life historical figures. A lot of research went into this novel, and I actually learned something about painting composition, art history and the possibilities of future technology.

I alternated between reading a review copy of this book supplied to me at no cost by the author, and a Kindle copy that I purchased myself. Review opinions are mine. ( )
  Jaylia3 | Jan 25, 2016 |
Quite interesting until book just ended. I was looking forward to seeing how the three different stories would be connected, since there were obviously many connections between the three stories. No such connections were made. ( )
  jaysbooks | Nov 15, 2015 |
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History is storytelling. But some stories remain untold. In fifteenth-century Italy, Paolo Uccello recognizes the artistic talent of his young daughter, Antonia, and teaches her how to create a masterpiece. The girl composes a painting of her mother and inadvertently sparks an enduring mystery. In the present day, a copyist painter receives a commission from a wealthy Chinese businessman to duplicate a Paolo Uccello painting. Together, the painter and his teenage daughter visit China, and in doing so they begin their escape from a tragic family past. In the twenty-second century, a painting is discovered that's rumored to be the work of Paolo Uccello's daughter. This reawakens an art historian's dream of elevating Antonia Uccello, an artist ignored by history because of her gender. Stories untold. Secrets uncovered. But maybe some mysteries should remain shrouded.

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