Still Life with Breadcrumbs, Anna Quindlen's seventh novel, is an enjoyable read that explores the themes of aging, the capricious nature of fame and the relationship between art and identity--all in the guise of a romance.
At 60, Rebecca Winter, once famous for a series of black-and-white photos that captured quotidian domesticity, is facing a stark reversal of fortune. She is now divorced, with a negligible bank account balance and all-but-vanished art sales, while still supporting an aging mother. She sublets her sprawling pre-war Manhattan apartment and rents a run-down cabin in the country. When she calls local roofer Jim Bates with an emergency, she becomes drawn into the town and its characters, and the stage for romance is set.
Of course, there are obstacles: Jim is 20 years her junior and responsible for his manic-depressive sister. The two have profound cultural differences, as well, including Jim's belief that Rebecca's new series of photographs of locally found objects is exploitative.
Some of the novel's secondary characters are limited in their emotional range and can seem one-dimensional, but Quindlen tells her story with warmth, humor and particularly close social observations. Still Life with Bread Crumbs adds the comfort of a popular story line to a consideration of the arbitrary material value of fame and art--and the importance of a deeply lived life. --Jeanette Zwart, freelance writer and reviewer