Still Life With Bread Crumbs - Book Review

People fascinate me. I could people watch for hours. Catching an expression on a face or an interesting interaction between two strangers, I can't help but reflect on their stories. Why are they clearly so sad? Why did he react so strongly to that simple comment? What possessed her to get that stanza of music tattoo around her upper arm?

Still Life with Bread Crumbs, the newest novel from Anna Quindlen is Rebecca Winter's story. Rebecca is aging and her bank account is quickly shrinking. Trying to save money, she sublets her apartment in Manhattan to rent a cottage in upstate New York. Soon she is regularly eating scones at the village tea shop and sharing gossip with the locals. She takes a job with the state photographing birds for a much needed $200 and finds herself working in close proximity with the handsome, burly roofer that removed the raccoon from the attic of her cottage.

But Rebecca Winters is a famous photographer, known in the art circles for her iconic photographs of her kitchen counter following a hastily prepared dinner party. With a fancy circle of friends/acquaintances and a high end apartment, Rebecca is being stretched in her new role. Traipsing about the woods, she reinvents herself again and finds comfort in her new life.

Still Life with Bread Crumbs is primarily a character study. With the easy and often witty language that fully immerses the reader in the life of the character, I found myself completely entranced by Rebecca and her life. Seeing the world through Rebecca's eyes was enlightening. She has a wry sense of humor and a thoughtful stillness that made me want to sit beside her at Tea for Two and chat. As she fully accepts and is willing to make healthy and good life changes, I found her story inspiring and hopeful. It is at times terribly emotional and moving. It was the kind of story that I love most and didn't want to end. It's at once a touching love story and a coming-of-age story.

Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen is a masterpiece. I was previously unfamiliar with her work but will be acquiring her other novels as soon as possible. She is an artist.

Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindles was published by Random House in January 2014.

**I received a complimentary copy of Still Life With Bread Crumbs in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. No other compensation was received.**