Books: Sleeping Embers Of An Ordinary Mind By Anne Charnock

(Drivebycuriosity) - I seldom read young adults books. But I gave "Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind" a try (amazon). I got the book for free - it was part of Amazon´s "Kindle First" program (each month subscribers can chose a book for free which will soon be published amazon)  - and Anne Charnock, the author, wants to teach her readers in art & art history, both are topics that interest me.

The book has 3 parallel running plots set in 3 time periods: 1469,  2015 and 2113:
- The 1469 story is historical fiction set in Florence. It focuses on the (real) painter Paolo Uccello who teaches his daughter how to create a painting. The chapter opens the reader´s eye for the way paintings are composed and can be seen as a basic instruction.
- The 2113 story is the most feminist part of the book. The plot - which isn´t in a very advanced future and looks more like set in 2023 - focuses on an an all-female family, created by parthenogenesis (reproduction without males! wikipedia ). One of the family members is starting a career in art history. Charnock mediates some interesting ideas about the Impressionists and the evolution of paintings.
- The 2015 story doesn´t show much connections with the other parts of the book. It focuses on a girl, aged 13, who is living with her father,  who makes a living by painting copies of old master pieces.

"Sleeping Ember" could be interesting for girls - aged around 13 - who want to learn about painting and art history.


P.S: For illustration I used the famous painting "Two Tahitian Women", 1899 by Paul Gauguin, one of the artists who are mentioned in the novel.