Welcome to The Portrait of Mrs Charbuque Book Ring

This ring started on 31 January 2006.

If you wish to join the ring, please PM me and I will add you.



Jeffrey Ford

Jeffrey Ford is the author of six novels and two collections of short stories, while his short fiction has appeared in numerous magazines. His stories have been nominated multiple times for The World Fantasy Award, The Hugo Award, The Nebula Award, and once each for The Theodore Sturgeon Award and The International Horror Guild Award and he is the recipient of three World Fantasy Awards and one Nebula. Ford lives in South Jersey with his wife and two sons. He teaches Writing and Literature at Brookdale Community College in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Member/Location

Rillaith, Hampshire
Cloggy, London
akg, Didcot, Oxfordshire
Heaven-Ali, Didcot, Oxfordshire
KLL, Kingston upon Thames
Dogsapples, Bristol
Parsleyraisin, Brighton


... and then back to me.

How it works

- If you wish to be added to the list, please PM me with your details.
- We will kick off once we have 5(ish) members.
- You will be sending the book to the person who appears after you in the list, so you need to PM them to get their address.
- It's not a race, but please read and send the book on as speedily as you can, other people are dying to read it too.
- Please journal the book once you have received it (so we all know where it currently is) and again when you have read it (so we know what you thought of it).
- If you're the last person on the list, then please send it back to me.

This novel appealed to my tastes for the slightly strange. Set in 19th century New York it tells the tale of Pietro Piambo, portrait painter to the nouveau riche. Jaded and depressed by the subordination of his artistic talents to the requirements of society's upper echelons, he accepts a new and strange assignment - to capture the image of his latest patron, Mrs Charbuque, without ever being allowed to see her. Once committed to this task, Piambo's life seems to gradually detach from reality and become something much more macabre: a dead husband starts threatening him, his own past comes back to accuse him, a frightening disease infects the city...

This novel is a nouveau-gothic mystery, by turns frightening, aesthetic and erotic. I greatly enjoyed it and will certainly be seeking out more of Ford's work in the future.

In the post to Rillaith today.

Arrived - I've got 4 ring books all arrived at the same time, though (2 of which I'd forgotten about!) so it will be a few days before I can start this one .... thanks for thinking of me, UrbanSpaceman!

Steamed through this one in just two days' commuting. Brilliant book. Thank you to whichever anonymous BCUKer mentioned it in a manner that had me putting it on my wishlist, and many many thanks to UrbanSpaceman for asking me if I'd like to borrow his copy as part of a Bookring.

Utterly enjoyable, and while in many ways following a predictable course, I didn't see that coming. On the one hand, I probably should have - but conversly, I see it as a sign of a well crafted book that I didn't have the time to over-think it as it swept me along in its wake.

RELEASE NOTES:

Dropped off at Cloggy's boyfriend's office at lunchtime!

Got back from Paris today and BF had kindly taken it home for me. As I'd been away for two days, there was no choccie left. He said that was the cost for carrying the book. Hmmm. I suppose I only have myself to blame, as I said he could have some.

Anyway, I look forward to reading the book, thanks Urbanspaceman and Rillaith

Thoroughly enjoyed it. I agree with Rillaith that the book sweeps you away. From the very first surprise, when Mrs Reed tells Piambo 'I wish you were dead', you get dragged along with the story.

Only after you have finished the book and put it down, do you realise that not all the strands are tidied up - what does happen to Mrs Reed for example - but an entertaining novel.

Sent in the post to akg on 18th Feb

Arrived this morning. I've got a few other rings I've got to read first, but I'll get to it as soon as I can.

Oh dear I've got so behind with the journalling of the books I've read. I'm sorry for the delay in this.

I enjoyed the book and found it really intriguing I really didn't know what was going to happen. I think my favourite bit of the book was when Piambo went into the attic of Mrs Charbuque's house. This was a different style book to my usual reading and I'm glad I tried it. Thanks urbanspaceman.

Posting this to Heaven-Ali today.

Arrived today, and as I finished the last book I was reading at 1.00am I will start this one today, although I do have an unusually busy weekend planned so don't know how far I will get. Looks intresting though.

I really enjoyed this book, which for me was rather different to anything else I've read so far this year. A great literary thriller, with some bizarre people and events.

Thank you for letting me read this book.

I've pm'd KLL once already and as I haven't received a reply am pming her again. Will send this on its way ASAP.

Edit 5/5/06
KLL has asked me not to post this book untill she is back in the country, so I am waiting untill she contacts me again, when I will send it on its way.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sent to KLL - enjoy

Received from Heaven-Ali a couple of weeks ago. Thanks!

(Also thanks to Urbanspaceman for starting the ring in the first place :-)

I really enjoyed this book - fast paced, mysterious - it was great! I was a *tiny* bit disappointed with the ending and found it a bit prosaic compared to what had gone on previously, but that's my only gripe. I found the description of how Piambo painted and felt about painting particularly interesting.

Will contact Dogsapples to send on now.

Sent on to dogsapples yesterday. Hope you enjoy it!

Arrived from KLL today. Thank you - looking forward to reading this.

One of the most enjoyable books I've ever read -second only this year to the Shadow of the Wind. Such a mystery that keeps you guessing and stretches your own imagination. I often found myself trying to picture the wretched woman! I too didn't like the ending particularly and didn't see the twist coming but a fascinating story nevertheless which intrigued me from start to finish.

Thank you for sharing this with us urbanspaceman. Going to parsleyraisin as soon as I have the address.

Now, at last, I have parsleyraisin's address so its going off to her today. Hope you enjoy it too!

Received safely, thank you.

Next tbr.

Thank Heavens for Book-crossing!

I had never heard of this before & would never have read it had it not been for book-crossing.

I absolutely loved it.

Thank you :)