The Very Picture of You: A Novel by Isabel Wolff
Publisher: Bantam
Release Date: 4th October 2011
Rating: 5/5
Source: Publisher, thank you!
Buy: Amazon UK | Amazon US | BookDepository
Publishers Summary:

At thirty-five, Gabriella Graham—“Ella” to her family and friends—has already made a name for herself as a successful portrait artist in London. She can capture the essential truth in each of her subjects’ faces—a tilt of the chin, a glint in the eye—and immortalize it on canvas. This gift has earned Ella commissions from royals and regular folks alike.

But closer to home, Ella finds the truth more elusive. Her father abandoned the family when she was five, and her mother has remained silent on the subject ever since. Ella’s sister, Chloe, is engaged to Nate, an American working in London, but Ella suspects that he may not be so committed. Then, at Chloe’s behest, Ella agrees to paint Nate’s portrait.

From session to session, Ella begins to see Nate in a different light, which gives rise to conflicted feelings. In fact, through the various people she paints—an elderly client reflecting on her life, another woman dreading the prospect of turning forty, a young cyclist (from a photograph) who met a tragic end—Ella realizes that there is so much more to a person’s life than what is seen on the surface, a notion made even clearer when an unexpected email arrives from the other side of the world. And as her portraits of Nate and the others progress, they begin to reveal less about their subjects than the artist herself.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and in Isabel Wolff’s vibrant and textured story, these words are brilliantly crafted to convey the humor, mystery, and beauty that exists within each of us.

As a successful portrait artist, Ella Graham has the opportunity daily to capture the very essence of the people she paints. After an ill-fated relationship her sister Chloe is now in the throws of newly found happiness with a man Ella despises, Nate. When their sudden engagement is announced Chloe would like nothing more than to have Ella paint Nate’s portrait. After countless hours together and the understanding that comes with talking they find that there may be more to their relationship. With the wedding looming things in both Ella and Chloe’s life unravel making things come into focus as they never had before.

Isabel Wolff has done it again! The Very Picture of You was a stunning novel that again, as is the case with all of Wolff’s novels, had me hoping the story would never end. In a way I feel odd saying that because about half of the way through the book I was certain it would turn out to be a huge disappointment, but it pays to read to the very last page. What began was a story about two sisters falling for the same guy but quickly became something much much more and I’m thrilled the way things played out.

As I mentioned, about half way through I nearly put the story down. That wasn’t at all because of the writing or the characters necessarily, but it had everything to do with the topic. Over and over in many Chick Lit novels the topic deals with adultery and more often than not the main character is involved in an affair of some sort. As Ella and Nate’s story progressed it seemed as if that would be the natural course of their relationship and it was more than I could handle. To think that there was a possibility she would have an affair with her sister’s fiance was awful, but thankfully Isabel Wolff surprised me! She created characters that had morals, no they weren’t self-righteous, but they were respectful and honest. It was so thoroughly refreshing! That’s not to say that other characters in the book didn’t have their fair share of impropriety, but thankfully Ella and Nate seemed immune.

In addition to the story involving Ella, Nate and Chloe there is also the back story regarding Ella’s mother and her birth father. Having left both her and her mother by the time Ella was five, she grew up thinking that he had abandoned them to live with another woman. Ella’s mother kept all but very minute details about Ella’s father to herself and when he suddenly reaches out to her it’s interesting to see how Ella’s mother reacts. It’s not that I didn’t see how her mother’s story would end, but the way it arrived at that point that made every aspect of the story come to life.

The Very Picture of You is yet another marvelous addition to Isabel Wolff’s collection of novels. What’s impressive is how Wolff weaves the stories from each of her characters, into an overall theme about the impact our actions have on those around us. Wolff even managed to squeeze in a little mention of some characters from A Vintage Affair, another of her novels that I loved. Ella’s story from her life as a portrait artist to her history with her birth father and then the sudden interest she has in her sister’s fiance Nate was entirely original. It’s a story I’ll be sharing with everyone I know that enjoys the very best in women’s fiction and writing in general. The Very Picture of You was a novel I’ve been eagerly awaiting since it’s announcement last year and Isabel Wolff didn’t fail to deliver, making it an absolute favorite of mine!