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The Bridal Chair

A Novel

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

"In prose as painterly and evocative as Chagall's own dazzling brushstrokes, Gloria Goldreich finely evokes one of the most significant masters of modern art through the discerning eyes of [his] loyally protective daughter."—Cynthia Ozick, award-winning author of Foreign Bodies

An exquisite, haunting exploration of the complex mind of Marc Chagall, and the artist's famous chair, through the eyes of his daughter during World War II—perfect for fans of Mrs. Poe and The Paris Wife

Beautiful Ida Chagall, the only daughter of Marc Chagall, is blossoming in the Paris art world beyond her father's controlling gaze. But, her newfound independence is cut short by the chaos of World War II. In Nazi-occupied Paris, her father's status as a Jewish artist has made them all targets, but his devotion to his art blinds him to their danger.

When Ida falls in love and Chagall angrily paints an empty wedding chair in response, she faces an impossible choice: Does she fight to escape her father's shadow entirely, or abandon her ambitions to save Chagall from the peril in Paris, his enemies, and himself?

Brimming with historic personalities from WWII Europe, America and Israel, The Bridal Chair is a stunning portrait of love, fortitude, and the sharp divide between art and real life.

"Only Gloria Goldreich could write a novel so grounded in historical truths yet so exuberantly imaginative. The Bridal Chair is Goldreich at her best, with a mesmerizing plot, elegant images, and a remarkable heroine who...will remain with you long after the last page."—Francine Klagsburn, Jewish Week columnist and acclaimed author of Voices of Wisdom

"Filled with fascinating details about the art world and colorful real-life characters, this novel may appeal to historical fiction fans who enjoyed Natasha Solomons's The House at Tyneford and Tatiana de Rosnay's Sarah's Key."—Library Journal

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    • Library Journal

      November 1, 2015

      Goldreich (Leah's Journey) fictionalizes the life of Marc Chagall, one of the masters of modern art, by centering her evocative and compelling novel on Ida, his only daughter. Although he disapproves of Ida's relationship with the son of middle-class Russian Jewish shopkeepers, he still forces her to marry the boy after encouraging her to have an abortion. Chagall paints an empty wedding chair and presents it to his daughter as a wedding gift. Goldreich examines how that painting, The Bridal Chair, symbolized the complex relationship between father and daughter. (Xpress Reviews, 3/6/15)

      READ-ALIKES Susan Vreeland's Lisette's List and Dara Horn's The World To Come.

      Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      March 1, 2015
      Goldreich (Dinner with Anna Karenina, 2006) tells the story of the relationship between artist Marc Chagall and his only child, the beautiful Ida. When Ida is only 18, her pregnancy forces tough decisions, and she ends up a wife, if not a mother. Soon after this upheaval, the Nazis invade France, and Ida takes charge, arranging for her parents to escape, along with her father's priceless paintings. Ida and her husband also find safe passage out of France, and she becomes her father's business manager, organizing exhibits, selling paintings, and keeping the books. But as the years pass, and the war complicates their lives, even in America, Ida will have to make some difficult decisions about her relationship with her father and what kind of woman she wants to be. Goldreich fills her historical novel with cameos by the likes of Picasso and Matisse as she explores and imagines the extraordinary lives of the petulant, egotistical, and self-absorbed artist and his enabling, self-centered, and controlling daughter. Goldreich's portrait of a major artist and his daughter is fascinating.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

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