K McAllisterSeptember 30, 2007 Keith McAllister(England, United Kingdom) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am a professional artist and my greatest fear is loosing my eyesight, and then here is a book about my worst nightmare, written in the most beautiful way. This story makes `The Girl with the Pearl Earring' incredibly dull in comparison. It's about a young painter still making a name for himself as a portrait artist, after gaining experience as a war artist in the Sudan. He is thrown into London's high society upon his return, with his growing reputation. One day he is told that it's only a matter of time before he will lose his eyesight. I can't tell you much more, but to read about the change in his character and sense his desperation - all to prove to the girl that he loves his own worth as an artist and man - is terribly engrossing. Kipling, however unpopular, is still a genius and I find that it's the books he's less well known for that harbour some real treats of short stories or dark themes. I have yet to read `Limits and Renewals' but it's on my to-do list.
