The Fountain of St. James Court; Or, Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman - by Sena Jeter Naslund (Paperback)

About the Book

New York Times bestselling author Sena Jeter Naslund explores the artistic processes and lives of creative women in her groundbreaking literary opus The Fountain of St. James Court; or Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman.

Sena Jeter Naslund's inspiring novel-within-a-novel depicts the lives of both a fictional contemporary writer and a historic painter whose works now hang in the great museums of Europe and America.

The story opens at midnight beside a beautifully illumined fountain of Venus Rising from the Sea. Kathryn Callaghan has just finished her novel about painter Elisabeth Vigee-LeBrun, a survivor of the French Revolution hated for her sympathetic portraits of Marie Antoinette. Though still haunted by the story she has written, Kathryn must leave the eighteenth-century European world she has researched and made vivid in order to return to her own life as an American in 2012.

Naslund's spellbinding new novel presents the reader with an alternate version of The Artist: a woman of age who has created for herself, against enormous odds, a fulfilling life of thoroughly realized achievement.

Book Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Sena Jeter Naslund explores the artistic processes and lives of creative women in her groundbreaking literary opus The Fountain of St. James Court; or Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman.

Sena Jeter Naslund's inspiring novel-within-a-novel depicts the lives of both a fictional contemporary writer and a historic painter whose works now hang in the great museums of Europe and America.

The story opens at midnight beside a beautifully illumined fountain of Venus Rising from the Sea. Kathryn Callaghan has just finished her novel about painter Élisabeth Vigée-LeBrun, a survivor of the French Revolution hated for her sympathetic portraits of Marie Antoinette. Though still haunted by the story she has written, Kathryn must leave the eighteenth-century European world she has researched and made vivid in order to return to her own life as an American in 2012.

Naslund's spellbinding new novel presents the reader with an alternate version of The Artist: a woman of age who has created for herself, against enormous odds, a fulfilling life of thoroughly realized achievement.

From the Back Cover

New York Times bestselling author Sena Jeter Naslund explores the lives of successful creative women--their devotion to work and family; their fears; their loves--in an enthralling novel that resonates across time and place

It's midnight on St. James Court, in which stands a fountain sculpture of Venus rising from the sea. Kathryn Callaghan has just finished a draft of her novel about renowned painter Élisabeth Vigée-Le Brun, a survivor of the French Revolution. Kathryn remains haunted by Élisabeth's experiences--revealed here in a novel-within-a-novel, interleaved with the chronicle of one day in Kathryn's life. Despite being separated by time, place, and culture, Kathryn and Élisabeth possess similar gifts and burdens. And before another midnight arrives, Kathryn will confront personal danger as frightening as that which Élisabeth faced during the Reign of Terror. Each woman will be called upon and tested; each will, like Venus, rise triumphantly above the expectations of her world.

Review Quotes

"[A] lively and pointed variation on James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man...this is an incisive and keenly pleasurable novel about women artists overcoming adversity to create "joyful work" that celebrates life's beauty and wonder." -- Booklist on THE FOUNTAIN OF ST JAMES COURT

Sena Jeter Naslund's eloquent language, her mastery of technique have the power to transport readers from the inner turmoil of a successful contemporary writer to the harsh realities of life among the splendor of eighteenth-century French society. The lyrical, poetic rendering of her prose is magical. -- Alabama Writer's Forum News and Reviews on FOUNTAIN/PORTRAIT

"[U]nexpectedly addictive. Naslund once again creates memorable characters, surprising scenarios and astute notions on living life with intention." -- Seattle Times on FOUNTAIN/PORTRAIT