All the colour in the world : a novel / CS Richardson.
"A beautifully transporting novel capturing the romantic sweep of the twentieth century--from Toronto in the '20s and '30s through the killing fields of World War II, to 1960s Rome and Florence. Born in 1916, Henry, thin-as-sticks and nearsighted, is an obsessive doodler who shamelessly copies illustrations from his Boys Own magazines. Left in the care of a nurturing, no-nonsense, Shakespeare-quoting, cardsharp grandmother, Henry receives as a gift a pristine set of Faber-Castell colouring pencils (and a pocket knife for the sharpening). He immediately commits each colour to memory--cadmium yellow; light ultramarine; burst ochre; deep scarlet red--and a passion for colour, art, and stories and techniques of the great artists is lit. It will sustain him, and obsess him, on his life's journey through the joys and sorrows of the twentieth century: from a boyhood spent dreaming of adventure, to the hothouse world of artistic academia, a first love cut short by tragedy, the brutality and lingering wounds of World War II, and, in the final chapters of life, the grace of unexpected love. Projected against an efflorescent backdrop of iconic art masterpieces--from the richly hued oils of the European masters to the technicolour splendour of The Wizard of Oz--All the Colour in the World is Henry's story: part miscellany, part memory palace, exquisitely precise with the emotional sweep of a great modern romance."-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781039003514
- ISBN: 1039003516
- Physical Description: 195 pages ; 21 cm
- Publisher: Toronto : Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2023.
- Copyright: ©2023
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references. |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Art > Fiction. Art > History > Fiction. Canada > History > 20th century > Fiction. |
Genre: | Bildungsromans. Historical fiction. Bildungsromans. Historical fiction. Novels. |
Topic Heading: | Scotiabank Giller Prize 2023 shortlist |
Available copies
- 10 of 15 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Terrace Public Library.
Holds
- 1 current hold with 15 total copies.
Other Formats and Editions
Show Only Available Copies
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Terrace Public Library | RIC (Text) | 35151001171867 | Adult Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Random House, Inc.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 GILLER PRIZE ⢠The story of the restorative power of art in one manâs life, set against the sweep of the twentieth centuryâfrom Toronto in the â20s and â30s, through the killing fields of World War II, to 1960s Sicily.
âBold and resplendent.â âNita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid
âSupremely artful.â âToronto Star
Henry, born 1916, thin-as-sticks, nearsighted, is an obsessive doodlerâcopying illustrations from his Boyâs Own magazines. Left in the care of a nurturing, Shakespeare-quoting grandmother, eight-year-old Henry receives as a gift his first set of colouring pencils (and a pocket knife for the sharpening). As he commits these colours to memoryâcadmium yellow; burnt ochre; deep scarlet redâa passion for art, colour, and the stories of the great artists takes hold, and becomes Henryâs unique way of seeing the world. It is a passion that will both haunt and sustain him on his journey through the century: from boyhood dreams on a summer beach to the hothouse of art academia and a love cut short by tragedy; from the psychological wounds of war to the redemption of unexpected love.
Projected against a backdrop of iconic masterpiecesâfrom the rich hues of the European masters to the technicolour magic of HollywoodâAll the Colour in the World is Henryâs story: part miscellany, part memory palace, exquisitely precise with the emotional sweep of a great modern romance.