Search This Blog

Sunday, October 24, 2021

The Bohemians by Jasmin Darznik

 

Dorothea Lange is perhaps best known for her photograph The Migrant Mother that came to represent the plight of the thousands who were forced from their farms and homes during the Dust Bowl.  

The Bohemians, however, concentrates on Lange's 1918 arrival in San Francisco at twenty-three.  San Francisco, still scarred by the 1906 earthquake, was  a mecca for many creative people, and the young Dorothea Lange, who wanted to be a successful portrait photographer, made her way--slowly building important relationships with people like Imogen Cunningham, Consuela Kanaga, Donaldina Cameron (couldn't find any evidence that Lange knew Donaldina Cameron, but she certainly would have known of her), Ansel Adams, and Maynard Dixon (whom she married).

What I loved:  reading about some of these people and finding out more about them via Google; the events like the end of WWI and the soldiers coming home; the Spanish flu; the racism of early San Francisco (the character James Ferrell, is based on Sen. James D. Phelan, Nativist and promoter of the "yellow peril).  

What I didn't like so much:  The novel is a first person account by Dorothea Lange, but so much of the story was about Lange's friendship with Caroline Lee, a fictional character.  At first, I searched the internet looking for Caroline Lee, Lange's best friend.  Nothing.  As a result, my belief in the story was reduced.  
 
I finally discovered that in the early years of her portrait studio, Lange did have a Chinese assistant, but the fact alone is all the factual information available.  Maybe having reversed protagonists and making the fictional Caroline tell the story would have worked better for me.  

Darznik includes additional information in her Notes, which helped, but as it was an audiobook, I didn't realize that until I'd finished the book.  In this case, I wish I'd been reading a print version which I could have read much more quickly, determined my own "intonations" in conversations, and checked the author's additional information easily.  

I love learning new things, and there was a lot of fascinating information about San Francisco in the 1920's.   Monkey Block, the prejudice against the Chinese, the devastating effects of the Spanish flu, the anarchist bombings...San Francisco is perhaps the dominant character in the novel.  It is clear that the author feels a deep connection to the city and its history.  

I now want to read a biography of Lange.  My previous knowledge of her was only through her work as a documentary photographer for the FSA during the Depression.   The book skips over a large part of her life, most of her marriage to Maynard Dixon, the birth of her sons, even her work for the FSA takes a back seat to her early days as a portrait photographer.

In the end, I didn't love The Bohemians as much as my friend Suzie did, but I admire the research that went into the book and the curious history of early San Francisco.  Suzie and I always share what we are reading and recommend books to each other, but don't always coincide in genres (she doesn't really enjoy mysteries!), and we often have slightly different opinions of books we read.   We've been doing this since we were college roommates,  sharing authors and favorite books.   It has proven an excellent balance, not always agreeing, but always eager to give a new book a try. 

How would I rate The Bohemians?   Using Cathy's alphabetical rating, maybe a B.  Much to admire, but not quite what I was hoping for.  Goodreads has plenty of 5 star reviews.  

Audiobook.  Narrator:  Dylan Moore
Historical/Biographical Fiction.  2021.  
 

18 comments:

  1. It seems that this was a great idea for a story that sort of went off the track along the way. Still, I agree with you that it is always rewarding to be able to learn more about a particular time and place, and San Francisco is a fascinating place to learn about.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I enjoyed The Bohemians and it provided a great deal to think about it. The racism and "Nativist" prejudice, the Spanish flu, the fear of socialism and anarchist relates so clearly to our current situations. The fictional approach to Lange's life and work wasn't as satisfying as I hoped, but it certainly spurred my interest.

      Delete
  2. This sounds just like one of those books that would make me want to discover more. I didn't realize that shortly after the big earthquake that is when a lot of artists started to call San Francisco home. Wonderful in-depth review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. :) Exactly--The Bohemians engaged my curiosity about the time and place and about Dorothea Lange's work as she transitioned form a portrait photographer to the kind of documentary work she did later.

      Delete
  3. I love when a book makes me want to learn more about history. It's too bad that this one didn't completely work for you, but at least it was full of interesting historical information.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Reading fiction can be the best way to find out interesting historical events. It makes real events more personal, doesn't it?

      Delete
  4. I love Dorothea Lange's photographs. They're so amazing! And I'm a fan of Maynard Dixon's paintings, too. But I think I'd rather read a good biography about them rather than this book. I wonder if there's a good one out there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lange's photographs are amazing. She captured the time period and put a human face to the tragedy of the Dust Bowl and the migrants who lost their homes and farms. And Maynard Dixons paintings are fantastic impressions of the Southwest.

      Delete
  5. I like historical fiction, but I ask that the history outweigh the fiction. I don't like it when parts are completely fabricated.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When historical fiction is written from the standpoint of a fictional character, it is easier to accept the relationship to genuine historical figures. When written from the pov of a real person like Dorothea Lange, it might be better to keep closer to actual facts.

      Delete
  6. Yeah sometimes adding fictional elements to a real-life person in history doesn't work. Wouldn't it have been better not to use Lange ... and just do a novel of a similar character?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, that's an option. Creating a fictional woman photographer using the inspiration of Lange's life would have worked for me. I like recognizing fictional characters as being based on real people. :)

      Delete
  7. I'm not sure about this one, but then the historical aspect sure sound interesting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I loved learning about Imogen Cunningham, Consuelo Kanaga, and Donaldina Cameron--women who were extremely influential in their fields, but largely forgotten in history. Also, learning more about San Francisco and the time period kept me seeing the parallels to our own current problems.

      Delete
  8. What an interesting plot for a novel this is, especially since I know so little about Lange. And those years were so traumatic in world history, too, that the novel automatically has a lot going for it. Even like the cover.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was historically interesting about San Francisco as Lange worked to open her own studio. I do wish it had more about Lange's work for the Farm Security Agency during the Depression--her photographs are so moving.

      Delete
  9. I also have trouble when historical fiction doesn't quite ring true, even if the events depicted are fact. I couldn't tell you what makes it work with one author and not another, but I have noticed it as well in other books. Also your review reminds me a bit of Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan which was beautifully written but a little over stuffed for my tastes.

    I like reading with friends, though it doesn't happen often. I have one good friend whose tastes are almost the opposite of mine so if she dislikes a book that often means I will like it and vice versa! LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Even if The Bohemians less satisfying than I hoped, I was glad to find out more about some of the people Dorothea Lange knew and some of the events mentioned. I was curious about Immogen Cunningham, Consuelo Kanaga, and Donaldina Cameron and wasn't sure if the were characters or real people. They were real and influential and now mostly forgotten.

      :) Suzie and I definitely have different opinions about some books and authors! I'm glad I read The Bohemians because I learned a lot, but I didn't "trust" it and spent time on the internet just checking to see if this or that character was real. The author's research was excellent and she included information in her Notes that separated fact from fiction--but with an ebook, I didn't get to the information until after I finished the book and had already checked out some of the things I questioned or was curious about!

      Delete