Graham Greene and New Memoir, Old in Art School

I finished Time and Chance, the medieval historical by Sharon Kay Penman early this morning. During the last 30 pages, I was in awe of the writing and the care Penman took to end the novel so carefully, so "lovingly."
By "lovingly," I mean that the ending was so polished, and, in it, she handled the most important personal relationships so tenderly, so carefully, that I was in awe of her talent in rendering it so.  High marks!!

This afternoon I decided to begin Graham Greene's The End of the Affair, published in 1951 (The link leads to a long Wikipedia biography, starting with a summary of his life and work, followed by in-depth sections about his books, his writings, and his early life).

The End of the Affair begins in London, in very late December, between Christmas and New Year's, in 1945. I deliberately chose it because it is set in the same early post-war period as Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark, which I read and enjoyed within the last couple of months.

So, in a sense, The End of the Affair was contemporary English fiction for its time period, as if someone writing today had set their novel in 2012. Not long ago at all!  I've read several chapters and realize I am in the hands of an unreliable narrator. What fun. Actually, Greene has a marvelous sense of humor, among all the serious subjects he handles. More to come about Greene and the novel.

And late this afternoon, as the heat rose to 90 degrees, I turned the AC up and heaved my body onto the treadmill in the living room with a wallop. It sounds as difficult as it was, but I was determined to get my body moving somehow. Once I got going, it was not bad at all, especially because I had a new audiobook: Tah dah!
I  am in  love with Old in Art School already (The link leads to a Bookpage interview with Painter.) It is the new memoir by Nell Irvin Painter, an impeccably distinguished  historian and acclaimed writer, who, at the age of 64, decided to leave her chair at Princeton University to pursue a new undertaking. Her goal was to get a Bachelor's in Fine Arts, followed by a Masters of Fine Arts, and become a professional artist.

I am very well acquainted with Nell's academic work. She is and was an intensely dedicated historian of U.S. History, in particular, African-American women's history. When I was working in this field, particularly when writing my history of American women during the Civil War, I read all her works: books, articles, attended conferences where she lectured. She is a very, very strong, determined, impassioned individual.
So you can imagine that I really, really perked up when I discovered that Nell Irvin Painter wrote a memoir about her life as an artist. Especially because of my affinity to art. I couldn't picture her pursuing collegiate degrees in studio art, because making art is a universe away from what she accomplished in her academic career.

I listened to the first 40 pages this afternoon. Nell is the narrator, and the writing is exquisite. I MUST purchase the hardcover. She has so many, incredibly important things to say to women in their 60s (50s? 70s?) who want something more, who want to do more, to experience something beyond what they did in their earlier lives.

At a conference, I remember Nell discussing how she approaches her professional writing. She writes the first draft, then revises, she writes the second draft, and does the revision, then the third draft, and the fourth draft, and on and on! That's how this book reads and breathes. That's why I need to see this book in print. The writing is that amazing!

Best quote: A young fellow student, fresh out of high school, asked her, "Well, how old are you?"