“Still Life with Bread Crumbs” by Anna Quindlen – You Get what you don’t Expect

Rebecca Winter was once a phenomenal photographer (by all rights, she still is) and took her professional world by storm, to the point where many heralded her as their heroine. However, all things must come to an end at some point, and Rebecca’s career was no exception to the rule.

Being on her professional downfall, Rebecca feels rather overwhelmed by the world around her and decides to escape from the tedious prison she has been living in… in favor of going in the middle of nowhere.

Not really knowing what to expect or what to do in her search for herself, Rebecca is content with following her instincts, and quite soon they lead her to an interesting character: Jim Bates, professional roofer extraordinaire.

Such is the premise of Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen, and if you like it, chances are you are going to love the book for it follows through on the plot exactly how you would expect. I mean this in the best sense possible; unexpectedness is far from always being beneficial, while predictability has led many on the path of success. It is a very light read with plenty of humor thrown in, the kind I like to refer to as “cute”; it brings a smile to your face and doesn’t delve into heavier themes.

The main appeal of the story lies in watching Rebecca learn from Jim that her perception of life was just one amongst an infinity of possibilities, and that experiencing it through the lens of a camera made her miss out on some things.

Her spiritual growth and realization of what matters in her reality are rather interesting to watch progress, and perhaps even heartwarming; after all, what is there to dislike about someone finding inner peace and happiness?

Though Still Life with Bread Crumbs may, for the most part at least, be a light book which focuses on the humorous journey to the happy ending, those who make an effort to read between the lines will find a few things to think about, mainly about the course of development of one’s fate, the idea that happiness cannot really be found on purpose by looking but rather stumbled upon accidentally, and that for the most part, the important and memorable moments we experience are very seldom planned in advance.

Though, personally, I didn’t find the reflections in this book to be very deep, complex or revelatory, their value is only a matter of interpretation and I’m certain many of you will be able to get more enjoyment and knowledge out of them than I did.

With everything taken into consideration, Still Life with Bread Crumbs is certainly a solid novel in every sense of the word, from the descriptions of the characters to the development of the plot itself.

It doesn’t strive to raise the bar, nor does it seek to blow the reader away with some untold revelations... rather, it felt like the author sought to provide a heartwarming and entertaining experience with a bit of side material for heftier thinking. If this is the kind of romance story you like, then this book will definitely keep you busy for a little while.

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Anna Marie Quindlen Personal site Anna Quindlen is a journalist, opinion columnist and author from the United States, living in Manhattan, New York. Though she began her career mainly as a journalist, she now mainly works as an author, with some of her more notable achievements being winning the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary and writing acclaimed novels like One True Thing.