The Crimson Portrait

September 18, 2006
A majestic English estate sees new use as a makeshift hospital for WWI's wounded in Shields's beautifully haunting second novel. After losing her husband, Charles, in WWI, Catherine honors his wish to turn their home over to the army's medical unit, and it is soon filled with men wounded in combat, such as Julian, who, though half his face has been destroyed by shrapnel, reminds her of Charles. Dr. McCleary, who left retirement to work at the hospital, bonds with Julian while trying to keep Artis, an aspiring doctor and former groundskeeper, from being drafted. Also on staff is artist Anna Coleman, who sketches the wounded for medical records and lends her artistic talents to an undertaking proposed by Dr. McCleary: he wants to create a mask for a patient with an irreparably damaged face; Anna is to paint the soldier's pre-injury face on the mask. When that soldier turns out to be Julian, Catherine secretly embarks on a plan to resurrect her husband through her new lover. Shields's writing weaves dark mythical symbolism with matter-of-fact medical nitty-gritty to reveal what happens when class, ignorance, hopefulness and despair coalesce.

October 1, 2006
Its 1915, and Catherines home in England is turned into a hospital for soldiers with facial wounds, at the request of her husband, Charles, killed in battle. Shieldss second novel (after "The Fig Eater") constructs a complex labyrinth of jealousy, addiction, passion, and regret as it also presents a history of maxillofacial (re: plastic) surgery and the medical arts. The hospital, where every mirror and reflective surface has been hidden away, is run by Dr. McCleary, whose own memories of past love are funneled into saving a boy from the draft. Dr. Kazanjian, a foreigner skilled at using found objects to manufacture medical aids, is drawn to Anna Coleman, an American-born artist who was part of a Harvard-sponsored medical team. Anna is enlisted to document the wounded for posterity. She paints Julian, whose damaged face can only be portrayed with a palette of impalpable colors. Harsh pinks, red. A crimson portrait. Assisting in Annas studio, Catherine becomes obsessed with Julian, whom she believes embodies the spirit of her dead husband. Is one persons pain validated only when witnessed by another? Is love, like beauty, in the eye of the beholder? Despite a rushed ending, this provocative and elegant novel is recommended for serious fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 8/06.]"Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2006
Catherine, a wealthy Brit, makes a promise to her husband as he leaves for the front during World War I. In the event of his death, she will allow their estate to be used as an army hospital. She grants his wish but is ill-prepared for the arrival of wounded soldiers with severely disfigured faces. She continues to live on the property, forming an uneasy alliance with the patients and medical staff who now occupy the first floor. As the days go by, Catherine becomes convinced her husband is alive--and wandering the grounds. Shields (" The Fig Eater," 2000) renders richly textured prose and a cast of vibrant characters led by head surgeon McCleary: "He wished for a perfection of skin for his patients. He imagined squares of skin the size of rose petals that would miraculously float down over the faces of the wounded men, and cover their wounds--thick, silent and painless as a snowfall." Equally intriguing are sketch artist Anna, who becomes part of a bold endeavor to create a new face for an injured soldier, and Catherine herself, who indulges her heart as the war draws closer to her door. Skillfully woven into Shields' haunting narrative are vivid--and at times, unsettling--descriptions of surgical procedures. A top-drawer literary thriller.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)