The Art Student's War

November 2, 2009
Leithauser's sixth novel is the story of Bea Paradiso, a character modeled after the author's late mother-in-law. Early in the story, Bea volunteers to draw portraits of wounded soldiers during World War II. Given the novel's title, one might expect this unique scenario to be the premise of the book, but the few pages devoted to Bea's sketches are overwhelmed by the melodrama that dominates the rest of the story. Much is made of the rivalry between Bea's mother and her aunt Grace, which culminates into a ridiculous argument over a bathing suit malfunction. Then, of course, there is Bea's romantic life; her affections are torn between the glamorous Ronny Olsen and the bookish Henry Vander Akker. However, Henry lures Bea into an empty house leading to a strange and muddied rape scene. Despite this mishap, when Henry is killed in battle, Bea remembers him as a martyr and playfully refers to him as her "virginity-stealer." The story then inexplicably skips several years into the future, where Bea is married to Grant, a lawyer who appears out of nowhere in the novel. The second half of the book is largely nostalgic toward the characters of Bea's past-a less-than-appealing undertaking, considering that the endeavors of the first half were abandoned so unceremoniously.

Starred review from September 15, 2009
Fresh, captivating coming-of-age story from poet and novelist Leithauser (A Few Corrections, 2001, etc.).

Detroit, 1943. In a crowded streetcar, a young soldier on crutches gallantly insists on a pretty young woman taking the one vacant seat. It's a Norman Rockwell moment, and Bea Paradiso, an 18-year-old art student, will cherish it. Her family considers her overemotional; certainly she is ardent and impressionable. Soon she will find an outlet for her patriotism, visiting the hospital to sketch wounded soldiers, giving them back their"prewar faces." The visits provide an escape from home, in turmoil since Bea's deranged mother accused her sister, sweet Aunt Grace, of trying to steal her husband Vico, an immigrant building contractor. The accusation is absurd—Grace has her own wonderfully happy marriage—but it will have dire consequences. Bea also finds respite in the company of fellow art student Ronny Olsson, handsome, talented, provocative and heir to the city's largest drugstore chain. Their first kiss is a riot of colors, appropriate for"two kids in love with painting." Then Bea's feelings are diverted toward another soldier, Henry Vanden Akker, a brilliant truth-seeking mathematician. Transcending clich, Bea gives up her virginity the night before Henry returns to the war, though she knows (second sight) that he's doomed. After he does indeed die in a plane crash, fragile Bea seems headed for an early death herself, the victim of a flu epidemic and her shattered nerves. But Leithauser spares her, and another 200 pages show her, nine years later, happily married with twins. This allows the author more space to examine, with the perceptiveness of Anne Tyler, how families work, but the novel's portrait of wartime fervor is so haunting that showing us Bea's later life, no matter how fulfilled, seems like adding a wing to an already perfect house.

Superb portraits of an endearing heroine and a cluster of finely observed secondary characters backlit by history, their brilliance slightly dimmed in the lower-keyed Part Three.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

October 15, 2009
Leithauser ("A Few Corrections; The Friends of Freeland") delivers a solid sixth novel that historical fiction buffs will enjoy. Bea Paradisio, a sensitive art student, comes of age in Detroit during World War II. The dramas that rage on the world stage become, in Leithauser's skillful hands, the crucible that forges Bea's personality as she struggles to make sense of both larger cultural changes and the sudden dissolution of her family's tightly knit bonds. Readers who enjoy domestic fiction will grow to love the quirky Paradisios and mourn for them as each character's tragic flaw slowly works its way to the surface of the plot. Detroit itself is the most vivid character Leithauser creates, lavishing loving accuracy on the streetcars, drugstores, restaurants, and other landmarks of the thriving, throbbing metropolis. Though the novel's overall aura is one of gentle nostalgia, Leithauser doesn't pull any punches when it comes to the accurate, albeit bigoted, language of the period or tough issues like mental illness. VERDICT A cautiously optimistic look at The Way We Were, for those who remember or want to learn more.Leigh Anne Vrabel, Carnegie Lib. of Pittsburgh

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2009
Leithausers latest novel is really two separate books. In the first, World War II is on, and 18-year-old Bianca Paradiso (Bea for short) is an art student living at home in Detroit. Fellow student Ronny Olsson, handsome and rich, adds a touch of glamour and romance. The war seems very far away until Bea is asked to spend time at a hospital, drawing portraits of wounded soldiers as a way to raise morale. Thats how she meets Henry, who falls in love with her and then is sent back to the front. Beas family and home life and her steps toward adulthood are beautifully and vividly rendered, as is the city of Detroit in its heyday. Jump forward ten years. Bea is now married to Grant and the mother of twins, with another on the way. And thennothing much, and unfortunately the entire second part seems like an extended epilogue. Read the book for the marvelous first half, and to remember lost Detroit.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)