Michelle's Reviews > Optic Nerve
Optic Nerve
by
by
Michelle's review
bookshelves: 2020, 2020-tob-longlist, 2020-tob, diaspora, she-spoke, 52-weeks-of-woc, in-translation
Jan 16, 2020
bookshelves: 2020, 2020-tob-longlist, 2020-tob, diaspora, she-spoke, 52-weeks-of-woc, in-translation
52 Weeks of Women of Color
2020 Tournament of Books
"Everything is a story." Art is a mirror reflecting life off its surface.
Please do not approach Optic Nerve as a simple novel where the reader is led from one plot point to the next. Instead, envision a narrative in which art rather than being a mere recording of historical events, serves as an impassioned plea for individual stories to be heard.
Gainza admits that Optic Nerve is in part her story with bits of her life adding color to the pages. The chapters do not seem to be chronological. Rather each sliver into her world revolves around personal perception, the myriad roles we assume in life and who we are to other people.
As a lover of art I read this book as if I were a student studying abroad and Gainza were my teacher. I pulled up the images of these paintings gazing upon them as Gainza described the artists' emotions and the symbolism within their artwork. I was enthralled. I would recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in art and art history.
2020 Tournament of Books
"Everything is a story." Art is a mirror reflecting life off its surface.
Please do not approach Optic Nerve as a simple novel where the reader is led from one plot point to the next. Instead, envision a narrative in which art rather than being a mere recording of historical events, serves as an impassioned plea for individual stories to be heard.
Gainza admits that Optic Nerve is in part her story with bits of her life adding color to the pages. The chapters do not seem to be chronological. Rather each sliver into her world revolves around personal perception, the myriad roles we assume in life and who we are to other people.
As a lover of art I read this book as if I were a student studying abroad and Gainza were my teacher. I pulled up the images of these paintings gazing upon them as Gainza described the artists' emotions and the symbolism within their artwork. I was enthralled. I would recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in art and art history.
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Reading Progress
December 16, 2019
– Shelved
December 16, 2019
– Shelved as:
to-read
December 16, 2019
– Shelved as:
2020
December 16, 2019
– Shelved as:
2020-tob-longlist
December 16, 2019
– Shelved as:
2020-tob
December 16, 2019
– Shelved as:
diaspora
January 15, 2020
–
Started Reading
January 16, 2020
– Shelved as:
she-spoke
January 16, 2020
–
Finished Reading
January 22, 2020
– Shelved as:
52-weeks-of-woc
January 22, 2020
– Shelved as:
in-translation