- Paperback: 222 pages
- Publisher: Ballantine Books; Original edition (23 Mar 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0345481011
- ISBN-13: 978-0345481016
- Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 1.6 x 20.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 899,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
“Do you remember that first time we met? It was in the old studio in Brunson Road. How much did we miss, love, by not being together?”
In the early 1960s, Maureen Griffiths, married with children, accompanies a friend to a modeling shoot, never intending to be in front of the camera herself. But after meeting photographer Martin Morris, Maureen is transformed—and Martin quickly falls for this simple, straightforward woman who calls herself Mo.
Forty years later, shortly after Maureen’s death, Martin moves into Pilgrim House, a retirement community, in part because Maureen’s husband, George, is also a resident there. Through letters he continues to write to Mo, Martin reveals a lifetime of tireless devotion to his one true love. He is also determined to figure out why Mo stayed with her difficult, demanding husband. So with the aid of some of the colorful residents of Pilgrim House, Martin delves into the secrets of Maureen’s family—and becomes increasingly entwined in the complicated life that Maureen built to shield herself.
Told through letters, emails, and other communications, Getting the Picture is an irresistible, charming novel of family secrets, regrets, and abiding love.
In the early 1960s, Maureen Griffiths, married with children, accompanies a friend to a modeling shoot, never intending to be in front of the camera herself. But after meeting photographer Martin Morris, Maureen is transformed—and Martin quickly falls for this simple, straightforward woman who calls herself Mo.
Forty years later, shortly after Maureen’s death, Martin moves into Pilgrim House, a retirement community, in part because Maureen’s husband, George, is also a resident there. Through letters he continues to write to Mo, Martin reveals a lifetime of tireless devotion to his one true love. He is also determined to figure out why Mo stayed with her difficult, demanding husband. So with the aid of some of the colorful residents of Pilgrim House, Martin delves into the secrets of Maureen’s family—and becomes increasingly entwined in the complicated life that Maureen built to shield herself.
Told through letters, emails, and other communications, Getting the Picture is an irresistible, charming novel of family secrets, regrets, and abiding love.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read all Sarah Salway's books. She is one of the smartest, wittiest writers of present times, and I recommend anything by her. Getting The Picture is just great. I couldn't get through a page without smiling or laughing aloud. Two of the characters in particular were excellent examples of the bourgeois, self regarding, Mrs. Bucket type, but done in a fresh way because this is an epistolary novel. The requirements of letters narrowed their desire to correct another to the page, which made their pointed remarks particularly funny. The grandmother from A Good Man Is Hard to Find would have been quite happy at Pilgrim House, where everyone is scheming for something. There is one photography session where an old man and woman meet with a camera between them that is riveting; Salway adds layers to it in the retelling, so that the poignancy of the event overtakes the humor. I can't stop thinking about the state of mind of the 79 year old woman who lowers her shirt for the camera. All these old people still want to be seen, and to reveal themselves. Salway is a wonder at detail--small moments from all her books are permanently embedded in my mind. She gets at people's strangeness without being quirky. Don't know how she does it, but it's marvelous.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Getting the picture is a very charming portrayal of love in a retirement home, but it is also so much more than that as it traces the lives of the residents and the generations that follow. Told mainly through letters, Sarah Salway conveys the voices of each of the characters so vividly that they are immediately believeable. I loved her sometimes satirical approach and gentle humour (`the highlight was when the residents were allowed to place iced flowers on a cake Mrs. Cooper had brought with her') and the way she cleverly lets the characters' personal stories and relationships evolve. I was enthralled and soon come to care about each of them. Getting the picture is a hugely enjoyable read and thoroughly engaging.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a novel that grips you from the first page and doesn't let you put it down. It is a story told in letters, something that when I began reading I wondered about. How would letters possibly convey everything needed to make a great book? But they do that, and most wonderfully so. A story of love and revenge set in an old people's home, this is a funny and moving book with characters of all ages that are vividly drawn and burst from the page. The novel goes in unexpected directions, never al ...more This is a novel that grips you from the first page and doesn't let you put it down. It is a story told in letters, something that when I began reading I wondered about. How would letters possibly convey everything needed to make a great book? But they do that, and most wonderfully so. A story of love and revenge set in an old people's home, this is a funny and moving book with characters of all ages that are vividly drawn and burst from the page. The novel goes in unexpected directions, never allowing you to settle back and assume you know what's coming. A great read, I highly recommend it.
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