To be honest, this had difficulty holding my attention. Although there were some nice moments (when Augusta hallucinated the grey girl, for example) I wouldn't recommend this to anybody I know.

'The Underpainter' is eloquently written, and weaves both fiction and fact together. Using actual artists as minor characters develops the realism within the story. However, there were too many characters with interesting pasts- each seems to stand alone rather than truly interact with each other. This lack of interaction may have been intentional to promote Austin's distant personality, but it detracts from the continuity of the novel itself. There are moments of excellency in 'The Underpainter', yet not enough of them to make it a truly wonderful book.

The Underpainter is truly one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. A friend once told me that she loves Urquhart's writing but hates the characters but in this book the beauty of the characters lies in the writing. Reading this book is like reading a painting. With each chapter something new is reavealed, leading us closer to the final picture. It gives the reader the feeling of having participated in the creation of a work of art.

The Underpainter is a novel set on both the American and Canadian shores of Lake Superior. Its story spans several decades, going from the present time back through to before and during the first World War. The novel is written in a beautifully Romantic way, telling the story of a perpetually dissatisfied and paradoxical artist, as well as the people who affect his art and his life. I highly recommend this novel, especially to those who enjoyed Ondaatje's The English Patient.