Rating: 
Summary: The power of art.
Review: This is, I believe, the first full-length novel of de Lint's fictional town of Newford. It concerns a young painter named Isabelle and the magical ability she possesses, which manifests itself through her work. A series of tragic events causes her to abandon her Art, but now, nearly twenty years after her initial training, a letter from an old friend forces her to confront the past she'd buried under lies and denial.
My main problem with the story is that its premise - that Izzy can bring to life entities from her paintings - was too fantastic. Bear with me here; I know it's fantasy, and I've certainly read wilder tales. It's just that I think the Newford stories work best when grounded in the real world with just a hint of magic lurking about. Izzy's virtual Goddess condition was a little too far-fetched for the context in which these stories exist.
It's also a little longer than I felt it needed to be, but it was still enjoyable. If you're looking for an introduction to either de Lint or Newford, I recommend the collection 'Dreams Underfoot' first.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful book
Review: This rates on my all-time favorites list, near the top. The book basically explains the past and present of a painter, Isabelle (Izzy) Copley, and how it is affecting her now. The basic idea of the book is the relationship between the artist and their creation: does the artist have to protect their creation, or should they bless it, release it, let it go? And on the side, it explores the ability we all have to rewrite reality -- when has it gone too far, and are we living in a world of our own creation instead of facing life? The book is very symbolic, can be read on many levels, and is a must-have for anyone who likes literary urban fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: De Lint is the best there is!
Review: When a young struggling art student is given the chance to apprentice with one of the worlds greatest and most famous artists she can't possibly pass it up. Even when it means putting up with his outrageous ego, violent temper and his bouts of physical and verbal abuse. She convinces herself that what he's teaching her is worth all this, even though her friends do not. But when she finds out that what he is teaching is more than just painting, that the paintings she is creating are coming to life, and he is feed off of them, she has to put an end to it. And she must do it before he puts an end to one of her own creations that she has fallen in love with.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful story of intrigue and fantasy
Review: When I read this book I realized that it was the real world version of this magic that I'd been seeking in becoming an artist. Ever since I was tiny I've loved to create simple characters and I've dreamt of the day when my fingers could summon forth images so magical that people were transfixed, stopped in their tracks, forced to stay and study the infinite details that make a figure real, and more knowable than the stranger standing next to them. It's probably proof of my negligable hold on what most would call sanity, but I completely identify with what Isabelle is doing. The main difference is only she's got literal magic to make what she does obvious and undeniable, and quite a bit more entertaining. I read just for the sake of reading too, and love it, but this book is like a distillation of my own memories and dreams.
Rating:
Summary: lovely
Review: When I read this book I realized that it was the real world version of this magic that I'd been seeking in becoming an artist. Ever since I was tiny I've loved to create simple characters and I've dreamt of the day when my fingers could summon forth images so magical that people were transfixed, stopped in their tracks, forced to stay and study the infinite details that make a figure real, and more knowable than the stranger standing next to them. It's probably proof of my negligable hold on what most would call sanity, but I completely identify with what Isabelle is doing. The main difference is only she's got literal magic to make what she does obvious and undeniable, and quite a bit more entertaining. I read just for the sake of reading too, and love it, but this book is like a distillation of my own memories and dreams.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting and Beautiful
Review: Wow. I've read DeLint before and liked it, but this book hit me deeply on many levels. I cant tell you how many times tears came to my eyes with the characters' heartbreaks or smiles at their triumphs, no matter how small. It's fantasy, but the characters have so many layers and complex relationships, it couldn't be more real. I found nearly every protagonist in the book mirroring my own experiences at some point. Urban contemporary fantasy is a genre very close to my heart and so far, I haven't some across better than this.
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