The Bridal Chair: A Novel of Love and Art in WWII Paris

Gloria Goldreich writes beautifully, which means a great deal to readers who care about the literary merits, compared to the simplistic, hack writing of so many best sellers. This story about Marc Chagall's daughter, Ida, is compelling. The title is symbolic of Ida's evolution as a woman, but falls short in that department, in my opinion. I wish she had spent more time on that rather than repetition throughout of her endless duties on behalf of her egotistical father, whose genius is already known to any reader who knows art history. The author provides cursory comments on his art. I wish the book included pictures of his paintings and more on why they were so acclaimed beyond the world inspired by his Russian Jewish birthplace. That's the problem with kindle vs paper back books. Reading the book a second time, I do not agree that the novel (3rd person) is told from Ida's view. More distracting is wondering how this could be classified as a novel (fiction). What is based on facts and research? What are the author's sources? I wonder also how she can use Chagall's name to imagine intimate details of his relationship with Ida and the other women in his life. Finally, he comes across as obnoxious and Ida as a control freak sublimating a rather incestuous (mentally) relationship with her father. Even the author's monotonous tone throughout got on my nerves. Well, that's just my opinion.

This book was engaging. Reading and learning of war time and art. Chagall art was so influenced . His private life was not something I was aware.Good read.

I loved this book from the first word. Took it with me on vacation and was so happy I did. I hated to put it down and couldn't wait to pick it up - this to me, is the sign of a great book. Although the Chagall's lived through Nazi Germany, this was not your typical holocaust book because they managed to escape. The characters were well developed and quite interesting. I learned quite a bit too, historically, although it was fiction. Great writer and when I read her bio I realized that I read and also loved Leah's Journey many years ago. I have also recently taken up painting so the fact that there was so much art included in the story made it even better for me. I highly recommend this book!

Oh how I really want to like this book. Other readers had raved about it, saying it was such a good read. I must disagree. While the story is interesting; looking at Marc Chagall's life through the eyes of his daughter, Ida, the writing was pedestrian in my view. Some sections of the book came across better than others. For example, Ida's feverish work to get her parents out of France during WW II was somewhat compelling. But the latter half of the book came across to me as a list; Ida worked on this exhibit for her father and that exhibit for her father. What does come through was that Marc Chagall was a narcissistic individual as many genius are. His daughter was completely devoted to him, giving up her own happiness for many years. A disappointing read.

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I think all of the historic facts were intertwined into a captivating, emotional and believable story about a famous man and his family. The personality of Chagall is depicted and honest fulfilling the reader's understanding about who he was and how he could create such stimulating beauty. We purchased a Chagall print on a cruise recently. It was "The Bridal Chair" so now this print means even more to me because I know its origin. Well written by the author...I like her style very much. Thank you.

This novel is mostly about Chagall's daughter IDA. He was always self-absorbed and expected his household to cater 100% to his needs. The writing was good, but the author could have trimmed the descriptions. There was a lot of repetition and the 500 page novel could have been 100 pages shorter. In spite of these gripes, the story was absorbing and portrayed characters in a difficult time. We got a good feeling for both wives, sons-in-law and especially Ida, the long suffering daughter.

The Bridal Chair is excellent historical fiction firmly grounded in fact. The excessive reference to Ida Chagall’s copper ringlets does not distract from the detailed description of the self-absorbed narcissistic Marc Chagall and his beautiful wife, Bella, who languishes about in silk gowns and fluctuating depths of ennui. This is an extraordinary documentation of Ida Chagall’s life and sacrifices in the service of her brilliant, needy, passive-dependent parents. Viewing images of Chagall’s art on the Internet while simultaneously reading the narrative greatly enhances the experience. The art is magnificent. The book gives one a thirst for a Chagall biography and additional reading. Fascinating.

I enjoyed reading The Bridal Chair by Gloria Goldreich. Our book club had a good discussion about the life and times of Marc Chagall and his daughter, Ida, who is the storyteller. The WWII fleeing to safety of the Jewish Europeans and the artistic work of Marc Chagall were interesting parts of the novel. I found it dry during the many preparations for Chagall's works to be shown at different galleries around Europe and elsewhere. The subtle foreshadowing and interesting romantic encounters made for an interesting read. I rated it 7 out of 10 at our book club discussion.

das Buch beschreibt Chagalls Leben mit Frau und Tochter. Zu letzerer hat er ein etwas undurchsichtiges Pygmalionverhältnis. Das Buch ist spannend, hat manchmal auch Überlängen, ist aber durchaus empfehlenswert.

'The book gave me a glimpse of Chagall' character.. he seemed to be quite narcissistic and a difficult man in general.. i shall view his art from an entirely different perspective from now on as I believe that what a man produces reflects what is coming from within

Easy reading. Very interesting .