Synopses & Reviews
Promise Whittaker, the diminutive but decisive acting director of the Museum of Asian Art, is pregnant again--and that's just the beginning of her problems. Her mentor, the previous director, has suddenly quit, and is on a dig in China's Taklamakan Desert. Her favorite curator has dropped a priceless porcelain bowl, once owned by Thomas Jefferson, down the museum's steps. Another colleague has been embezzling from the museum to pay for her fertility treatments. And her far too handsome ancillary director is clearly up to no good. Promise's offbeat efforts to hold everything together make her a character who, in the words of the Newark
Star-Ledger, "you'll be falling in love with before you've turned the first page."
Mary Kay Zuravleff is the author of
The Frequency of Souls. A former editor of books and exhibition texts for the Smithsonian Institution, she lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and two children. Promise Whittaker, the diminutive but decisive acting director of the Museum of Asian Art, is pregnant againand that's just the beginning of her difficulties. Her mentor, the previous director, suddenly walked away from his job with no explanation, and now is on a dig somewhere in China's Taklamakan Desert. Her favorite curator has dropped their newest treasure, a porcelain bowl once owned by Thomas Jefferson, down the museum's stairs. Another colleague, desperate for a son, has been embezzling from the museum to pay for her fertility treatments. And Promise's far too handsome, far too elusive ancillary director is clearly up to no good. As if that were not enough, Promise must defend her museum's very right to exist to those who contend that housing Asian art on the National Mall is un-American. "Never underestimate the power of an original work of art," her mentor told her. But he neglected to teach her that behind the marble walls, museum work has much in common with mud-wrestling. "[A] genial comic novel . . . A tart, affectionate satire of the museum world's bickering and scheming."
Gregory Cowles, The New York Times Book Review "An authoritative novel about the museum world . . . Her wit is equal to her wisdom."
The Seattle Times"Zuravleff is very smart, knows her subject and writes very well."The Washington Post
"This multi-layered, erudite novel implies that it is only in the face of destruction, in the gathering of the shards, that meaning and humanity reside."San Francisco Chronicle "In this intriguing tale of a museum-as-microcosm, the atmosphere is richly evoked, the art history fascinating, the issues thought-provoking, the characters deftly drawn."Library Journal
Review
"An authoritative novel about the museum world. . . . Her wit is equal to her wisdom."--
The Seattle Times"The Smithsonian Institute is many things, most of them quite wonderful . . . but to the best of my knowledge it has rarely if ever been the inspiration and setting for a novel. . . . Zuravleff is very smart, knows her subject and writes very well."--The Washington Post
"This multi-layered, erudite novel implies that it is only in the face of destruction, in the gathering of the shards, that meaning and humanity reside."--San Francisco Chronicle
"The Bowl Is Already Broken is pure delight. . . . All of us would enjoy this book."--The Roanoke Times
Synopsis
A big, rewarding novel about art, politics, family, terrorism, courage, and happiness.
Promise Whittaker, the diminutive but decisive acting director of the National Museum of Asian Art, is pregnant again--and that's just the beginning of her difficulties. Her mentor, the previous director, suddenly walked away from his job with no explanation, and now is on a dig somewhere in the Taklamakan desert. Her favorite curator has dropped their newest treasure, a bowl once owned by Thomas Jefferson, during the ceremony celebrating its acquisition. Another colleague, desperate for a son, has been embezzling from the museum to pay for her fertility treatments. And her far too handsome, far too elusive ancillary director is clearly up to no good.
Confronting challenge after challenge at work and at home, Promise is one of the most offbeat, original, winning characters in recent fiction. The Bowl Is Already Broken is all brains, all soul, and all heart--brimming with ideas, provocative, and deeply satisfying.
Synopsis
Promise Whittaker, the diminutive but decisive acting director of the Museum of Asian Art, is pregnant again--and that's just the beginning of her problems. Her mentor, the previous director, has suddenly quit, and is on a dig in China's Taklamakan Desert. Her favorite curator has dropped a priceless porcelain bowl, once owned by Thomas Jefferson, down the museum's steps. Another colleague has been embezzling from the museum to pay for her fertility treatments. And her far too handsome ancillary director is clearly up to no good. Promise's offbeat efforts to hold everything together make her a character who, in the words of the Newark
Star-Ledger, "you'll be falling in love with before you've turned the first page."
About the Author
Mary Kay Zuravleff, a former editor of books and exhibition texts for the Smithsonian Institution, lives in Washington, D.C., with her family.