Book 79, 2020

Portrait of Jennie by Robert Nathan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I finished my work book at lunch today. It was the classic old novella Portrait of Jennie by Robert Nathan. The story is told in first person point of view by starving artist Eben Adams.

Eben is barely getting by, unable to sell his paintings, behind on the rent for his tiny, studio apartment, and lacking any inspiration. That all changes when he meets a young girl named Jennie. Her mannerisms seem odd and old-fashioned to Eben, but he can't quit thinking about her and wondering if she's okay. When next he meets Jennie she seems inexplicably older, though only months have passed. Jennie asks Eben to wait for her and promises she will hurry for him.

Each time thereafter that they meet, she is growing older and becoming a lovely young woman. At one such time, Eben has Jennie pose for him, and her portrait becomes his opus. He lives for the brief interludes when they are together, even as he realizes there is something otherworldly going on.

The story was somber and austere; Eben had precious little joy in his life other than Jennie. It was interesting to see how he simply accepted her presence and her oddities and even her (seemingly) accelerated aging. The author's writing was lyrical and descriptive, and his characters were fully realized. It's a beautiful tale of love, very reminiscent of Love Story.

Favorite lines:
♦ "This was tomorrow--once."
♦ "Goodbye, and God bless you. Don't drown yourself in the sea."

Poignant and evocative--giving this one five stars.