One glimpse of the tiny painted house that folk art legend Maud Lewis shared with her husband, Everett, in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia, during the mid-twentieth century, and the startling contrast between her joyful artwork and her life's deprivations is evident. Although Maude Lewis hid it well, she had a lot going on in the background.
One glimpse at her photo and you realize how shy she was. She must've been one tough cookie to act and let on that she was so outgoing and confident. But beneath her iconic resilience, who was Maud really? How did she manage, holed up in that one-room house with no running water, married to a miserly man known for his drinking?
Was she happy, or was she miserable? Did painting save her or make her? And she also had even darker secrets that she hid from everyone in her midst, such as the loss of her parents, her child, her first love, and much more.
Against all odds, Maud Lewis rose above these constraints—and this is where you'll find the Maud of this book! She speaks her mind with a candor rarely seen from her. She is finally freed from the stigmas, poverty, and disability6 that marked her life and shaped her art.
She was unfettered and feisty as can be, she tells her story in her usually witty, illuminating way, illuminating the darkest corners of her life. In possession of a voice all her own, Maud demonstrates the agency that hovers within us all.
This book is so inspiring and thrilling. I just loved it from start to finish.
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