Notes from an Exhibition: A thought-provoking and stunning classic novel of marriage, art and the secrets of family life

· Hachette UK
3 reviews
Ebook
400
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

One of Patrick Gale's best-loved novels, NOTES FROM AN EXHIBITION, set in Cornwall, is the exquisite story of artistic compulsion, marriage, and the secrets left behind

'Poised and pitch-perfect throughout' Mail on Sunday

'This book is complete perfection' Stephen Fry

Celebrated artist Rachel Kelly dies alone in her Penzance studio, after decades of struggling with the creative highs and devastating lows that have coloured her life.

Her family gathers, each of them searching for answers. They reflect on lives shaped by the enigmatic Rachel - as artist, wife and mother - and on the ambiguous legacies she leaves them, of talent, torment and transcendent love.

'An uplifting, immensely empathetic novel' Guardian

What readers love about NOTES FROM AN EXHIBITION:

' A shifting, multi-layered, beautifully textured portrait of not-quite ordinary family life' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'The word that shimmers with me is empathy. Gale has such a sensitive understanding of how minds and hearts work and react on one another amid the chaos and sometimes intense joys of real living' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'I loved the exhibition-style notes at the beginning of each chapter, which heralded a hint of the chapter's contents. Beautifully woven back and forth in time to reveal the complexities of fascinating family members and their relationships' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

One of Patrick Gale's best-loved novels, NOTES FROM AN EXHIBITION, set in Cornwall, is the exquisite story of artistic compulsion, marriage, and the secrets left behind 'Poised and pitch-perfect throughout' Mail on Sunday 'This book is complete perfection' Stephen Fry Celebrated artist Rachel Ke...

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Ratings and reviews

3 reviews
Sarah Sheils
March 24, 2026
Rather long drawn out compared with Gale's other books.Enjoyed the interweaving of times and past and present, but a devastating portrayal of a very dysfunctional mother and the terrible affect she half on her family. Husband Anthony is too patient and perfect, a bit of a cipher.
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About the author

Patrick Gale was born on the Isle of Wight and now lives on a farm near Land's End. One of this country's best-loved novelists, his most recent works are A Place Called Winter, Take Nothing With You and Mother's Boy. His BBC 'Queer Britannia' television drama, Man In An Orange Shirt, was shown to great acclaim in 2017 and won an International Emmy Award.

Patrick Gale was born on the Isle of Wight and now lives on a farm near Land's End. One of this country's best-loved novelists, his most recent works are A Place Called Winter, Take Nothing With You and Mother's Boy. His BBC 'Queer Britannia' television drama, Man In An Orange Shirt, was shown to...

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