Portrait of Jennie

by Robert Nathan
Portrait of Jennie cover
Good Books rating 4.56
Technical
  • ID: 57
  • Added: 2025-08-22
  • Updated: 2025-09-02
  • Published: 1976-01-01
  • Reviews: 4
Reviews
Goodreads · 2025-08-24
ethereal 5.00

A gentle, ethereal tale about a Depression-era artist and a mysterious woman slipping through time, filled with touching passages that linger long after reading.

This story blends romance, fantasy, and artistic inspiration to create a tender portrait of Jennie, who ages mysteriously as she moves through time. The narrative captures the thin line between despair and creativity that plagues artists, evoking a mix of loneliness and hope. Robert Nathan's writing imbues the story with a magical, intangible quality that resonates deeply with those open to love and romance, making it a cherished favorite for romantics.

Quick quotes

    There is something ethereal here in Portrait of Jennie that nearly defies description.

    Robert Nathan imbued this story with some intangible magic that either touches our heart when it is still open to love and romance.

    Passages and sentiments so touching that once read, they are never forgotten by the reader.

Investigations and Fantasies · Literary Analyst · 2025-08-22
poignant 3.75

Though not Nathan’s best novel, Portrait of Jennie resonates with themes of love, time, and loss, its ghostly atmosphere inviting personal connection.

This novella offers a poignant meditation on time, love, and art through the story of a struggling artist and his mysterious muse, Jennie, who exists out of sync with time. The review notes that while the novel lacks some concreteness and authorial distance found in Nathan’s other works, its foggy, yearning quality is part of its charm, allowing readers to project their own emotions onto it. The related 1948 film adaptation shares this ghostly, haunting appeal, which has divided audiences but continues to fascinate due to its emotional subtlety.

Quick quotes

    Portrait of Jennie broods and yearns—it is just Nathan’s second novel written in first person—and often feels lost in a foggy desire for love and durance.

    The ghostliness of both book and movie is a key part of their draw.

    It gives us a frustrated artist, the painter Eben Adams, who discovers the love of his life—except that she is living in a different flow of time.

The Classic Movie Muse · Film Critic · 2025-08-22
lyrical 4.50

Nathan’s lyrical prose deeply absorbs readers, weaving a haunting atmosphere rich with profound reflections on art, love, and time.

The book draws readers into a moody, atmospheric experience that challenges them with profound questions about life, love, and creativity. Nathan is seen as an underrated author whose work, including this novel, deserves more attention for its depth and poetic style. The review highlights the book as a rewarding read that lingers with the reader and encourages exploring more of Nathan's writings.

Quick quotes

    Robert Nathan's lyrical prose is absorbing in its depth and detail.

    He draws the reader into his atmospheric mood piece with profound questions and statements on art, life, love, death, and time.

    I find Nathan to be an underrated author and would gladly read more of his work.

Goodreads · Anonymous · 2025-08-22
ethereal 5.00

Portrait of Jennie is a beautifully ethereal fantasy that blends loneliness, artistic inspiration, and romantic purity into a touching and unforgettable story.

This novel is praised for its gentle, almost magical storytelling that sets it apart from harsher modern literature. The narrative delicately explores themes of loneliness and hope, capturing the fragile line between despair and creativity faced by artists. Readers with a romantic heart will find it deeply moving, as it portrays Jennie not just as a character but as a muse whose presence inspires and uplifts the protagonist. Despite its somewhat slow pace compared to Nathan's other works, many find its poignant passages and tender sentiments truly memorable.

Quick quotes

    Robert Nathan imbued this story with some intangible magic that either touches our heart when it is still open to love and romance, or falls flat and shames us because our heart has been worn down and tainted by our crass modern world.

    There is something ethereal here in Portrait of Jennie that nearly defies description.

    Once read, they are never forgotten by the reader.

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