... dazzling and timely ... In Darznik’s capable hands, Lange feels as real as you or me, and her story, even the fictional bits, brings her legacy to life. Even better, the author is able to find sharp, eerie similarities between her characters’ lives and current events, but her exploration of those is never heavy-handed or overdrawn --- which, of course, makes them all the more horrifying. From Anti-Asian racism to the Spanish Flu and even Fake News, Darznik reminds us that history does indeed repeat itself, all while providing her readers with the perfect role models to make sure that we fall on the right side of history, no matter the issue ... a spellbinding and captivating portrayal of post-earthquake San Francisco, the lives of artists and the power of female friendships.
... a believable portrait of Lange as an impressionable 23-year-old from Hoboken, New Jersey, arriving in San Francisco in 1918, lame from a childhood bout with polio and almost penniless ... The strength of The Bohemians is not only the deep sense of Lange’s development as a socially aware artist, but also how Darznik interweaves the political tenor of the time, most importantly anti-Asian prejudice and laws and the encroaching Depression ... she has also illuminated some pivotal moments in California’s history that fold into our present.
To read this book today is an unsettling reminder of just how much history repeats itself ... It is in this historical moment that Darznik aims to show us how Dorrie from New Jersey becomes the famous Farm Security Administration photographer Dorothea Lange. She doesn’t do a very good job at it. The author is strongest at describing Lange’s often horrific childhood, but as the book progresses, it feels more and more like historical fiction lite ... Though Lange would ultimately go on to take some of the most arresting images of Depression-era America, that part of her life isn’t covered in The Bohemians. Darznik never manages to get into the mind of Lange, who I am reasonably sure never said something as banal as 'to take a truly good picture you have to learn to see, not just look' ... It’s far too common for female protagonists in historical fiction to come off as wide-eyed and plucky heroines, even if they’re not ... I was waiting for writing that would bring the area, its history and its denizens to life. We never get a sense of what had to be a notoriously lawless and rowdy place. It all feels oddly sanitized, as if Darznik’s book had been censored by San Francisco’s then-Mayor James Rolph, who infamously crusaded against prostitution, alcohol and homosexuality.
... succeeds on all levels ... Lange’s background—her upbringing, devastation by polio, and painful marriage—and the effect on her photography are likewise engrossing ... Modern echoes abound in a city under a pall of economic turmoil and racial disharmony advanced by politicians for their own ends as well as the global influenza pandemic. Darznik has created an arresting portrait of two women set before an illuminating backdrop. Lange would be proud.
Historical fiction readers will treasure this engaging story peppered with notable figures from Lange’s circle of friends, including D. H. Lawrence, Ansel Adams, Maynard Dixon, and Frida Kahlo. Darznik deftly depicts Lange’s transformation into a renowned photographer, as well as the blatant prejudice that Caroline encounters because of her Chinese lineage.
Darznik is adept at depicting Dorothea’s evolving worldview as well as San Francisco a decade after the earthquake, a 'world of raw possibility,' especially for women artists (at least until they marry). Less successful are the novel’s largely superfluous closing chapter and epilogue, which gloss over the following decades of Lange’s life and more familiar photographic work. Still, Darznik’s rich and rewarding introduction to Lange’s early milieu makes this worthwhile.
... captivating ... Dorothea Lange springs to life .. Darznik, with a keen eye to history, weaves real artists and historic events into an engaging story of struggle and success. Though the book is set more than 100 years ago, it feels powerfully contemporary ... A powerful novel about a woman who shuns convention to follow her passion.
