THE DREAM COLLECTOR IBD

Sinopsi

'Meek never fails to stun and impress with his evocation of scenes and events, of sights and dialogue, and of peoplesâÇÖ reactions to them.' - HFC ReviewsThe Dream Collector immerses the reader into the exciting milieu of late 19th Century Paris when art and medicine were in the throes of revolution, art turning to Impressionism, medicine turning to psychology. In 1885, Julie Forette, a self-educated woman from Marseilles, finds employment at the infamous Salpêtriÿre, hospital and asylum to over five thousand disabled, demented and abandoned women, a walled city ruled by the famed neurologist and arrogant director, Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot.ááJulie Forette forms a friendship with the young, visiting intern Sigmund Freud who introduces her to the altering-conscious power of cocaine.áTogether they pursue the hidden potential of hypnotism and dream interpretation. After Freud receives the baffling case of the star hysteric, Sabrine Weiss, he is encouraged by Julie to experiment with different modes of treatment, including 'talking sessions.' Their urgent quest is to find a cure for Sabrine, Princess of the Hysterics, before Dr. Charcot resorts to the radical removal of her ovaries.ááIn Paris, Julie finds a passion for the new art emerging, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, and forms friendships with the major artists of the period, including Pissarro, Monet, and Degas. Julie becomes intimately involved with the reclusive Cezanne only to be seduced by the 'Peruvian Savage' Paul Gauguin.áJulie is the eponymous âÇÖDream CollectorâÇÖ collecting the one unforgettable, soul-defining dream of the major historical figures of the period.á'When R.w. Meek submitted his manuscript THE DREAM COLLECTOR for our contest I thought it was some sort of a joke. Not because it was badly written but because it was so well written - along the lines of George Saunders and Tolstoy!!áI was certain it was a literary friend posing as a contestant.áOur judges too said this was hands down the best submission we ever received in ten years of the Palm Beach Book Festival. A masterpiece in every sense of the word.' -áLois Cahall,ááFounder Palm Beach Book Festival.'Tribute mustábe paid to the obvious and clear literary skills of the author R.w. Meek and to his ability to invoke historic personages and the Belle Epoque he so evidently adores.' -áJulian de la Motte,áaward winning author of Senlac'It is difficult to describe The Dream Collector by R.w. Meek without resorting to clichés: 'A masterpiece!' 'A stunning achievement!' Those phrases, while true, can in no way convey the immersive power of MeekâÇÖsâÇÖ writing as his characters journey through 19th century Paris with its experimentations in both art and medicine, its debauchery and decadence, and the sheer, unbridled passion of its denizens. A brilliant storyteller, Meek has created a world you simply wonâÇÖt want to leave and will never forget.'á- Trish MacEnulty, Historical Fiction Author