Lives of the Artists

MARY AND ALEX have attained the pot of gold at the end of the dot-com rainbow. Wealthy beyond their wildest dreams, the thirtysomething Seattle couple is now free to do whatever they wish.That means pursuing the artistic vocations they always felt more suited to—writing for Mary and painting for Alex—in the intoxicatingly inspirational setting of Florence. But then Tom, their newly unemployed, recently mugged and always lost-soul of a friend, comes to stay with them, ostensibly seeking his own artistic outlet. Befriended by their famous neighbor, a bawdy expat American writer, and adopted by an Italian street child, Mary and Alex discover that freedom is indeed another word—but for what? Lives of the Artists is a compelling portrait of the complex relationship between art and ideas; an exploration of love and the way it shapes our purpose, our past and our present; and a recounting of the tragedy and comedy that often befall those who search for la vita bella. A novel crafted with clean and classic style, sensual and often funny, this is a modern story for discerning lovers of literary fiction.

“Delightful to read…Clark excels at the light touch. He gives his characters beauty and ease, and perhaps even genius.” The Vancouver Sun

“An engaging read…Well written and riddled with intricate interior monologues, literary discussions and social frameworks.” The Globe and Mail

“In an inferior novelist’s hands, the story of a thirtysomething Seattle couple, suddenly rich from the 2000 dot-com boom might collapse into cliche or utter reader indifference.… But Clark is not an inferior novelist [and] takes a 330-page run at examining some of the human consequences of the the dot-com hubris. The result is a revealing, probing look at some of the improbably rich people from America’s most recent gold rush.” The Oregonian