Metropolitan Stories, Christine Coulson
Metropolitan Stories, Christine Coulson
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Metropolitan Stories
A Novel

Author: Christine Coulson

Narrator: Jill Eikenberry

Unabridged: 4 hr 29 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/08/2019

Synopsis

From a writer who worked at the Metropolitan Museum for more than twenty-five years, an enchanting novel that shows us the Met that the public doesn’t seeHidden behind the Picassos and Vermeers, the Temple of Dendur and the American Wing, exists another world: the hallways and offices, conservation studios, storerooms, and cafeteria that are home to the museum’s devoted and peculiar staff of 2,200 people—along with a few ghosts.A surreal love letter to this private side of the Met, Metropolitan Stories unfolds in a series of amusing and poignant vignettes in which we discover larger-than-life characters, the downside of survival, and the powerful voices of the art itself. The result is a novel bursting with magic, humor, and energetic detail, but also a beautiful book about introspection, an ode to lives lived for art, ultimately building a powerful collage of human experience and the world of the imagination.

About Christine Coulson

Christine Coulson became a full-time writer following a twenty-five-year career at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she worked in the Development Office, the Director’s Office, and the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts. She is the author of Metropolitan Studies and the novel One Woman Show.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Cheryl on February 06, 2020

Did you know? The tunnels of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC is a hive of lifeless tunnels. The ceilings run the length of the museum with pipes and electrical wiring. "I didn't see another soul when I was down there. I only heard the buzzing of the fluorescAent lights above me. There were sta......more

Goodreads review by Chrissie on November 18, 2022

4.5 stars Coulson, having worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for 25 years, has written a brilliant collection of short stories focusing on a wide variety of art and aspects of the Met. Captured within each story is that little glimmer or spark that is the seed of understanding of and devotion t......more

Goodreads review by Natalia on December 28, 2021

In the beginning I struggled through the book because I couldn't figure out the author's basic principles. But once I'd made an extra effort and searched for C.Coulson's interview, I realized that she masterfully combined imaginary and real-life stuff, being absolutely loyal to Met's geography, spec......more

Goodreads review by Anna on January 10, 2020

A beautiful, gem of a book. Each chapter is a story in itself, but lightly connected to others so that the sum is greater than the parts. There's a beautiful humanity here: The art is taking care of the caregivers, just as they put their lives and heart into the art. And the two groups - the art and......more

Goodreads review by Darla on October 07, 2019

I am a great admirer of the Met, but have only visited twice -- not nearly enough times to truly appreciate this collection of short stories. Most certainly I have a greater admiration for this great museum after finishing this book and along with that greater knowledge of the collection and its his......more

Quotes

“Offers a witty, enjoyable look at the elegant and sometimes unhinged world that exists within its walls.” Town & Country magazine

“Vivid, comedic, tender, and episodic…Her love for the Met, for humanness, and for beauty radiant on each surprising page.” Booklist (starred review)

“Narrator Jill Eikenberry lends her gentle voice to these subtly humorous short stories…Eikenberry gives unique voices to antique chairs discussing their previous lives, muses slipping out of their paintings, custodians from the Bronx, and more…She offers just the right amount of attitude to the ‘mezz’ girls who serve guests at fundraising events and the two night security guards who tryst in the curator’s closet. The stories are a delight, made more so by Eikenberry’s splendid narration. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.” AudioFile

“The Met that emerges from these stories is both grandiose and cheerfully mundane…Those who think they know the place will be beguiled by the look behind the scenes; those unfamiliar with it will be prompted to make its acquaintance.” Publishers Weekly

“An alternative guidebook to [the Met’s] rich treasures.” Kirkus Reviews

“Gives us a book as kaleidoscopic and enchanting as the museum it brings so imaginatively to life. Witty, enthralling, and utterly original, this novel is a treasure.” Caroline Weber, Pulitzer Prize–winning author

“Written with elegance, wit, and a flair for comic genius, Metropolitan Stories describes the museum world as it is and as it strives to be. Coulson[‘s]…deep sense of human character make this not only a delightful book but also a deeply rewarding one.” Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon

“Only someone who deeply loves and understands the Metropolitan Museum could deliver such madcap, funny, magical, tender, intimate fables and stories. We are swept away in the museum. Beauty abounds. Yearning too. The art literally comes to life. And it makes perfect sense.” Maira Kalman, author of The Principles of Uncertainty

Awards

  • AudioFile Earphones Award
  • Town & Country Magazine Pick
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