Book of the Day: Les Tres Riches Heures de Mrs. Mole by Ronald Searle by Chris Hall - Wednesday, Jan 25, 2012 at 9:17am Les Tres Riches Heures de Mrs. Mole is a touching book. There is almost no text in it at all yet the drawings are no less profound for their silence.

On New Year's Eve 1969, Monica Searle was diagnosed with a rare and virulent form of breast cancer. Each time she underwent treatment, Ronald Searle produced a Mrs Mole drawing 'to cheer every dreaded chemotherapy session and evoke the blissful future ahead'. Filled with light and illuminated in glowing colours, the drawings speak of love, optimism and hope. Like the medieval illuminated manuscripts such as the 15th-century Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, to which the title of this book refers, the 47 drawings are on an intimate scale and were never intended for publication. The story of Monica's survival against the odds and the part played by the encouragement of her husband will move many people who have either experienced cancer for themselves or been affected through a close family member or friend.

The drawings in this book are truly moving. I encourage you to have a look when you get a chance.

Categories: New Releases, Book of the Day

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