The Marriage of Opposites
“A luminous, Marquez-esque tale” (O, The Oprah Magazine) from the New York Times bestselling author of The Museum of Extraordinary Things: a forbidden love story set on a tropical island about the extraordinary woman who gave birth to painter Camille Pissarro—the Father of Impressionism.
Growing up on idyllic St. Thomas in the early 1800s, Rachel dreams of life in faraway Paris. Rachel’s mother, a pillar of their small refugee community of Jews who escaped the Inquisition, has never forgiven her daughter for being a difficult girl who refuses to live by the rules. Growing up, Rachel’s salvation is their maid Adelle’s belief in her strengths, and her deep, life-long friendship with Jestine, Adelle’s daughter. But Rachel’s life is not her own. She is married off to a widower with three children to save her father’s business. When her older husband dies suddenly and his handsome, much younger nephew, Frédérick, arrives from France to settle the estate, Rachel seizes her own life story, beginning a defiant, passionate love affair that sparks a scandal that affects all of her family, including her favorite son, who will become one of the greatest artists of France.
“A work of art” (Dallas Morning News), The Marriage of Opposites showcases the beloved, bestselling Alice Hoffman at the height of her considerable powers. “Her lush, seductive prose, and heart-pounding subject…make this latest skinny-dip in enchanted realism…the Platonic ideal of the beach read” (Slate.com). Once forgotten to history, the marriage of Rachel and Frédérick “will only renew your commitment to Hoffman’s astonishing storytelling” (USA TODAY).
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The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman
365 pages
What’s it about?
This book begins in the early to mid 1800’s on the island of St. Thomas. It follows the life of Rachel Pomie and her family. It is a work of historical fiction based loosely on the life of Rachel Monsanto Pomie Petit Pizzarro. In real life, Camille Pissarro is a famous painter and the son of Rachel Pizzarro. He begins painting in his youth in St. Thomas and eventually makes his way to Europe where he is a contemporary of Cezanne, Degas and Renoir, among others. This is the imagined story of his family.
What did I think?
I loved “The Dovekeepers” and think Alice Hoffman is a gifted writer. This novel does not disappoint. It was less complex and easier to read than “The Dovekeepers”. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I learned so much about the island of St. Thomas- its’ customs and traditions. Her descriptions of the island were enchanting. The Pizzarro family is Jewish, and that fact played a significant role in the book. This just adds another layer as the story progresses.
Should you read it?
This is a great book for those of you who like historical fiction. Alice Hoffman is so well thought of, that on the cover of my book her name is 5 times as big as the actual title of the book. For an author this must be the ultimate compliment.
Quote-
"I no longer cared if my mother disliked me. I didn’t understand that when I closed myself to her, I took a part of her bitterness inside me. It was green and unforgiving, and as it grew it made me more like her. It gave me my strength, but it gave me my weakness as well.”
Question-
Did you like the character of Rachel?
If you like this try-
Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yunique
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
Molokai by Alan Brennert
The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman
365 pages
What’s it about?
This book begins in the early to mid 1800’s on the island of St. Thomas. It follows the life of Rachel Pomie and her family. It is a work of historical fiction based loosely on the life of Rachel Monsanto Pomie Petit Pizzarro. In real life, Camille Pissarro is a famous painter and the son of Rachel Pizzarro. He begins painting in his youth in St. Thomas and eventually makes his way to Europe where he is a contemporary of Cezanne, Degas and Renoir, among others. This is the imagined story of his family.
What did I think?
I loved “The Dovekeepers” and think Alice Hoffman is a gifted writer. This novel does not disappoint. It was less complex and easier to read than “The Dovekeepers”. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I learned so much about the island of St. Thomas- its’ customs and traditions. Her descriptions of the island were enchanting. The Pizzarro family is Jewish, and that fact played a significant role in the book. This just adds another layer as the story progresses.
Should you read it?
This is a great book for those of you who like historical fiction. Alice Hoffman is so well thought of, that on the cover of my book her name is 5 times as big as the actual title of the book. For an author this must be the ultimate compliment.
Quote-
"I no longer cared if my mother disliked me. I didn’t understand that when I closed myself to her, I took a part of her bitterness inside me. It was green and unforgiving, and as it grew it made me more like her. It gave me my strength, but it gave me my weakness as well.”
Question-
Did you like the character of Rachel?
If you like this try-
Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yunique
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
Molokai by Alan Brennert
Historical fiction based on the life of the painter Camille Pissarro and his family (which I didn’t know when I started reading the book, based on a recommendation). I give it 4 starts but I feel more like a 3.5. I was mesmerized by Rachel’s story in the first part of the book. All her struggles and feelings, so not to fit the mold of what was expected of her during the time she lived. Her connection with other characters, her love story. When the book changes and concentrates on the experiences of her son, Camille (referred to as Jacobo before he goes to study in France) I felt that the book was dragging a little, and I had a harder time staying with it. Maybe I found young Rachel’s experiences more interesting. On a final note, I found astonishing Rachel’s reaction to Camille’s love interest after all she went through herself.
Novela de ficción Histórica basada en la vida del pintor Camille Pissarro (algo que no sabía cuándo empecé a leer el libro que alguien me recomendó). Le doy 4 estrellas aunque realmente creo que 3.5 refleja mas lo que me ha gustado. Me fascinó la historia de Rachel en la primera parte del libro. Todos sus sentimientos y luchas para no caer en el patrón de lo que se espera de ella en la época que le tocó vivir, su conexión con otros personajes, su historia de amor. Cuando el libro cambia y se concentra en la experiencias de su hijo Camille (al que llaman Jacobo antes de ir a estudiar a Francia), el libro me resulta más pesado y me ha constado mas leerlo. A lo mejor es que he encontrado las experiencias de la joven Rachel más interesantes. Como apunte final, me sorprende la reacción de Rachel a la relación amorosa de su hijo, después de todo lo que ella tuvo que pasar.
Novela de ficción Histórica basada en la vida del pintor Camille Pissarro (algo que no sabía cuándo empecé a leer el libro que alguien me recomendó). Le doy 4 estrellas aunque realmente creo que 3.5 refleja mas lo que me ha gustado. Me fascinó la historia de Rachel en la primera parte del libro. Todos sus sentimientos y luchas para no caer en el patrón de lo que se espera de ella en la época que le tocó vivir, su conexión con otros personajes, su historia de amor. Cuando el libro cambia y se concentra en la experiencias de su hijo Camille (al que llaman Jacobo antes de ir a estudiar a Francia), el libro me resulta más pesado y me ha constado mas leerlo. A lo mejor es que he encontrado las experiencias de la joven Rachel más interesantes. Como apunte final, me sorprende la reacción de Rachel a la relación amorosa de su hijo, después de todo lo que ella tuvo que pasar.
B
Took me FOREVER to finish this book. I read several other books while trying to finish this one. Perhaps the font was too small in the paperback I had, but I'm not sure. The writing style was a little too dry for me. The story has multiple characters across generations with many POV- but mainly mother then son. The plot was interesting, but took time to get into.
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