From New York Times bestselling author Diane Chamberlain comes a novel of chilling intrigue, a decades-old disappearance, and one woman’s quest to find the truth… “A novel about arts and secrets…grippingly told…pulls readers toward a shocking conclusion.”–People magazine, Best New Books North Carolina, 2018: Morgan Christopher’s life has been derailed. Taking the fall for a crime she did … life has been derailed. Taking the fall for a crime she did not commit, her dream of a career in art is put on hold–until a mysterious visitor makes her an offer that will get her released from prison immediately. Her assignment: restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town. Morgan knows nothing about art restoration, but desperate to be free, she accepts. What she finds under the layers of grime is a painting that tells the story of madness, violence, and a conspiracy of small town secrets.
North Carolina, 1940:
Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, wins a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Alone in the world and in great need of work, she accepts. But what she doesn’t expect is to find herself immersed in a town where prejudices run deep, where people are hiding secrets behind closed doors, and where the price of being different might just end in murder.
What happened to Anna Dale? Are the clues hidden in the decrepit mural? Can Morgan overcome her own demons to discover what exists beneath the layers of lies?
“Chamberlain, a master storyteller, keeps readers hooked, with a story line that leavens history and social commentary with romance and mystery.”–Lexington Dispatch
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Big Lies in a Small Town was my second Diane Chamberlain book to read. I was fairly confident I would enjoy it, and I was right. My favorite historical fiction are those that take real events or people and create stories around them. Diane does an excellent job fleshing out the characters, the setting, and the plot. Sometimes having two different timelines within a book can become confusing and leave me disinterested, but the opposite happened with this story. The alternating timelines were brief but informative, urging me to keep turning pages. I loved how the story was slowly revealed through both timelines, but I was actually more intrigued by the story of Morgan, the character in the present timeline, which was a surprise. If you’re a fan of historical fiction or Diane Chamberlain, you will not want to miss this one!
I received an advance copy through Netgalley from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the back and forth time frame of this story as we followed Morgan Christopher and Anna Dale. It was easy to keep straight each narrative and storyline. The mystery around the art mural was enough to keep me drawn in and wanting to help solve it also. The setting of North Carolina sounded so beautiful and was great for this small town story.
I finished this book six days ago and have been trying to figure out how to write this review to do this book justice. Ms. Chamberlain has written a novel that intertwines the past and the present. In 1940, Anna Dale was chosen to paint a mural for the Post Office in Edenton, North Carolina. As Anna prepares and begins work on the mural, the town is split between those that love Anna’s work and those that believe the local artist should be the one doing painting the mural. In 2018, Morgan is in jail for something she did not do but wanted to protect her then boyfriend. When Lisa arrives at the jail with an offer that Morgan could not refuse, Morgan is smart and take her up on a restoration painting project, something Morgan has never done. As Morgan begins the restoration, the painting comes together square by square but with some really horrific details. As the restoration project is beginning to take shape and closer to completion, the writer tells Anna’s story at the same time. Everything comes together in the end nicely and with a wow factor. Thank you to Ms. Chamberlain, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Just awesome!
My first book by Diane Chamberlain was THE DREAM DAUGHTER and boy what a read that was. It was fantastic. But this one is even better. It hooked me from the very first and would not let go.
“YOU HAVE TO MAKE PEACE WITH THE PAST OR YOU CAN NEVER MOVE INTO THE FUTURE”(from this book)
This book is told from two different women in two different time periods.
Anna who won a contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. She is from New Jersey and has a lot to learn about Edenton. Not all pleasant either. Some of the people are hostile toward her. They don’t think she is the right one to paint the mural. After all they have a real artist who lives in their town. Anna needs a change as she is getting over the death of her mother. This setting is 1939 to 1940. She has no idea the tensions she is about to encounter either. The south was very full of prejudice at the time so she has to get use to this also.
Then we have Morgan, 2018. She is in prison for something she did not do. But no one believes her and she jumps at the chance to get out after a year to restore a mural for Lisa who is the daughter of Jesse Jameson Williams. She is on a tight deadline but it was her late father’s wish that Morgan be the one to restore the mural to it’s original state. Morgan knows nothing about restoration but is very willing to learn.
There are several characters in this story that you will come to love. They play a very pivotal role in Anna and Morgan’s lives. Each has a story to tell and it’s a good one. One that in the end will most likely blow you away. It did me. All hard work both of these young women put into their work is so touching. Morgan feels a connection to Anna, who goes missing, and wants to do all she can to find out what happened. Some things are harder than they seem though. Morgan feels guilty for what happened that sent her to prison even though it was not her fault. She feels like it was and she needs to come to terms with what happened.
This book is so full of wonderful writing. Such things that will keep you wondering what and why things happened. It’s descriptions are so realistic you will feel like you are actually there. Anna’s time period was way different than that of Morgan but each was told to perfection. It was like being in two places at once. I loved the characters in this book with the exception of one. You will know who he is when you read this book.
This book is so good you won’t forget it for a good long time. It’s one of the very few that I will want to read again. To me it’s just total perfection. Though at the very end I would have like to know one thing…..
Thank you #NetGalley, #DianeChamberlain, #StMartin’sPress for the eARC of this book. This is my review told from my very own opinions.
A BIG 5 stars and very high recommendation..
Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain
Intricately woven story that moves seamlessly between1940 and 2018 – I was captivated from the beginning and could not stop reading till the very end. The first scene had me wondering what had happened and though I did not find out immediately I learned in due time.
Two women brought together by one mural – one created it and one will restore it – both live for a time in the same small North Carolina town while working and both have life altering experiences.
What I liked:
* The way the story unfolds…I don’t usually like alternating chapters taking place in different eras but this worked seamlessly and was perfectly
* Anna – the woman from the North sent to the South to create a mural for the post office. She was so intelligent, focused and giving…really liked her
* Morgan – she had a tough life but was so willing to work hard and do things right. I enjoyed getting to know her and feel she has a future to be proud of…and a HEA to look forward to
* Jesse – in addition to being a superb artist he was a great friend and mentor to many
* Jesse’s family – I would love to have visited with more than one of them
* The idea of second chances
* Learning so much about murals – how they are painted and restored – almost makes me want to paint on in my own house
* Everything except what I did not like…
What I did not like:
* The bigotry, racism and male attitude in the 40’s (though not sure how much better it is now)
* The way Anna & Morgan were hurt by men
* Having to say goodbye to the characters at the end of the book
Did I enjoy this book? Definitely
Would I read more by this author? Without a doubt!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
I received the digital copy of this arc book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
The story is told through alternating timelines which explain how the past of one person influences the present of another person. Interesting story with details about the restoration of paintings.
In June 2018, Morgan Christopher has been an inmate attending AA meetings for a year when given an opportunity for parole. Although she was an art school drop out prior to her arrest in a complicated DUI accident, Morgan was chosen to restore a mural for a gallery opening. Lisa Williams is a busy real estate agent given specific instructions regarding conditions related to the estate. Much to her dismay, she accepts that her inheritance is in the hands of an untrained prison inmate.
Morgan feels overwhelmed and incompetent for such a major restoration of a mural for Jesse Jameson Williams, a renowned artist.
She soon realizes that her freedom and future of the Williams family rely on her ability to successfully complete this project within the narrow timeframe provided.
As Morgan learns about art restoration for the gallery opening in the Edenton, NC community, she discovers little known history regarding the 1940 unfinished mural. Anna Dale had been commissioned during the Depression to paint the mural in the local post office. She had been chosen after submitting her proposal for a government plan to honor select post offices with a themed mural.
It was December 1939 when Anna Dale who lived in Plainfield, NJ submitted her request to paint the mural for the Bordentown, NJ post office. Unfortunately the job was given to another artist but much to her surprise, she was contacted to submit a proposal for the Edenton, NC post office. Anna had endured a difficult childhood due to her mother’s health and having to live with aunt and uncle. When her mother dies Anna looks forward to working as an artist and the $720 payment for mural job.
Anna isn’t prepared for the skeptics and negativity regarding her being chosen for the job as a local artist was denied the honor. As much as Anna persevered through the pressure and harassment from locals, she was unable to complete the job. During Morgan’s research she uncovers the hidden truths from the past which provide her the importance of completing her mission.
I received a free ARC electronic copy of this excellent novel from Netgalley, Diane Chamberlain, and MacMillan, publisher. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my personal, honest opinion of this work. Big Lies in a Small Town is an exceptional tale, told very well. Another tale told in two timelines, both in the small town of Edenton, North Carolina. Diane Chamberlain puts you right there, that time, that place. She brings us both the good and the bad of that time and makes you understand why every generation of ‘Southern’ is so fondly remembered.
The United States Treasury Department, 48 States Mural Competition was a part of the New Deal Program set up by Franklin D. Roosevelt to help bridge the public through the depression in the 1930s. Many artists submitted their concept of a mural for their post office, touting the town and surrounding areas. Many small towns in the south competed in this New Deal competition. Some still have their murals on display in their post offices in 2020, and some have brought them back out in the 21st century. A lot of the artists awarded already had a fairly broad recognition in the arts. Not Anna – she was just beginning her journey into the arts and was already a step behind.
From the autumn of 1939, we peek into the life of Anna Dale, a just-graduated Yankee art student who recently lost her mother. Her New Deal submission was for her hometown of Bordertown, New Jersey, which had already been awarded to another New Deal artist, but her submission was well-liked by the judges, and she was awarded the mural for the Edenton, North Carolina Post Office. Now she would need to submit a new concept for Edenton, received approval from the committee overseeing the mural awards; make a black and white 6’x12′ paper cartoon of the concept and have a photo of that approved before she can begin the actual canvas mural. She drives herself to North Carolina, leaving her college slacks behind – this is the south, after all – to study the town and make her belated submission in the competition for Edenton. This competition could give her life purpose again – her newly-minted college degree in Art isn’t much help in a depression, the loss of her mother rides heavily on her shoulders and her muse is in hiding. But can she do this? All she is sure of is that she must try…
Those chapters taking place in the present time are told in the first person of Morgan Christopher, a young artist, a woman imprisoned after a DUI accident involving a pedestrian that left the young pedestrian paralyzed. Sentenced to one to three years jail time, Morgan is offered the chance to end her incarceration with the imminent completion of one year served if she will agree to begin restitution, remain under the supervision of a parole officer and an alcohol sensitive ankle bracelet, attend AA meetings frequently AND agree to do some work she is ‘uniquely qualified’ to do. She will receive a salary that will cover her living and court expenses, but there is a nearly impossible deadline for the completion of this work that if met satisfactorily will fulfill the requirements of her release and she will be paid fifty thousand dollars for the work. The problem is she has no idea who these people needing her help are, nor what she might be uniquely positioned to achieve… All she does know is that the artist, now deceased, offering this pass on more jail time is a man who’s work she is aware of and respects very much. But can she do this? All she is sure of is that she must try…
This is a fascinating story that goes back and forth between 1940 and the present time. Anna Dale, a talented artist is the winner of a 48-States Mural Competition.where her mural will be hung in the Edenton, North Carolina Post Office. Anna, age 22, goes to Edenton to become familliar with the area to determine what should be on the mural that will represent the town. She ends up staying and painting the mural there. The town welcomes her with mixed emotions; excited about the mural, surprised a woman won the competition, and very upset a local male artist didn’t win. Anna finds a place to live, the mayor of the town shows her a large warehouse that she can use for her studio, so she begins. She gets some help from students interested in art, from the local high school. One of the very talented students is a young black boy. There is much controversy over his presence at the studio, This is the South in 1940, and many don’t think young Jesse Jameson Williams should be in the studio with a white woman. Anna recognized a tremendous artistic talent and does what she can to encourage and teach him. Fast forward to the present time, when Morgan, a young women who had been an art at major in college ended up in prison for a terrible car accident when both she and her boyfriend were drunk. She is sentenced to three years, and has served one when she is unexpectedly released into the custody of Lisa Williams, the adult daughter of Jesse Jameson Williams, who recently died but specified in his will that Morgan would restore the mural that had never hung in the Post Office, but was to be hung in Jesse Jameson William’s art Gallery. The situations that both Anna and Morgan encountered kept me up, turning the pages of this book. It’s one of the most amazing, imaginative stories I have read.
Anna Dale.
Morgan considered the artist signature on the mural she was to restore, wondering how a promising young artist had ‘gone crazy’ and mysteriously disappeared.
Anna had won a contract through a WPA art competition to create a mural for the Edenton post office. Now, the mural was filthy and the paint was flaking after years in famed African American artist Jesse Jameson’s William’s closet. Morgan was out of prison early, named in Jesse’s will to restore the mural which would hang in the art gallery provided for in his will.
Morgan was not an established artist. She knew nothing about art restoration. She doubts her ability to meet the timeline.
Morgan is filled with guilt over the night when she and her boyfriend drank too much and their car struck a young woman.
The mural is filled with incongruous images: a motorcycle peaks from under ladies skirts, a lumberman holds a bloody hammer, skulls peer out from house windows. What had happened to Anna? Morgan delves into solving the mystery.
Readers learn about Anna’s Depression-Era Edenton and the violent acts that altered her life. And how Anna’s mural helps Morgan to learn her strengths, overcome her past, and embrace new relationships.
Big Lies in a Small Town was a quick-reading, engaging read, focusing on the challenges and resilience of two women, with a mystery to solve and a romance to blossom.
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
An engaging story with a dual timeline, present and 1940, that was very well written that kept me turning the pages. This story touches on many social topics in life, art, racism, abuse and mental health. With lots of secrets. lies and mystery you will not want to miss this book. Diane Chamberlain does not disappoint in her story telling. I highly recommend.
Told in the past and present, this book is about two young artists, Anna and Morgan, and a commissioned post office mural. I loved the writing and the flow of the story. Sometimes books told in the past and present can be clunky, but that was not the case. Diane Chamberlain does a beautiful job of intertwining two beautiful and well-researched stories. Both Anna and Morgan are strong leading characters who persevere with passion and grit.
This is my first book by Diane Chamberlain, but definitely not my last! It’s a great contemporary fiction read for people of all ages, and my favorite book of the year (so far ;)).
This story is told by two different narrators in two different time periods, Anna, set in 1940s and Morgan set in present day. Anna has been hired to create a mural for a small town post office. Morgan has been hired to restore this mural. As Morgan begins her restoration, she uncovers some serious idiosyncrasies within the painting. Well, of course this leads her to try and find out more about Anna.
Morgan is a character which cannot help but pull at your heartstrings. She has a past she is trying to overcome. She has been in prison for something she did not do. So this mural is her redeeming grace. She is determined to do the best job she can. But these peculiarities are just something she cannot over look. I enjoyed her tenacity and her warm heart.
Well, I am off to a fantastic start in 2020. Diane Chamberlain has tons of books. I have only read a handful. I did not discover her till a couple of years ago…WHY? How have I missed this author…I have no idea! BUT! I have completely fallen in love with her talent. She spins a tale like no other. This story is complex and totally engrossing. Need a good book to start your year off right…THIS IS IT!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
#BigLiesInASmallTown is a fascinating story, set in two timelines, in a small rural North Carolina town. It’s a cleverly woven story of the intertwined lives of Anna, the artist of a mural, painted decades ago, by a young unknown artist who disappears. The mural never hung in the town’s post office.
Years later, Morgan is released from prison, and given the specific task of restoring this badly damaged piece of art as a condition of early parole and to be the signature painting in a newly built Art Museum in that same rural town. She has has no knowledge or experience in art restoration and brings minimal artistic talent to the task.
#DianeChamberlin is a talented author that used her gifted research ability, to mesh their stories, as the rumors of tragedy surrounding the mural reveal the violence and the racism of the segregated South. But it’s also a story of resilience, strength and determination, as Morgan struggles to learn the art of restoration, and to do justice to this forgotten woman and her story.
As usual, this author has brought wonderful characters to this unique story and surprising conclusion.
My thanks to #NetGalley, #StMartin’sPress and #DianeChamberlin for the ARC.
All opinions are my own. I loved it and felt it was 5 star worthy.
BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN, Diane Chamberlain’s newest is set in Edenton, NC and told in a dual timeline: present day and 1940. Morgan Christopher is in jail for a crime she didn’t commit, but she feels just as guilty. When two women come to visit her and offer her a chance to get out of jail, she is hesitant, but willing. Especially when she finds that the offer is part of the will of her favorite artist and Edenton native, Jesse Jameson Williams. His bequest is “simple:” Morgan, a former art student, gets out of jail and restores a 70-year-old mural to be displayed in the lobby of the art museum that was his dream. If she does this by the opening date, she will get paid for it and have a chance to put her life back on track. Unsure of how she is going to accomplish this, she agrees. The mural, part of a government program and contest to promote jobs, was supposed to hang in Edenton’s Post Office upon completion, but never made it there. It’s not in great shape, and Morgan has an uphill battle to restore it with no experience. As she works, she uncovers more questions about the mural and the artist behind it. Morgan is determined to find out more about the artist and untangle the mystery behind why she never hung the mural or got her final pay. Did she really go crazy as the story went?
Twenty-two-year-old Anna Dale is just out of art school when she enters the government contest to create a mural for one of the local Pennsylvania Post Offices. While she isn’t chosen for that one, she impressed them enough to be chosen for one in Edenton, NC, but has to start over with an idea and design. With no job options on the horizon, and alone in the world, she accepts. Planning to drive down and stay for a couple days to get a feel for the town and an idea for a mural, the townspeople convince her to stay until it’s done, despite the disappointment that the hometown artist was passed over. Anna makes friends and welcomes the town into her process, including hoping to mentor local high school students who help her. When she also agrees to take on a African American student with talent, and gets to know his family, she starts to find out just how different life is in the South in 1940.
This was a wonderful novel. It pulled me in and dropped me into Edenton, NC in two different time periods, with two different women that were trying to get their lives on track. Chamberlain did an excellent job of creating characters that were interesting, three-dimensional, and flawed, but had you rooting for both of them. The story line was well-written and engrossing, and it kept me turning pages as all of my questions were answered at the perfect time, with an extremely satisfying ending. This was only my second experience with Chamberlain’s work, and, so far, she’s a can’t miss author. I can’t wait to free up some time to explore her backlist.
I really enjoyed BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN! This is a perfect read to cozy up with on a winter’s day or on a beach with a cold drink. It is one that shouldn’t be missed.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
#BigLiesinaSmallTown #StMartinsPress #DianeChamberlain
Count me a lucky girl! I just finished Diane Chamberlain’s “Big Lies in a Small Town”.
The story follows two women in two different time periods.
The chapters rotate between the two women. I have always had a problem with this type of book because I always feel like I am shifting gears. I understand why the author chose this format and I have to say it didn’t hamper this novel in my opinion. It was brilliant!
I learned the difference between an artist and an art restorer. They both take a lot of talent, use different skills and different perspectives.
It was longer in pages than I expected but, I flew through it and did not want it to end. I felt like it ended rather abruptly but, when I thought about it, I decided it was a perfect ending. I had all the information that I needed and indeed it was the perfect ending.
This is my first book by Diane Chamberlain and it won’t be my last. I like how she built the stories of both women and how I came to care for them both.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
The last book by Diane Chamberlain I read (listened to) was The Dream Daughter narrated by the fantastic Susan Bennett (more about her later), and it was so wonderful and magical that I was a little afraid that Big Lies in a Small Town couldn’t live up to my expectations. I needn’t have worried. Big Lies in a Small Town is another amazing book. When you look up “Diane Chamberlain” you should be pointed to “wonderful and magical.”
The story opens with twenty-two year old wannabe artist Morgan Christopher, serving a three-year prison sentence for a crime she didn’t commit, receiving visitors and being unexpectedly released from prison. The famous artist Jesse Jameson Williams has just died, and his will has some unusual stipulations: if Morgan can restore an old WWII post office mural in the little southern town of Edenton, North Carolina she can stay out of prison, and Jesse’s daughter Lisa can keep the family home. The deadline is short – only two months. Morgan knows who Jesse Jameson Williams was, but she has no idea of who Anna Dale, the original artist who created the mural was, and she is by no means an art restorer. But what she does know is that she can’t survive the last two years of her prison sentence. So of course she says, “Yep, I can do it,” and hopes for a miracle to help her figure it out in time. Lisa desperately wants the house she grew up in, with all its memories, and she pushes Morgan hard and with little compassion or understanding.
The action switches between 1940 and 2018 in Edenton. In 1940, twenty-two year old artist Anna Dale didn’t win the WWII WPA post office mural contest for the design she submitted for her local post office in New Jersey, but instead has been offered the chance to paint a mural in rural Edenton. Anna has just lost her mother, desperately needs a job, and has no direction for her life ahead, so she accepts the challenge. And what a challenge it turns out to be. Nothing has prepared her for how different 1940 North Carolina and 1940 New Jersey are, and those people that are different in 1940 North Carolina: different looks, different ideas, different perceived morals, different thoughts about what rules need to be followed, are not always welcome – or safe.
In 2018 Morgan has her own set of problems: an unsympathetic parole office who doesn’t really believe she didn’t commit the crime she was imprisoned for, a most unfriendly, unwelcoming host in Lisa Williams, who just wants the mural finished on time and keeps hanging the threat of a return to prison over Morgan’s head, and a job she has no idea how to do.
But as we learn more about these women and their experiences with this mural – the link between them – we start to care deeply about each of them. Both young, struggling to adjust to unfamiliar surroundings and demands they are not sure they can meet. Also, both strong and dedicated to doing the very best work they can do.
There are enough twists, turns, surprises and unknowns to keep you riveted to this irresistible novel. Anna makes some good friends, receives interest and admiration of her work from many of the townsfolk, meets a young man with incredible artistic promise and becomes totally dedicated to the completion of the mural as a work of art she can be proud of. She also experiences deceit, lies, resentment and violence from those who don’t think she fits in, don’t trust this Northerner, and resent the fact that the local artist with a young family to support didn’t win the contest. Morgan is all alone, too. Estranged from her family, not willing to return to the life that caused her troubles in the first place, terrified she won’t be able to complete this job. But she also makes some good friends, especially the curator of the soon-to-be-opened Jesse Jameson Williams museum, and as she uncovers layer after layer of debris from the mural becomes as dedicated as Anna Dale was to making it the best it can be.
As always in a novel by author Chamberlain, the story is full of brave characters. Brave in both large and small ways, set against sometimes unimaginable obstacles. The prose is beautiful and the words flow, the storyline pulls you in and makes you feel you are living in the time, with the people.
The history of the murals is an added bonus, adding authenticity and realism There are murals in what was once a post office in San Francisco. I first viewed them several years ago and thought they were beautiful and an interesting slice of history, but after finishing Big Lies in a Small Town I did some research and discovered controversy surrounded them as well, with people seeing what they perceived as hidden or unacceptable symbolism in the drawings, and demanding changes. Fascinating.
Thanks to author Diane Chamberlain for writing yet another fabulous book, and Macmillan Publishers/St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for providing an advance copy of Big Lies in a Small Town for my reading pleasure and honest review. I thoroughly recommend it! And Susan Bennett? I listened to an excerpt of the audio version of Big Lies in a Small Town with Susan Bennett as the reader. When she narrates one of Chamberlain’s books you can add “incredible” to “wonderful and magical.” I will be getting the audiobook as soon as it is available.
First, thank you so much to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the chance of reading this book. It will be a top read for me this year.
Big Lies in a Small Town was such a treat to read. Each chapter and the details included were very intentional. It was a slow build up of a mystery that had never been solved. Not only did we have questions of a mystery, but we had a bit of history as well. It was fantastically done and the characters were superb. I found myself totally intrigued with the small town and the characters that surrounded the “main” characters.
This book is told in two character’s POV. Anna’s POV is from the 1940’s. She was a talented, albeit young (and a woman) artist that had been picked to create a Post Office mural for a place that was not her home. Her art spoke for itself and she was chosen from many entrants. Unfortunately, the fact that she isn’t a resident of the town and she is a woman does not sit well with some of the local townfolk. While there she becomes close to a few locals and takes on a couple high school students as her “interns”. One of those interns is a man by the name of Jesse Jameson Williams. He is a man of color, but she sees the talent in him. Their friendship and their connection absolutely touched me. Especially told from this time in America.
-‘She didn’t want to save him. She just wanted him to have the same chance as everyone else.’
The second POV is in the present from a woman named Morgan. She is a woman that has made some poor decisions in life, but ended up in a place she never thought she would be. She had been wronged my many people in life. But when she is given the chance at freedom by a famous artist that is recently deceased, she can’t help but take it. Even if it means diving into a project that is so beyond her talent. She has been picked for a reason, but how was she chosen? Why her? Why now?
“You have to make peace with the past or you can never move into the future.”
This story is beautiful, even in it’s darkness. It’s about two women and their redemption in life. It’s about a man that could give others a second chance. It’s about the people you surround yourself with and the goodness in people. I was completely drawn in from the beginning of chapter one. I was invested in learning more about Morgan, more about Anna and more about Jesse. What was their connection? How was art going to play a role in everyone’s life? It wasn’t a heart pounding page turner, but a page turner where you wanted to know answers. Where you wanted to put the connections together and understand the history. Where you wanted everyone to find their peace.
Diane Chamberlain told this story from the past and present and focused on two females and their lives. She held me captive and made me a part of these character’s lives for a few hours. The story flowed well and it worked within the scope of the timeline. I loved the side characters and I enjoyed everyone’s side stories. The good, the bad and the ugly. It all made up them.
I would definitely recommend this book to others. It has a little bit of everything. From mystery, history, art and even a bit of romance. There is something for everyone in this book and it is all written well. Come take a chance on this small town book that will leave you feeling a part of the story.
Wow. Just wow. This was an intriguing and definitely emotion read that took me on a journey of pain and suffering, loneliness and growth and finally acceptance of a past you can’t change and the healing that comes with it. Well written with characters full of life that leap off the pages and a storyline I could not put down. It sucked me in and would not let go, even after the last page. I want to know more! Five star read for me!
This book was not at all what I expected and I am so glad that I picked it up! This story is told from two different viewpoints and in two different time periods. The modern day story not only focuses on Morgan but also on her discovering the mystery of Anna and her life. While the story set in the 1930’s is Anna’s story. This story immediately pulled me and I couldn’t wait to discover Anna’s secret. Overall an enjoyable work of historical fiction but with the added bonus of a mystery. I only wish there had been a few more pages at the end to see how things worked out with Morgan but I guess the author left what happened up to the reader’s imagination.
Oh. My. Gosh! This was such an amazing story. I loved everything about it. Diane has a way with words that can create an interesting world, a world with unforgettable characters and fabulous story lines.
The mural that Morgan is working on, the mural that got her out of prison, is a puzzle to another woman’s life. As Morgan restores the mural, the reader learns about Anna Dale and the life she lived, not all of it good or easy, by any means. I loved watching her story unravel and having it be revealed to us.
Diane Chamberlain writes such engrossing stories and this is one that will definitely go to the top of my list of ‘must-read’ recommendations.