The story of a famous abstract painter at the end of her life–her family, her art, and the long-buried secrets that won’t stay hidden for much longer. Ninety-three-year-old Violet Swan has spent a lifetime translating tragedy and hardship into art, becoming famous for her abstract paintings, which evoke tranquility, innocence, and joy. For nearly a century Violet has lived a peaceful, private … a peaceful, private life of painting on the coast of Oregon. The “business of Violet” is run by her only child, Francisco, and his wife, Penny. But shortly before Violet’s death, an earthquake sets a series of events in motion, and her deeply hidden past begins to resurface. When her beloved grandson returns home with a family secret in tow, Violet is forced to come to terms with the life she left behind so long ago–a life her family knows nothing about.
A generational saga set against the backdrop of twentieth-century America and into the present day, Pale Morning Light with Violet Swan is the story of a girl who escaped rural Georgia at fourteen during World War II, crossing the country alone and broke. It is the story of how that girl met the man who would become her devoted husband, how she became a celebrated artist, and above all, how her life, inspired by nothing more than the way she imagined it to be, would turn out to be her greatest masterpiece.
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This is a dual timeline book. I typically enjoy this type of book. However, the back-and-forth is not even which is not as appealing. In addition, the story is shared from multiple points of view. Violet’s life is built around secrets and all the flaws and mistakes that entails. You will enjoy the journey through the pages via Violet’s voice.
Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
I received a free electronic ARC of this novel from Netgalley, Deborah Reed, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt – Mariner Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am happy to recommend Deborah Reed to friends and family. She writes a tight tale with interesting and varied protagonists and her descriptive passages take you there.
Violet Swan is a very self-contained, secretive 93-year-old widow, a successful artist with a very small family, close physically but with relationships beginning to fray at the seams. Violet, who is from Georgia, has been since she was about 18 a resident of the small coastal Oregon town of Nestucca Beach. Everyone misses her husband Richard, every day of the twenty years he’s been gone. Her son Frank and his wife Penny live downstairs in Violet’s home, while she spends most of her time upstairs in her studio and apartment. Frank has taken Richard’s place is promoting and representing Violet’s much-in-demand work. Grandson Daniel has been for too long making his way up the film production ladder in Los Angeles. Penny is visibly unhappy and stressed out, seriously considering returning to the realtor workforce she belonged to before Daniel was born, and perhaps just moving on. Frank is always checking the world news, always angry, often sad. Violet is failing physically and second-guessing her lifelong habit of keeping all of her secrets to herself – some of the things that formed her life and personality were not even known by her beloved Richard. And everything seems to come to a head with the earthquake.
Frank is injured when a spice shelf falls during the quake and cuts his head and has to have several stitches. Daniel is compelled to make the often postponed trip home to check on every one and share the surprise he has been hinting at for some time and to again encourage Violet to allow him to do a film of her life story while there is still time. Only Violet knows just how limited that time really is. And Daniel’s surprise is a doozie – Danielle is three years old, speaking French but learning English quickly, a bright, sparkling child with the face of her Grandfather Richard. Her mother, a one-night-stand while Daniel was in France, is currently in jail and has given Richard full uncontested custody of Dani. And there is something screwy with the DNA results Daniel received when proving his paternity of Dani. That child is just the catalyst needed to bring this family back around to the focus of being a family. Will it be enough to convince Violet to share her life story with her family and fans?
Secrets. Children who don’t really know their parents. Parents who don’t really know their children. Trauma, consciously forgotten or unspoken, eating their souls.
Ninety-one-year-old Violet Swan’s secret was not just the cancer killing her; guilt had dogged her life since a girl. A fire had killed her beloved father and sister. Evil men took advantage of the unprotected child. She escaped, a teenage vagabond crossing the country to the West Coast, pursuing a fragile dream of finding her place in the world.
Violet became famous for her abstract paintings. She lived in her art studio tower, her loving husband Richard protecting her solitude and running her business.
Their son Frank (Francisco, named for Francisco Goya) grew up imprisoned in himself, his silence smothering his marriage, his dutiful wife growing increasingly resentful. Their son Daniel had loved his Grand, Violet, but also felt his father’s distance and had stayed away from home for years, living in LA as a filmmaker.
An earthquake begins the story, a premonition of the changes that will shake their relationships nearly to the breaking point. Daniel returns home bearing a secret. Violet finally agrees to allow her grandson to make a film interview; she will spill her secrets at last.
Deborah Reed saturates Pale Morning Light with Violet Swan with visual details, seen through an artist’s eye. Music and literature enrich Violet’s life.
Violet’s story is unravelled throughout the novel, lending an urgency to keep reading, like a mystery novel; we want to understand the intricacies of life experiences that have brought this family to crisis.
I will warn that Violet’s life includes trigger events. Violet is a survivor, a resilient woman. She finds salvation in the beauty of this world and in her art that endeavors to capture it.
Frank is mired in anger, addicted to television news. “How on earth was a person supposed to live a normal life?” he wonders, in despair.
Into their lives comes a small child and she changes everything and everyone.
An ordinary happiness runs through me…This is everything beautiful, this is love. Are you listening? Do you hear?~from Pale Morning Light with Violet Swan by Deborah Reed
I was very taken by this novel that glows under Reed’s capable hands and beautiful writing.
I was given access to a free ebook by the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
Sorting Out a Long Life
This is a very cerebral story that wraps around a small family. The grandmother is 92 years old and at the end of life. Her son and his wife live in the same house but are a bickering couple. Their son is 35 years old and has come home for a visit. The story wraps around in the minds of each of them. It is a fairly dark tale. I did not find it enjoyable at all until the last 100 pages. At that point, it all came together, made sense and I smiled. But, it was a long road to get there. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
This book was just okay to me. It took me awhile to get it read, just because it wasn’t that interesting to me. I thought it would be but it just didn’t do anything for me. I kept finding other things to do than read this book. The characters were developed and grew, but I wasn’t invested in them. This is just my opinion and others loved the book. You may be enjoy it, but I can’t recommend it as a must read. It comes out June 16, 2020.
Thanks to Netgalley for the Kindle version.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for writing an impartial review. Scheduled publication – October 6, 2020.
The first thing I have to acknowledge is that I wanted to read this book because I recently began taking art lessons and thought a novel about an artist would coincide nicely with my budding interest. Unfortunately, despite this being a moderately short book (288 pages), it took me more than two weeks to finish it. That’s because whenever I wanted to sit down and read, I just never felt like picking this one up. I simply didn’t find the story very compelling.
At its center is Violet Swan — a successful and still-working artist, an older widow, but in declining health. She lives on the West Coast near the ocean, on the second floor of a home with her 65 year old son, Frank, and daughter-in-law (Penny) below. Her closest relationship is with her grown grandson, Daniel, a filmmaker living in Los Angeles.
Theirs is a family full of tension. Frank and Penny’s relationship is strained. Violet’s relationship with Frank is awkward. The shadow of Violet’s much-loved, late husband hangs over everyone. And Violet has her own troubled past that is only SLOWLY revealed as you progress through the book. There are various types of family dysfunction, some mental illness, and plenty of personal secrets long buried. What begins to bring all of them to light is Daniel’s desire to make a documentary about his famous grandmother — something Violet has, up until now, refused to do.
A lot of promise here, right? But for me, it never quite came together. Aside from assorted references to obscure names of colors, it really isn’t very much about an artist’s life. The main characters are distinct and fully drawn and do develop and grow as the family secrets are exposed. But I found I didn’t really care much about any of them. So, I don’t feel like I can strongly recommend this book, though if you look at other reviews, there are many others who enjoyed the book more than I did.
Wow! I loved this! It was a beautifully written story of fictional artist Violet Swan, told in present day and flashing back to her youth until by the end of the novel when Violet is 93 years old you know all that Violet has experienced and what has influenced her. Written from various points of view (Violet, her daughter-in-law, grandson, and son) the novel has both dimension and perspective that kept me turning the pages. What made it so amazing was the accomplished writing style and tone, as well as the skillful depiction of Violet’s life. She was a woman determined to paint no matter where she was or what was happening. Adding depth to the novel is her family and their relationships with her and with each other. Violet seemed so real I had to remind myself that while her paintings were inspired by the great works of artist Agnes Martin, this is a work of fiction. Themes of family, mothers, and forgiveness are woven throughout. I’ve added this to my list of favorites, and I encourage you to read this book.
Thanks to NetGalley & publisher Mariner Books for a digital advance reader’s copy. All comments and opinions are my own.