The follow-up to Susan Gloss’s successful debut, Vintage, is a charming mid-western story of artists, inspiration, and how to reinvent your life with purpose and flair.Nell Parker has a PhD in Art History, a loving husband named Josh, and a Craftsman bungalow in Madison, WI. But her last pregnancy ended later in the second trimester, and rather than pausing to grieve, she pushes harder for … pushes harder for testing and fertility treatments. Urging Nell to apply for jobs, Josh believes his wife needs something else to focus on other than a baby that may never be.
Finding a job turns out to be difficult for an art historian . . . until Nell sees the ad seeking a director for a new nonprofit called the Mansion Hill Artists’ Colony. The colony is the brainchild of the late, unconventional society dame Betsy Barrett, who left behind her vast fortune and a killer collection of modern art to establish an artist-in-residency program to be run out of her lakeside mansion. The executor of Betsy’s estate simply hands Nell a set of house keys and wishes her luck, leaving her to manage the mansion and the eccentric personalities of the artists who live there on her own.
Soon one of the artists, a young metal sculptor named Odin, is keeping the other residents awake with his late-night welding projects. Nell is pretty sure that Annie, a dreadlocked granny known for her avant garde performance pieces, is dealing drugs out of the basement “studio.” Meanwhile Paige, an art student from the university, takes up residence in the third-floor turret, experimenting with new printing and design techniques, as well as leading a string of bad boyfriends upstairs when she stumbles home late at night.
Despite all the drama, Nell finds something akin to a family among the members of the creative community that she’s brought together. And when her attraction to Odin begins to heat up, Nell is forced to decide what will bring her greater joy—the creative, inspired world she’s created, or the familiar but increasingly fragile one of her marriage.
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Driven by an eclectic mix of characters navigating dreams, disappointments, and second chances, THE CURIOSITIES is, at its heart, a celebration of creativity, self, and finding your own way. Thoroughly satisfying, from the first page to the last!
The Curiosities is a beautifully written story of loss, grieving and moving on. Susan Gloss expertly weaves loss, promiscuity, the opioid crisis and vintage antiques into a highly engaging, emotional page turner!
The Curiosities is beautifully written story of five interesting characters. Betsy has left her art collection and home in trust to start an artist in residence program. Nell has suffered a great loss and has become the director of the colony. Odin, Paige and Annie are the three interesting and eclectic artists in residence that Betsy hand picked before she died. Each of the artists has their own story of loss, grief and hardship. Their story is told in alternating chapters with Nell and Betsy. I like how each of their stories comes together at the end. How people so unlike in age, personalities, and backgrounds can come together for a cause and support one another. The ending to this story is perfect and I hated the book to send. Thank you to Susan Gloss, the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book and this is my honest opinion. A must read.
The beauty of what Susan Gloss has created on these pages subtly snuck up on me and, by the end, I was in awe of it. She tells five distinct & interesting stories, interwoven together in chapters narrated by each character. I loved all the treasures, big and small, throughout – the artwork, the photos, the sculptures, the globes & maps, the cool puzzle box, and more. They spoke to that part of me that spends time browsing in small, independent gift shops and in museums & antiques malls. And, Betsy’s story includes one the best wedding proposal scenes that I’ve ever read! I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it!
THE CURIOSITIES is beautifully written and richly detailed. Susan Gloss deftly transports you to an artist colony in Madison, Wisconsin and introduces you to a cast of characters who overlap and intertwine, yet stand on their own. The story is alluring and familiar with its friendships, loves, and heartbreaks, and at the same time it’s fresh and new exploring these human conditions from unusual angles. Just enough smiles from this story, and plenty of tears. Don’t sit down to read without tissues — but it’s not a depressing story. Quite the contrary, it offers hope.
This is an exquisite book about the resilience of the human spirit. Nell takes a job as the director of an artist colony that is left in a trust by Betsy Barrett. There are three artists in residence, Paige, Annie and Odin. This is their story. Each chapter is told in the alternating voices of each character. To me, this worked beautifully. I felt that I knew each character and they captivated me. The characters are superbly developed and true to life. I could feel their grief, pain and hope. This is a book about the intricate bonds that tie us together as human beings. It is about letting people in despite our flaws. It is about pain, loss and grief and how together we can heal. We just have to let people in. This book touched me on such a deep level. I absolutely loved this book. I would like to leave you with my favorite quote: “Art is like life. It’s fragile, but that doesn’t mean you should never take a risk.” Highly recommended read.
#tallpoppyblogger #tallpoppywriter
The Curiosities is very well written and I was immediately at ease with the characters and the story. Nell finds herself thrown into the dream of another woman, becoming the director of an artist’s colony. It’s a way for her to move on with her life. As Nell’s life becomes intertwined with the three artists, who are the first residents of the colony, she also discovers a lot about herself.
All three of the artists bring a unique aspect to the overall story-line, each with their own quirky personalities and their own story. It was interesting to learn how they got to this place in their lives. And where they were going to go from here.
The Curiosities is a story that will stay with me as the characters, and their experiences, were very memorable. This was an amazing introduction to a new-to-me author and I’m excited to read more of Susan’s stories.
A study of loss and grief, healing and joy, The Curiosities by Susan Gloss was a stunning tapestry. Separate stories are woven together to show different character and their struggles and how their stories intersect as three artists come to reside at the newly formed artist colony run by Nell after the benefactor, Betsy, passes away. Gloss introduces characters who proved themselves to be delightfully flawed and genuine. Each of the characters was from a different background or stage in life and yet they came together into familial unit thanks to the artist colony and Betsy’s legacy.
Readers are exposed to Nell’s profound grief after she is informed that the latest round of IVF didn’t work. After losing their daughter early in her pregnancy, Nell’s life has revolved around her grief and the dream of having a child with her husband. The stark, raw feelings described by Gloss with Nell’s voice was heart-wrenching. Nell’s relationship with her husband has slowly started to dwindle, especially once she starts hiding the mounting debt related to the three failed rounds of IVF. Debt looming, Nell decides to enter the workforce and secures a job directing an artist residence established by the late Elizabeth “Betsy” Barrett.
Betsy, the founder of the artist colony, was by far my favorite character. I adored the flashbacks that introduced readers to snippets of her very full life and would be perfectly happy to read solely about her life and travels. I admired her commitment to living life for herself and not folding into the stereotypical wife role of the time (homemaker and children).
Gloss included immense growth in her characters, but I was a little disappointed in the growth of Odin. We see it reflected in his work during the joint art show but I missed the growth that proceeds the light bulb moment that I detected in the other characters. This may be a sign that I didn’t really connect with his character.
Ultimately, I felt content when the book came to a close. Everything felt wrapped up and even hopeful for all of the characters that stumbled their way through their own trials and tribulations. I highly recommend other readers delve into this emotional story. You won’t be disappointed. As for me, I will be moving Susan Gloss’s book Vintage onto my ever-growing TBR pile.
I received an advanced copy of this book; all opinions are my own.
The Curiosities is a beautifully written tale told from five different perspectives, woven together to create a stunning piece of art. Gloss brings together characters that wouldn’t usually come together, but end up fitting together like the pieces of a puzzle. Elizabeth “Betsy” Barrett had lived her life on her terms, and, with no family, by choice, she wanted to leave a legacy. A woman who loved art, she created an Artists’ Colony, a residency program where artists can live and concentrate on creating without worrying about the mundane aspects of life. Before she died, Betsy hand-picked the first three artists in the residency, and each comes with their own baggage. Nell has her own problems and emotional baggage. Needing a change of direction, she finds herself hired as director of the residency program and navigating the program with no set rules or directions.
Nell may be a replacement director, but, I think, if Betsy had met her, she would have picked her as well. Nell needs the job and the artists as much as they need the program and each other. With a wonderful cast of characters, Gloss explores different aspects of grief, and brings together this curious group of people to create a family that helps each other find a way to start healing and move on to the next step in their lives.
This novel elicited a wide array of emotions for me, but, by the end, I felt peace and hope for each of the characters. My first foray into Susan Gloss’s writing leaves me wanting to read her last novel, Vintage, and I look forward to her next project with great anticipation.
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Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “The Curiosities” by Susan Gloss, William Morrow, February 5, 2019
Susan Gloss, Author of “The Curiosities” has written an intriguing, and entertaining novel. The Genres for this novel are Fiction and Women’s Fiction. The timeline for this story is in the present and goes back to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated.
Nell Parker has a PhD in Art History, and her husband Josh is an attorney. They had lost a daughter very early in Nell’s pregnancy, and after several rounds of fertility treatments that produced no results, Nell would like to try again, but Josh has had enough. There is tension and friction in their marriage. Nell looks for a job and finds one as a director in a not for profit Center for Artists. Nell is in charge of three artists that have gotten residencies.
The three artists live in the mansion, and have different interests in their creative process and art. Each of the artists has their own set of problems to work out, but each is extremely talented. Nell is there to over-see what goes on, and does go home at night. Nell also has some secrets she is keeping from her husband.
I appreciate that the author describes the importance of family, friendship, communication, honesty, emotional support, love and hope. This is also a story of artists, creativity, growth, and friendship. I would recommend this story for those readers who enjoy dramatic stories. I received an ARC from Edelweiss for my honest review.
Nell has struggled for years to get pregnant. This has left her drained and in deep debt, which she has kept hidden from her husband. When her last chance to become pregnant fails, Nell decides it is time to focus on something else. She takes a job as Director of Mansion Hill Artist’s Colony. This turns out to be a little more challenging than she expected.
I love the eccentric characters in this read. Paige is working on different painting techniques. She is also a little promiscuous, introverted and attached to her phone. Odin is a metal sculptor. He is very kind but he has an attraction to Nell. Then there is Annie. She is documenting the opioid crisis by photographing addicts. She is offering the addicts a little something on the side. All these artists together under one roof creates a unique environment for all involved.
I also enjoyed learning about the works of art scattered throughout the mansion. Betsy, the founder of the colony, amassed a large amount of eclectic art work. The author did a fabulous job weaving the history of these works into this story.
This uncommon mix of characters and this mansion as a backdrop really creates a delicious story. Get your copy today!
I received this novel from Tall Poppy Authors for a honest review.
The Curiosities was an entertaining novel about people, relationships, and art. I liked the way that the characters stories were told and the way that the characters grew in their lives and changed. Nell has moved to a new state with her husband Josh so that Josh could start a new job. Shortly after this, Nell loses a baby in a miscarriage. Since then, Nell has been trying to get pregnant again and her job searching was put on hold. She does eventually decide to start working again and takes a position as the director of an art foundation. The foundation was dreamed up by the late Betsy Barrett who was a huge follower and collector of all art during her lifetime. Betsy left instructions in her will for how the foundation should be created and how her home should be used for an artists’ colony to stay in. Nell’s responsibility as director is to follow Betsy’s wishes to keep the art foundation going. The first group of artists are three very different people with colorful personalities and different backgrounds. The artists slowly get to know each other and Nell as the days go by and through the required Sunday dinners. Everyone is affected by something that happens one night in the mansion. This results in the different artists looking at their own lives and healing from their own difficult pasts. Nell also faces what has happened to her and her relationship with her husband as the days go on.
4.5 Stars for this ARC!
This book has so many layers to it! I thought I knew where it was going at the beginning, but I got so much more! Everyone has a story, and these characters told theirs beautifully, and were so real and raw.
Nell, for me is the most relatable. Anyone who has dealt with or is dealing with infertility and loss can relate to the monthly roller coaster of hope, mood swings, and feelings of defeat and failure. Although my outcome was much happier and no where near as intense as Nell’s, I so could relate. Brought back many memories and long talks. Very real portrayal.
Besty, maybe on the other end of the spectrum, is ahead of her time. She makes no apologies for it. I loved her! Her love of all things art leads her to set up a residency for three artist to work on their craft. The first year artists are hand picked by Betsy. Nell takes the job as the Director of this non profit art program. She takes the job as the way to get out of a sticky situation. We meet Paige, Annie and Odin, all talented artists running from life.
All these characters tell their stories with no urgency, slowly unfolding each, till the author finally shares with us in her time, how they intersect. The ending….for me was perfect! Make sure you take time to look up the art described at the beginning of each chapter.
Thanks to Edelweiss for this ARC. All opinions are my own!
This is an oddly uplifting book, despite the fact that it centers around grief so heavily. Everyone, at some point in their life, deals with grief & loss. The characters in The Curiosities are each dealing with different types. There’s Nell, who lost her daughter after going into labor early; Betsy, who’s dealing with her own failing health; Annie, who’s recent photography projects focus on both death & addiction…
This book holds such a random mix of characters, all thrown into each others lives, and the way they and the story come together is lovely. Each chapter is told from a different point of view-Nell, Betsy, Annie, Paige & Odin-with Annie & Betsy’s chapters often taking us back to when they were younger, offering small glimpses into their past. This adds to the story, showing us events that helped make each of them into who they become.
The author did a wonderful job of bringing all of these different characters and stories together. Highly recommend, but be sure to have tissues on hand!
Nell and Josh lose their baby girl early in the pregnancy and both are having a hard time moving on. They have tried IVF 3 times and it hasn’t worked. Nell needs to find a job to pay back the credit cards the money for the IVF before Josh finds out that it wasn’t completely covered by insurance. Nell gets a job overseeing a house with 3 artists staying there. They form a family. The chapters are told by Nell, Betsy the former owner of the house, and the 3 artists. You learn everyone’s stories and you realize they all need each other. This is a story of grief, loss, and moving on. I received an advanced readers copy from Edelweiss and William Morrow. All opinions are my own.
A stained glass window of a novel: lovely, glowing and precise. Set in a community of artists who are outwardly coming together and inwardly coming apart, Susan Gloss’s writing brims with insight into grief and joy, love and regret.
Grief makes for powerful stories because it is so personal. Even when two people lose the same loved one, their experiences are not the same. Perhaps it is the finality of death that makes it so; we grieve for a future that like all futures, is wholly personal and, because of death, forever lost. How we move forward after losing someone says so much about who we are, and who we might become.
In The Curiosities, Nell’s response to her late miscarriage is complex. Her desire for a child consumes her and leads her to hide from her husband the vast sums she has borrowed in their pursuit of parenthood. But her financial straits also lead her to a job as manager of a nascent artist’s colony, and it is through this work Nell must find her future–one way or another.
Gloss weaves Nell’s story with that of Betsy Barrett, the deceased arts patron who founded the colony. Betsy’s life, lived without apology on her own terms, is a clever counterpoint to Nell’s struggles. Gloss also uses Betsy’s narrative to frame the work of the three artists in the colony, each of whom present challenges for Nell, each other and themselves. As a reader, I loved the structure of the book. As a writer, I admired Gloss’s skill in pulling it all together.
The Curiosities is full of gorgeous, perceptive descriptions of art and its creation; you will feel the angst, triumph and joy. And I’m a tough old bird but Nell’s story brought me to tears, darn it! Wonderfully written, with memorable characters and deep emotional insights, it was an absorbing, satisfying read–with a perfect ending.
It’s been way too long of a wait for a new book by Susan Gloss but I am happy to tell you that the wait is over and the new book is fantastic! It has everything needed to make a good novel – great characters, friendship, loss and love plus the added descriptions of paintings and sculptures.
Nell takes a job as the director of an artist’s colony. Even though she has a PhD in art history, she hasn’t worked in several years while she and her husband go through several rounds of fertility treatments. Betsy Barrett had set up the artists colony in her will and after he death, the first group of artists arrived for an in-residency program. Nell and Betsy are total opposites – Nell lives her entire life around the dream of being a mother, Betsy was childless by choice. Nell is not sure what she wants to do with her life while Betsy was a strong determined woman who lived her life on her own terms. The three artists who arrive for the first in-residency program give Nell a chance to learn her new role. Not only do the artists work in different mediums but they are totally different types of people, all with lots of personal baggage. Will helping these three artists realize their potentials help Nell to recover from her heartbreak and become more inspired with her life or will it make her even more fragile?
I enjoyed all the art references in this book and getting to know the various artists – they were a very eccentric group of people. I especially enjoyed Nell as she tried to turn her life around and discover the person that she really wants to be.
Thanks to Edelweiss for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.