The Marriage of Opposites - Alice Hoffman

The Marriage of Opposites

By Alice Hoffman

  • Release Date: 2015-08-04
  • Genre: Fiction & Literature
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 630 Ratings

Description

“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).

Reviews

  • Loved it so much I read it twice

    5
    By barbie_kei
    First time reading an Alice Hoffman novel. The details drew me in completely. It’s a must read!
  • Excellent and interesting

    5
    By jkolmen50266
    I was fascinated to read a book about a jewish family that were French and lived in St. Thomas . I was so enthralled that I read it from beginning to end in a week.
  • MASTERPIECE!!! This is everything a book is and can be ! A Must read !

    5
    By Bingamans
    I have enjoyed every word. This is a book that I will treasure forever! Thank you Alice Hoffman for this gift !
  • Great story on many levels

    4
    By bonstay
    The Marriage of Opposites is a wonderful story about a time (1800s) and a place (St.Thomas) I knew little about. It was fascinating to learn of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews who fled from those countries to St. Thomas, then owned by the Dutch, where religious freedom was a right. Alice Hoffman's story beautifully unfolds taking the reader to that time with masterful characters. I enjoyed the span of the story and it's telling in shifting perspectives by those characters. The fact that Rachel's son becomes the famous French impressionist painter Pissarro is a great element. Hoffman's stories are always eloquent and enlightening!
  • Enchanting

    5
    By Kjeb15719
    Wonderful work of historical fiction. The authors way with words is utterly enchanting. The descriptions used for st Thomas and Paris make you feel like you're actually there. The story is heartwarming and heartbreaking. Really makes you think. I highly recommend this book.
  • Great saga, lots of emotions!!

    4
    By Bed deb 2012
    I have to admit I had never heard of Pissaro, but he did hang with some artists I had heard of. Anyhow, I went into this open minded as I hadn't read the author or heard of the artist. And I found it to be an absolutely enjoyable and entertaining story. There are lots of things going on in this story and the author did a great job keeping them separate and introducing them. There were a couple of jaw dropping moments, several chuckles, a couple of tears, some mild anger and a lot of smiles for me while reading this. While the blurbs talk a lot about the painter, he isn't even born until more than halfway through the book. There's a lot about his mother and living on a island with not a lot of people. She is a strong woman who should have been a son with her ways of thinking during this time period. She is not well liked and keeps the gossip mongers busy. She breaks a lot of rules and I admire her stamina. She is definitely someone you don't want to cross! While I have heard of the author, this is my first book by her. It won't be my last. And I definitely recommend this book. Thanks to Simon and Schuster and Net Galley for providing me with this free e-galley in exchange for an honest review. It was great entertainment on a lazy Saturday!!