A Darn Good Read: BOOK REVIEW/BLOG TOUR: Tiffany Blues by M.J. Rose

Publication Date: August 7, 2018
Atria Books
Hardcover & eBook; 336 Pages
ISBN: 978-1501173592
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

New York, 1924. Twenty‑four‑year‑old Jenny Bell is one of a dozen burgeoning artists invited to Louis Comfort Tiffany’s prestigious artists’ colony. Gifted and determined, Jenny vows to avoid distractions and romantic entanglements and take full advantage of the many wonders to be found at Laurelton Hall.

But Jenny’s past has followed her to Long Island. Images of her beloved mother, her hard-hearted stepfather, waterfalls, and murder, and the dank hallways of Canada’s notorious Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women overwhelm Jenny’s thoughts, even as she is inextricably drawn to Oliver, Tiffany’s charismatic grandson.

As the summer shimmers on, and the competition between the artists grows fierce as they vie for a spot at Tiffany’s New York gallery, a series of suspicious and disturbing occurrences suggest someone knows enough about Jenny’s childhood trauma to expose her.

Supported by her closest friend Minx Deering, a seemingly carefree socialite yet dedicated sculptor, and Oliver, Jenny pushes her demons aside. Between stolen kisses and stolen jewels, the champagne flows and the jazz plays on until one moonless night when Jenny’s past and present are thrown together in a desperate moment, that will threaten her promising future, her love, her friendships, and her very life.

My Thoughts

Jenny Bell hides a tragic past; one that she goes at great lengths to hide. Living a semi-reclusive lifestyle, she is determined to be self-reliant and to save enough money to fulfil her aim of studying art in Paris. Her isolation and the stress of keeping her past to herself have a detrimental affect on her creativity. Although she has the unusual ability to describe voices in colour, her artwork, as she strives to capture light on her canvas, is only depicted in shades of black and white.

Through the efforts of her one true friend Minx, Jenny wins a place at Laurelton Hall, Louis Comfort Tiffany’s estate and artists' colony. Fascinated by the colourful beauty and serenity of the place, she hopes it will inspire her to shed her obsession with black and white, but despite her surroundings and the encouragement of Louis, she still struggles to introduce colour to her work.

Her happiness at meeting Oliver Tiffany, Louis' grandson, is overshadowed by strange occurrences. Someone in the group knows of Jenny's past, the revelation of which will put her future in jeopardy and makes her suspicious of even those closest to her.

This novel is my introduction to the work of M.J. Rose and I thoroughly enjoyed it. In particular I enjoyed how Jenny’s past is revealed piecemeal by events in the present triggering memories of her past. Her reluctance to take on a lucrative position as a sketch artist in a court of law and the fear that she will be recognised despite altering her physical appearance are two instances that added to the mystery of what happened to her. Another tug on the heartstrings was Jenny's questioning of the sacrifice she had made and the feelings of betrayal when certain aspects of her mother's behaviour comes to light.

Her love for art was fostered by her mother, an artist and teacher, who also decorated ouija boards; a detail that adds a touch of spirituality to this novel. I’ve since discovered spirituality is a recurring theme in other novels by M.J. Rose. Given the time during which this novel is set, the years following World War I when spirituality was at its height, its inclusion adds further credibility to the story line.

The beautiful descriptions of the Tiffany estate gave this part of the novel a fairy tale feel. It was the ideal place where Jenny could heal from the ugliness of her past.

Such was my empathy with Jenny that when her tormentor is revealed and another tragedy takes place, like the characters involved, I had a moment of panic. What now? While I didn't expect the story to end as it did or come to a close so quickly after this scene, I had to acknowledge that it was the best possible outcome for all involved, but there is a final twist.

Tiffany Blues was a delight to read; a captivating blend of beauty and mystery.

Tiffany Blues is available from:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

About the Author

New York Times Bestseller, M.J. Rose grew up in New York City mostly in the labyrinthine galleries of the Metropolitan Museum, the dark tunnels and lush gardens of Central Park and reading her mother's favorite books before she was allowed. She believes mystery and magic are all around us but we are too often too busy to notice... books that exaggerate mystery and magic draw attention to it and remind us to look for it and revel in it.

Rose's work has appeared in many magazines including Oprah Magazine and she has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, WSJ, Time, USA Today and on the Today Show, and NPR radio. Rose graduated from Syracuse University, spent the '80s in advertising, has a commercial in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and since 2005 has run the first marketing company for authors - Authorbuzz.com

Her most recent novel THE LIBRARY OF LIGHT AND SHADOW (Atria/S&S) was chosen as an Indie Next Pick.

The television series PAST LIFE, was based on Rose's novels in the Reincarnationist series. She is one of the founding board members of International Thriller Writers.

Rose lives in CT with her husband the musician and composer, Doug Scofield.

For more information, please visit her website and her blog, Museum of Mysteries. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, August 6 Excerpt at Passages to the Past, Feature at Naomi Finley | Tuesday, August 7 Feature at So Many Books, So Little Time | Wednesday, August 8 Review at A Bookish Affair | Thursday, August 9 Feature at Just One More Chapter | Friday, August 10 Review at Donna's Book Blog | Sunday, August 12 Review at Carole Rae's Random Ramblings | Monday, August 13 Review at A Chick Who Reads | Tuesday, August 14 Feature at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers | Wednesday, August 15 Feature at Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen | Thursday, August 16 Review at The Lit Bitch | Monday, August 20 Review at The Book Mind, Review at 100 Pages a Day | Tuesday, August 21 Feature at Maiden of the Pages | Wednesday, August 22 Review at Pursuing Stacie | Friday, August 24 Feature at I'm Shelf-ish | Monday, August 27 Review at Broken Teepee | Tuesday, August 28 Feature at A Holland Reads | Wednesday, August 29 Review at Bookish, Review at Library of Clean Reads | Thursday, August 30 Review at History From a Woman's Perspective | Friday, August 31 | Interview at History From a Woman's Perspective | Saturday, September 1 Review at A Darn Good Read | Monday, September 3 Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book! | Wednesday, September 5 Review at Laura's Interests | Thursday, September 6 Review & Interview at Clarissa Reads it All | Friday, September 7 Review at Bookramblings

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away a Louis Comfort Tiffany glass paperweight from the Metropolitan Museum of Artder! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on September 7th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to US residents only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.