The Secret Life Of Sunflowers - Marta Molnar

The Secret Life Of Sunflowers

By Marta Molnar

  • Release Date: 2022-07-19
  • Genre: Fiction & Literature
Score: 4
4
From 554 Ratings
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Description

“This book draws all the emotions out of you. I went from tears to snorting with laughter. It was both lighthearted and heart breaking, yet it inspires me to live my best life!” Michele Cox

When Hollywood auctioneer Emsley Wilson finds her famous grandmother's diary while cleaning out her New York brownstone, the pages are full of surprises. The first surprise is, the diary isn't her grandmother's. It belongs to Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law.

Johanna inherited Vincent van Gogh's paintings. They were all she had, and they weren't worth anything. She was a 28 year old widow with a baby in the 1800s, without any means of supporting herself, living in Paris where she barely spoke the language. Yet she managed to introduce Vincent's legacy to the world.

The inspiration couldn't come at a better time for Emsley. With her business failing, an unexpected love turning up in her life, and family secrets unraveling, can she find answers in the past?

“This book was so much more than I had expected, and I had high expectations... one of the most beautiful stories I've read in years.”  Kaela Stokes

Reviews

  • Finished it, but not for me

    1
    By AulicaM
    Was excited about the subject matter, but it’s much more like a Harlequin romance than solid historical fiction. Finished it for my family book club, but might not have, otherwise. Of course, some readers will and have adored it.

  • Sunflower of a book!

    5
    By TKScrabble
    I loved the two parallel stories. I loved the chicken interspersed. I loved the descriptions that just floated through the paragraphs and did not make one stop and study the words. I loved the challenges met by both the women. And I loved that Jo lived during the Impressionist period.

  • Couldn’t put it down

    5
    By 5 stars - working after 5 days
    So inspiring

  • Not so Much About Van Gogh

    5
    By tux my boy
    Loved the juxtaposed stories of the two (could have been 3) ladies. Strong women indeed. Knew a bit about Vincent although didn’t realize his brother suffered from the same affliction.

  • Fascinating

    5
    By Tavernier 127
    Blend of interwoven time lines of women’s determination through the art world past and present. Terrific history!!

  • The secret life of a sunflower

    4
    By lawjoe
    Nicely written, a bit of a mystery and holds your interest. Enjoy historical fiction and enjoyed reading it

  • Not gripping

    3
    By allgloryishis
    I just didn’t find it captivating. The usual girl heroes which are becoming overdone in writing. Theo and Vincent are in the background the entire time. The writing is peppered with historical facts so you could call it historical fiction. The reading and writing style was simple. You would have to know something about van Gogh art to appreciate it. It seemed to drone on flowery and then, just end. It hits all the salient points a women’s lib book which include , gays, living together, casual sex in present times with the 1880’s modesty, codes of decorum and conduct,etc. I think the authors self promotion of the book is what has driven it. It is not likely I would recommend it as a pleasure read. I do think it was important to know how Johanna Bonger played a role in preserving Van Goghs art, otherwise, it may well have been lost to history.

  • Beautiful story of love, loss and belief in self

    5
    By leeanne61
    I loved this story about strong women, art, and love. Not what I expected but truly delighted and grateful to have read it.

  • Loved this book

    5
    By Skywags
    Really inspiring story. I was rooting for both of the women and learned a lot along the way.

  • Eh..

    2
    By gsvsbcjdmd
    Interesting read, but leave much to be desired. I was more interested in Jo’s story than anyone else in the book. The ending felt rushed and the time jumps left more questions than answers. Prompted me to go do some more research myself.

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