Hol Art Books

Last fall, Amazon began its Breakthrough Novel Award with publishing partner, Penguin. Starting with submissions of nearly 5,000 manuscripts, Amazon narrowed it to 830 semi-finalists and posted descriptions and excerpts from each last month. Yesterday, Penguin selected their 100 Top Semi-Finalists based on their own evaluation and (perhaps) on reader reviews. Prior to that, I'd picked out my own notables (all art related of course) though only one made it through to the next round. Nonetheless, with an intrepid project book team, the others might find a welcome spot at Hol:

The Painter's Widow, Ann Friedman
Description: Historical Fiction — "The Painter's Widow recounts an exciting half-century of French history and art through the eyes of the little-known painter Augustine Dufresne (1789-1842). Augustine spends her early years in Paris amidst the turbulence of the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon. After her fiance is killed in the Spanish war in 1808, she marries the much older Antoine-Jean Gros (1771-1835), a favorite painter of Napoleon and Josephine and an intimate of their court. Augustine's own artistic career flourishes for several years until sidetracked by family crisis."
Amazon Reader Reviews: 3.5 stars, 9 reviews
My Take: This is the one art-related submission that made Penguin's Top 100 list. I thought it was a little jumpy at the beginning as far as the various scenes, but the writing was strong and rather confident. I would have kept reading beyond the excerpt provided, which I think says a lot. I also always like to see a historical novel based on characters that are otherwise on the fringes of our art historical memory.

The Paris Letters, by Amy Tector
Description: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense — "Young archivist Sally Kendall is struggling in her career when she stumbles across a secret letter stashed in an old manuscript. Little does she know that the mystery surrounding this old letter will soon lead her to uncover a murder and begin the hunt for a priceless painting. Her quest for the truth will endanger her job, the relationships she holds most dear and even her very life."
Amazon Reader Reviews: 4.5 stars, 17 reviews
My Take: A bit questionable in the details, a few clichéd metaphors and phrases, but well written. It's another I would have kept reading past the provided excerpt. And I thought it was a sure contender, if only for these sentences: "Above the desk hung a 'Successories' poster of a kitten tangled in a ball of yarn with 'You Can Do It!' emblazoned on the bottom. It belonged to my predecessor who retired months before my arrival, but I’d left it up because I found it secretly inspiring." Only could have been better as a kitten hanging by its paws from a branch with "Hang in There!" along the bottom.

The Devil's Will, by Joel Reiff
Description: General Literature — "Will Denham is an artist who happens to kill people for a living. When an inebriated God shows up to utilize his talents to assassinate his miracle-working son, Will is forced to realize his decisions might have more impact than the Second Coming. With a playful poke at both religion and the art world, the book is a cross between Tom Robbins and Thomas Aquinas."
Amazon Reader Reviews: 4 stars, 1 review
My Take: Startlingly original, but I worry about the quality of writing. The film noir tone works, but to pull it off, it has to be pitch perfect and there are too many times it isn't. Same with the details of the story. You have to write believably about the unbelievable, and there are too many other unbelievable errors at the minor scale at this point. (I don't care how grammatically correct it is, does anyone call it "the MOMA"?) Still, with a competent editor and the willingness of the author, I think there's something worth pursuing here.

Another Starry Night, by David Robbeson
Description: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense — "A budding young art forger is framed for the murder of her mentor. In order to prove her innocence, she must flee not only the police and the sinister forces behind the murder, but she must also prove that a 'recently discovered' Van Gogh masterpiece (Another Starry Night) is, in fact, a forgery."
Amazon Reader Reviews: 4.5 stars, 4 reviews
My Take: The description sounded so promising and yet the excerpt the author provided had absolutely nothing to do with it. On top of that, the writing was rough at best. It was okay for short burst, but I spent too much energy trying to figure out what was what. Too bad. Still, I'd gladly take another look at it, if the author could make good on his description.

One Other to Note: Mistral, by Erica Matlow
Description: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense — " Set in London and the South of France the story of Mistral revolves around the friendship of three women: Penny, Natasha and Bridget who meet at a London Art School in 1982. Bridget is murdered in her second year. Penny and Natasha are irrevocably linked by this tragedy and by their love for Sam, a lecturer, artist, and a serial seducer of women."
Amazon Reader Reviews: 3 stars, 6 reviews
My Take: It made the Top 100, but I had a hard time getting through it the first time. On rereading it, I did find it more satisfying, but the first short chapter is still very rough, the narrator is too self-consciously the author's creation and so her inner-dialogue is clichéd and unconvincing. Still, worth checking it out.

On March 3, Penguin will further narrow it down to 10 Finalists, and at that point Amazon readers pick the winner, who then gets a $25,000 publishing contract with Penguin.