2024 the best historical fiction books review

Price: $14.99
(as of Oct 26, 2024 19:12:16 UTC - Details)

"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! " Michelle 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

"It touched something in my soul." Audrey McDonald

From the Publisher

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B5G1KKCZ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Marta Molnar (July 19, 2022)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 19, 2022
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2991 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 356 pages
Reviewer: AJ
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Fun Read, Beautifully Written, Empowering Story!
Review: The Secret Life of Sunflowers came into my life with a glowing recommendation from my aunt, and now I am happy to recommend the book to other people! I will say that I am not the most avid reader of historical fiction, but this book combines a historical fiction narrative about the life Johanna Van Gogh with a present-day fictional narrative about the life of Emsley Wilson, and I found both of these women's lives and journeys to be interesting, often unexpected, and inspiring in their own ways.Both of these women find their own strength, resolve to persevere through losses and obstacles, stay true to their missions in life, push themselves out of their comfort zones, and find confidence and courage that they never imagined for themselves. I really enjoyed the themes of leaning on family and friends in difficult times, choosing to stay hopeful in the face of trials and despair, and doing your best with the circumstances in which you find yourself.Overall, The Secret Life of Sunflowers is easy to read, has excellent flow, strong characters, empowering messages, a sense of wit and humor, and vivid descriptions of settings, characters, and more intangible feelings like grief, joy, and transformation. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a relatively quick read about the importance of hope, perseverance, and inner resilience.

Reviewer: Eileen Morilleau
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Love everything about Van Gogh
Review: Was very surprised how important Jo was in the success of Vincent’s success. I know that she was very devoted to her Theo, so devoted, that she had his body exhumed and brought to rest near his brother, Vincent at Auvers sur Oise. There is nothing that can compare with the genius and sensitivity that is found in Vincent’s paintings. Jo saw that and brought us to that reality. Enjoyable read and informative.

Reviewer: Grace-V. Faubion Schaar
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Two Women / Two Time Periods
Review: "The Secret Life of Sunflowers" is a captivating read that stands out for its unique duality between the two main protagonists. Unlike anything I've read before, the intertwining narratives of these characters kept me profoundly engaged and often made me think about them between reads. The way their stories unfold is both compelling and beautifully written. This book has quickly become one of my favorites, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a charming and thought-provoking read.

Reviewer: DHD
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Enjoy the fiction, but we need a serious biography of Johanna Bonger.
Review: I’m not sure that the facts according to modern research quite line up with those presented in the book. For instance, Vincent Van Gogh may well have been accidentally shot by two boys playing with a gun instead of committing suicide. Theo may have died of syphilis which would have explained his behavior at the end of his life.Nevertheless, the importance of Jo Bonger in preserving and exhibiting the work of Vincent is a story that needs to be told. Her perseverance and commitment to the work is extraordinary.The author interweaves a story of a modern woman and her dead relative that also stresses the theme of not bringing afraid to live your life and not being deterred by the naysayers.I think that Jo’s story could stand on its own , but the more contemporary narrative may appeal to readers who are not art nerds, or who enjoy romantic fantasy.

Reviewer: Kw
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: I loved this book!
Review: Several years ago I got to visit the Van Goal museum in Amsterdam, I loved it! I had no idea though of the way it came to be!Thank you Marta for your careful and deep research. I think you are a wonderful author and I look forward to reading about the girl with the braid. Please…. Keep writing more!

Reviewer: TBP
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Thoroughly enjoyed this
Review: I had never heard of Johanna Bonger. I had heard about the sister in law who made him famous. It was wonderful learning more of this story and mixing it with the current characters worked really well. I enjoyed both characters and each chapter left me wanting more. Very quick read. Looking forward to discussing it with my book group.

Reviewer: Lee Rose
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Historical novel is very engaging
Review: This historical novel by author Marta Molnar was a fresh surprise of history about the Van Gogh family, especially in regard to the role played by Vincent's sister in law, Joanna. It is well balanced by a parallel story of a modern woman, Emsley, who also struggles to realize her own dreams in the modern world. The focus upon the arts is also a welcome backdrop to both stories. A healthy dose of struggle, mystery and human relationships including romance help to move the stories along; it becomes a true page turner. Well done and thankful for the opportunity to learn more of the human history of the famous artist from the Amsterdam region.

Reviewer: Corey Quinn
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Excellent book, highly recommend
Review: Great story, great energy, great fun! Finished in two nights and was sad when I read the last pages, wishing there were more chapters yet to come. Definitely the best book I’ve read this year and probably in my top ten or so all time.

Reviewer: Customer Lowe
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Absolutely loved all the characters and the telling of two tales. Beautifully written. Would recommend this book to any book lover

Reviewer: Sue P
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A very interesting read, 2 stories linking the Van Gogh family to the present day in New York. I learned a lot more about Vincent Van Gogh and his struggle for recognition, whilst being supported by his brother and sister in law.The only thing I wasn’t keen on was the modern love interest between Bram and Emsley, which was too good to be true.

Reviewer: Sharon Ramel
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This is a treat, blending the historical with the new. I loved every moment of this book. Breathing life into a wonderful artist and strong women.

Reviewer: baj
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The pace is fast. The twin story lines fully engaging and fun to read. This author has some 'chops', is spikey and can be fun, but to be taken seriously as an author of historical fiction, she needs a good editor/publishing house assistance, in my view. I hope she gets picked up by a publisher. Or that she moves on to the movie or TV series worlds where her style could soar.

Reviewer: Maureen Grove
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book is an inspiring tale of two women separated by several generations and continents, living through tough times.The links to the historical facts about Vincent and Theo van Gogh are fascinating and the way the author moves effortlessly into the present day story left me zipping through the chapters to get from one era to the next.