This felt like one of those reads that finds you at the wrong time for me. The writing and story held a lot of beauty and yet I found the pacing rather slow. In another moment a piece of literary fiction might have been just what I needed, but this one missed the mark for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. I’m only sorry that it took me so long to get to it.

I knew as this book was at about 80% finished that it was going to end before I was ready for it to end. Much like life for many people. I think that Violet was ready when the end came for her - but that the people around her were probably not nearly as ready. This book had a few surprises for me, things I just didn’t see coming as the story unfolded. Probably similar to how Violet’s family felt as they watched the film that Daniel made. This book is filled with beautiful phrases and images, and was a lovely book to start the year with.

I love books that are quiet, introspective, and delve into family history. When a book involves a family learning about their past, their matriarch/patriarch, family secrets, etc., I absolutely love it.

Deborah Reed has given us a book that has all the elements of what makes a really good work of general or women's fiction. While I wanted to like this more than I did - it was a very interesting book written in a dual timeline and in chapter form of character perspectives. Violet Swan was a woman whose character drove her to come from nothing to establishing herself as a well-known artist, with a life that she was proud of. Until her family learns her secret about the family she left behind in Georgia. This book had both likeable and unlikeable characters, making the storyline sometimes slow in carrying forth. An enjoyable read, but maybe not as captivating to some readers as the summary leads us to hope for. Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt | Mariner Books for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley ##PaleMorningLightwithVioletSwan

The synopsis of this book really appealed to me. The author’s writing is beautiful but the storytelling was a bit disjointed and hard for me to follow. I wanted to like it more but it was just an “okay” read for me.

Thank you to Mariner Books and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this novel for my honest opinion.

"Pale Morning Light with Violet Swan" is a slow paced, emotional family drama that tells the story of artist Violet both in the past and the present. I enjoyed the character development in the main players but some of the people in her past were just touched on and I would have liked some more backstroy. Prequel perhaps?

Overall a good drama, but be warned there is a lot of sadness.

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Intriguing book of history and a life lived through some harsh times. Almost literary in a way. Because I read the ARC and it wasn't formatted great, I admit I struggled because each paragraph seemed to flow into the other with no tabbing. But the writing was good and the storyline emotionally poignant.

This novel tells the story of an artist and her secrets. The story is told in two timelines. The characters and Violet did not appeal to me. The story also seemed to drag. Still, I recommend this for fans of art history lovers. This novel is perfect for fans of Lisa Jewel, Melanie Dobson, and Lucinda Riley!

This is the story of Violet, a painter. This is the story of how she made her life, made art be the way she told her story, and the secret that she is hiding. Can the earthquake that hits shortly before her death , unearth all the family secrets, or will she take hers to the grave?

This book was okay. I usually enjoy books that switch timelines, but this one didn't seem to keep my attention. I enjoyed figuring out the family secrets in this book, but I'm not sure it is one I would read again.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

What a lovely title! Here are my pros and cons for Pale Morning Light with Violet Swan:

Pros
1. I enjoy generational sagas and family dramas. This book, told in past and present narratives, was really good.
2. This is a 100% character-driven novel. The writing is almost poetic. The descriptions of art and the focus on seeing the beauty around us was uplifting.
3. I appreciated Violet’s backstory. Violet has secrets long held and she reveals them throughout the story. Her early life was varied, violent, isolated, and full of heartache, but she never let those negative experiences define her.
4. The story is an interesting look at how much we really don’t know about each other – even others within our own families.

Cons
1. I did not like Frank and Penny (Violet’s son and daughter-in-law). They were annoying characters who didn’t like each other very much and when the story was told from their perspective I lost interest quickly.
2. I started reading this book in June 2020. I just recently finished it. I kept putting it down because parts of it weren’t holding my interest. It meandered a bit too much from time to time for my personal preference (which is odd considering it is a relatively short book). Sadly, when I put it down, I didn’t pick it up again sometimes for months.

Summary
I think this book reminds readers to embrace life. No matter what happens to us, we should never accept victimhood as our fate. Rather, we need to seek out all the beauty and love that life has to offer.

If you enjoy character-driven novels, generational stories, or family drama/dysfunction, you will probably enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an electronic ARC, which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This is a dual timeline book. I typically enjoy this type of book. However, the back-and-forth is not even which is not as appealing. In addition, the story is shared from multiple points of view. Violet’s life is built around secrets and all the flaws and mistakes that entails. You will enjoy the journey through the pages via Violet’s voice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Very interesting and beautifully written story of a family matriarch with secrets no one has ever guessed. The family dynamic through three generations is very realistic. Overall, a moving story. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book and where the joruney was going. The characters were written well and i felt I knew them

This is one of the best novels I've read in quite awhile. It is the story of a prominent American artist in her nineties who is still active in her work, and the shifts in primary relationships in her life. There are important flashbacks throughout the book which shed light on characters' thoughts and motivations in the present day. The primary character, Violet, is very compelling without being larger than life. Her artistic appreciation of life itself and the world around her is enriching to read about. I loved the setting of the book, a small town in coastal Oregon, and felt it suited the characters and the action of the book. Violet's character is inspired in some respects by the life of Agnes Martin, the brilliant abstract painter of the 1950's through 1990's. These specifics add realism and interest to the artistic life of Violet. (Quibbles: I was puzzled by references to the smells of turpentine and of acrylic paint that Violet uses since acrylic artist's paint has virtually no detectable smell, and turpentine is a solvent for oil paints, not acrylics. Sort of pulled me out of the magic of the story for a moment. Plus "snuck" is nonstandard English, and the past tense of "spit" is "spat". At least you can tell I read the book closely.)
I read this book in a couple of days simply because I enjoyed being in the world of the Swan family and I wanted to know what would happen to them next. Two of the best reasons to read a book.

Phew! Boy did I struggle with this one. It took we a couple weeks to get through it, but that has nothing to do with the writing or the story itself. I considered giving up more than a few times, but I knew that if I just continued on I would be rewarded, and I certainly was. This isn't a easy read, or at least it wasn't for me. I believe the subject matter is quite esoteric. I am not completely sure that I got all the nuanced references and messages, but what I did get touched my heart and soul. There are a lot of lessons to learn in these pages. People keep secrets for many reasons that only make sense to them. As someone looking in, we can't always understand yet are happy to judge them. People only let us see what they want to share with us. But things are seldom what they seem to be at first glance. This is a simple, character driven telling of the story of the life of Violet Swan and the people who orbit her. She is fascinating and the complexities run deep.

I was so looking forward to this novel, particularly because I love books that study one character's life. I did not connect to the main character however.

Renowned artist Violet Swan's life seems to be gently winding down on the Oregon coast. When her hidden past starts to come to light, she is forced to come to terms with her turbulent past, none of which was known to her family. Sensitive writing.

This is one of my favorites this year. So lyrically written, beautiful story with vivid imagery. I loved all of the characters and didn't want it to end. Full of humanity. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher! I will be recommending this strongly.

Pale Morning Light with Violet Swan was my first book by Deborah Reed and it is wonderfully written. I truly enjoyed her characters and her seamless narrative of Violet’s life through the story. Violet Swan is a famous female abstract painter that has been reclusive her entire life. To the point, her small family does not truly know much about her past. The visual words and descriptions of the joy Violet experiences as she develops her art is captivating, and the personal challenges that are revealed as her past unwinds are even more so. I highly recommend this book, Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, all opinions are my own.