I knew nothing about Hilma before reading this novel but I really want to go and see her paintings in a museum now. Is some of this novel true as if so, it's a whole new world this art world! I wouldn't have guessed it. I have to admit I know very little about art but this is intriguing and written by three separate authors. A book with a difference!

I am interested in the work of Hilma af Klint so this book caught my eye, I liked the two time periods and the small cast of characters in each.
The world of Eben was a good story to contrast the world of Hilma and De Fem. It was a fascinating read and made me want to read more about Hilma and her circle of friends, artists and mediums.

Although as a Russian specialist I had long known of the abstract art that became popular in the early twentieth century as part of the Bolshevik experiment, I hadn’t realized until I read this novel that the first abstract painters included a group of five Swedish women, three of whom—Hilma af Klint, Anna Cassel, and Cornelia Cederberg—met regularly to conduct seances, led by their other two members, that gave impetus to their abstract paintings. Wassily Kandinsky, for example, was inspired by their work, but for reasons explained in this novel, the women’s art received so little recognition in their time that Hilma af Klint secreted her paintings, stipulating that they could be viewed only twenty years after her death.

The Friday Night Club—so called because the women met every Friday—counterposes the historical story and letters of the group to a contemporary timeline featuring Eben Elliott, an employee of the Guggenheim Museum in New York. An exhibit he has spent years planning falls through, and he is charged with organizing at short notice a replacement. A recent conference in Stockholm has alerted him to the existence of Klint’s paintings, and he decides that they should become the focus of his new exhibit despite his utter disinterest in spiritualism. But that choice also brings Eben face to face not only with the woman he loved and lost years before but also with his own past.

The lives of the women artists are fictionalized but seem to be as historically accurate as is possible given that Hilma af Klint destroyed much of her correspondence and her diaries before secreting her paintings (the novel opens with her burning them). The exhibition at the Guggenheim also took place and, in fact, inspired the novel. The lives of Eben and his ex-lover Blythe are fictional. But even more impressive than the interweaving of these various story threads is the collaboration of the novel’s three authors. Like their nineteenth-century counterparts, they have created a single, seamless work of art.

I will be interviewing these authors on my blog (link below) in May 2023.

Loved this!! Hilda as Klimt is an amazing woman and has an incredible story discovered here - she was the first abstract artist - I’ve recently discovered her and was thrilled to read this! Giving all books I read 4 stars

Do you enjoy books written by multiple authors?

I do. My favorite duo that comes to mind is Christine Lauren.

Told from two timelines, this book lays out the history of artist Hilma af Klint and in present time, associate curator Eben. In the early 1900’s when Hilma is in her prime we learn she has brought together a mysterious group of female painters and writers. This Friday night club dabbles in the occult, believing that through seances they can channel unforeseen spirits.

In the present, Eben has the idea to bring the work of Hilma to light. He uncovers the Friday night club and has questions. As he grapples with the way modern art is funded, he’s unsure if her work will be showcased after all.

I don’t think I’d ever read a book written by three authors! Going into this one I was worried that you would be able to tell when the authors switched, or the writing would be choppy – but that was not the case at all! Art has always fascinated me, I don’t see what some people do when they look at art, but it still fascinates me, especially art history. While reading this book I looked up the art done by Hilma af Klint, and it is stunning! Learning about some of the history associated with this artist was fun and interesting. The writing flowed easily and was very descriptive. The seances were a nice added fun flair that really enhanced the story. I was glad to find that was rooted in facts as well!

This book is marvelous, and I hope you check it out May 16th!

Thank you to the publisher Berkley, @BerkleyPub, @netgalley, and the authors, for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley for the opportunity to rear The Friday Night Club. I was caught up in this story from Page 1. Not having heard of Hilma af Klint previously, I am now finding myself running down rabbit holes to learn more and to see more and more of her work. I was already a fan of Alyson Richman and M.J. Rose and will now add Sofia Lundberg to my list. The research is impressive, the writing exquisite. I love this book!

Hilma af Klint and her circle of friends, Da Fem, open themselves up to the possibilities of the universe when they began exploring the role spirits may have in the creation of art. Through seances, they attempt to channel spirits and begin collaborating on the world's first abstract paintings. All this is done in secret and without recognition. Decades after, af Klint's art is revealed to the world and an associate art curator, Eden Elliot, is pulled to examine it deeper in preparation for the Guggenheim exhibit.

This story brought the artist and parts of the art industry to life in a way that readers with very little knowledge or background can enjoy. Through exploring the emotional bonds in both the past and present, it helps bring the art to life and creates a sense of coming full circle. Important themes of the meaning of femininity and gender norms are touched on as well. With that being said, I may have found these sentiments more powerful and they could have been further explored if the art curator was not a man.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the digital ARC.

I really enjoyed this historical novel, which introduces the reader to Swedish artist Hilma af Klint. I especially appreciated the group of women who supported and worked with Hilma. It's especially fun that she was a real-life artist. The authors do a good job at bringing her to the page. The seances seemed a little forced, although I'm sure they were based on the true history. The contemporary storyline of Eben, a museum curator in NY adds to the novel and provides some contrast with the historical storyline.

I'm glad the book was written to bring this art to the attention of more people like myself. I had never heard of Hilma af Klint or De Fem before reading this. The paintings are now some of my favorite.
I was a little bit more interested in the Spiritualism aspect and would have liked a few more scenes involving that activity.
The authors did a great job collaborating with the story flowing seamlessly as if written by one person.

The authors of The Friday Night Club bring to life the complex and controversial life of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint and the small group of women who supported her, worked alongside her and shared in her desire to make art a truly spiritual experience.
Hilma produced artwork in her lifetime that she kept hidden and made arrangements for her pieces to remain hidden for twenty years following her death. Today she is regarded as a woman ahead of her time and exhibits of her work are seen by millions.
The De Fem group of five women held regular meetings where they explored through rituals and seances in the hope of reaching the ultimate artistic experience.
Running parallel to the Hilma af Klint story is the contemporary fiction addition of a museum curator who seizes the opportunity to host an exhibit of her paintings at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Readers will learn much about this little-known artist, her contemporaries and her times.