“Do power, wealth, and nobility give one the right to determine how an artist paints, or who is allowed to view the painting as the artist created it?”
“Power, yes,” Moses replied without hesitation. “Yes, power has been known to dictate art.”
“What do you think Masaccio would have to say about that?” she asked. “The defilement of his work?”
“He would not be pleased,” Moses said. “An artist is never pleased when his work is compromised.”
(from The Woman Who Heard Color, page 100)
The Woman Who Heard Color is a beautiful novel about creativity, passion, and a woman who would do anything to prevent the destruction of art. Hanna Schmid flees the family farm in Bavaria for a more exciting life in Munich in 1900, working as a housekeeper for the Fleischmanns, who own an art gallery. Hanna admires the artwork constantly moving in and out of the Fleischmann home, and her love for the colorful is intensified by a neurological condition, synesthesia, that enables hear to actually hear color and see music. There are always artists coming and going at the Fleischmann house, and when serving dinner one evening, Hanna meets Wassily Kandinsky — a man who would one day become “her artist.”
Kelly Jones tells Hanna’s story over a period of decades, beginning with her bonding with Moses Fleischmann over art, their eventual marriage, and their success as art dealers, and following her through the world wars. Much of the book is set during the Nazi party’s rise to power, setting the stage for what would become World War II. Through Hanna’s eyes, we see Germany’s economy fall apart, how Hitler’s promises of prosperity garnered him support, and how swiftly Hanna’s life fell apart when the Jewish businesses were targeted.
But the focus of The Woman Who Heard Color is on the art. Jones moves the story back and forth from the past to the present, where art detective Lauren O’Farrell is seeking answers about Hanna’s involvement with the Nazis. Through Isabella Fletcher, Hanna’s daughter, Lauren hopes to find out whether Hanna collaborated with the Nazis to steal, sell, and even destroy what Hitler termed “degenerate art.” At the same time, Isabella longs to tell the truth about her mother, and in doing so, Lauren gets wrapped up in the story of a painting that no one knew survived the war.
I wasn’t sure what to make of The Woman Who Heard Color when I saw the cover. To be honest, I think it does the book a disservice, making it look like nothing more than a romance novel when romance really isn’t part of this story. It does little to convey the passion Hanna had for art and all the colors and sounds that defined her life.
Still, I loved The Woman Who Heard Color. From all of the World War II documentaries I’ve watched, I knew Hitler fancied himself an artist, but I didn’t know too much about his push to preserve “German” art (basically meaning depictions of hard-working Aryans, at least that’s what I got from this book) and rid the country of the art he found useless, meaningless, and obscene. The history grabbed my attention from the start, but to anyone who knows me and my reading tastes, that’s not much of a surprise. I also loved Hanna. She was such a complicated character, always having to balance her love of family with her love of art. She showed how fearful and difficult it was living under the Nazis and how people were forced to do things against their will for the greater good.
I think Hanna’s story was strong enough to carry the book alone. When Jones would move back to Isabella and Lauren, I found myself longing to be back with Hanna again. It’s not that their story wasn’t interesting; it just wasn’t entirely necessary, or at least Lauren didn’t need to be a main character. Their scenes were few and needed only to bring the story to its conclusion, so I felt that they were not as well developed as Hanna.
The Woman Who Heard Color likely will make my list of favorite reads from this year. Jones does a great job enabling readers to feel the tension that built up in Germany prior to WWII, and showing the lasting effects on one family made it all the more heartbreaking. Though the impact of power on art and the passion for preserving creativity are at the forefront, The Woman Who Heard Color is also a story about relationships and how sometimes history conceals the truth. The Woman Who Heard Color is a must-read for fans of historical fiction set during WWII and for those who are as passionate about art as its main character.
Courtesy of Penguin, I am giving away one copy of The Woman Who Heard Color. To enter, leave a comment with your e-mail address and tell me why this book interests you. Because the publisher is shipping the book, this giveaway is open to readers with addresses in the U.S. and Canada only. You have until 11:59 pm EST on Saturday, December 24, 2011, to enter.
**Please note that this giveaway is now closed**
Disclosure: I received a copy of The Woman Who Heard Color from Berkley/Penguin for review purposes. I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.
© 2011 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
Oh, yay, I have this book on my wish list so I am very happy to see your review of it. I was actually attracted to the book at first because of the title. Then I heard what it was about and I got intrigued because it is a bit different than the ‘normal’ historical fiction.
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The title grabbed my attention, too. And of course, when I found out it was a WWII novel, I just had to read it. Looking forward to your thoughts!
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This cover doesn’t say historical fiction or art to me…but it does say romance. LOL I would love to read this for the WWII and art themes. I’m always interested in those kinds of books. I’ll post this in my sidebar for you…I hope I win…this is the second giveaway I’ve entered for this.
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The only connection between the cover and the story that I can find is that there are several mentions of Hanna’s striking red hair. You can always borrow my copy when you want to read it!
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I am sooooo glad I read your review. Like you, the cover put me off (big time), and since I don’t care for romance novels, I would have never picked this one up. But when I saw that the story was heavily involved in art, I became very interested.
This one is going on my list immediately. Thanks, Anna!
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There’s a little romance, but it’s not front and center. Hope you have a chance to read it!
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Great review, I would really love to read this unusual book.
CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com
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Thanks, Carol!
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I’ve been fascinated by synesthesia since I read about it in an essay by Oliver Sacks – please include me in this lovely contest!
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I didn’t know much about the condition before reading this book, but it is fascinating!
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It looks so lovely (the cover that is) and that just makes me read it so much. And on top of it it will make your best of list 🙂
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Yup, it will be on my “best of 2011” list. Have to get around to creating the post now. 😉
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I also have this book on my wishlist because I was instantly attracted by the book’s premise. Would love to win a copy!
laurafabiani at videotron dot ca
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I had a feeling I’d like the book because of how I am with WWII novels; I just didn’t expect to get so invested in Hanna’s story and actually love it.
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This historical period is especially significant to me for personal reasons. Hanna’s life sounds fascinating, especially the Kandinsky connection, and of course, her neurological anomaly. Your review is very enticing, and I definitely will read this book. Winning it would be lovely!
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There is a lot going on in this book, which makes it appealing to many different readers. Hope you get a chance to read it!
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Your wonderful review of this novel captivated me as does this special story. The characters and the beauty of this book are unique and special. Many thanks.
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Thanks, Annie!
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The era is my favorite. What a fascinating and unforgettable book. That it would be memorable and a treasure is definite.
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The era is my favorite as well. I think it’s a must-read for you then.
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The cover is sort of lurid which, I confess, grabbed my attention, because I thought it would be a dramatic historical romance. However, the real premise still sounds great!
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I think you’d like this book! I hadn’t seen the cover when I accepted it for review, so I was a bit surprised when I received it. It’s not that it’s a horrid cover, just not what I expected.
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I kind of dismissed this book because of the cover and it sounds like that’s a mistake. I love art and books set during World War II, so this sounds interesting to me. I really don’t know much about Hitler’s thoughts on art, except that the Nazis stole a lot of it.
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I had a feeling that people might pass this book over because of the cover. I really hope you give it a try!
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The cover does seem terribly misleading!
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Definitely!
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I love books that have a story that spans decades – and even more so if those decades include the world wars. I’d love to learn more about art and the pre-WWII German economy. It just sounds riveting all-round, but one I would never have picked up because it looks so much like a romance…I guess you really can’t judge a book by its cover.:-)
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So true! I love books that follow characters for many years, too, and couple that with WWII, and this was a perfect book for me!
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This book sounds great and I agree, based on that cover, I wouldn’t have thought such a deep book resided under that cover. I would love to be entered into that contest since I have traveled to Munich a lot so I am interested to learn more about it’s history. amusedbybooks@gmail.com
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Munich is now at the top of places I want to visit someday!
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The cover may not depict the story, but I do like it.
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I don’t dislike the cover; it’s very striking. It’s just not the right cover for this book.
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I love historical fiction so this seems like it would be right down my alley.
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I think you’d like this one!
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I know very little of art, but I adore looking at it and pondering things about each piece. Just marveling over it’s greatness I guess.
Excellent review.
(not an entry)
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I don’t know a lot about art myself, but Jones does a good job portraying the artwork for readers not familiar with it.
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I like that this premise sounds so different and is set during such trying time.
reflectionsofabookaholic[at]gmail[dot]com
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It really is different from other WWII novels I’ve read, though I haven’t read tons…yet. 😉
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Wow, thanks for bringing my attention to this book. It sound fascinating! On to my TBR it goes!
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Hope you get a chance to read it!
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Thanks so much for review,hadn`t heard of this book &now can`t wait to read it.
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Thanks for stopping by!
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This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered. The winner will be chosen via Randomizer.org, e-mailed, and announced shortly.
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