First time reading an Alice Hoffman novel. The details drew me in completely. It’s a must read!

I was fascinated to read a book about a jewish family that were French and lived in St. Thomas . I was so enthralled that I read it from beginning to end in a week.

I have enjoyed every word. This is a book that I will treasure forever! Thank you Alice Hoffman for this gift !

The Marriage of Opposites is a wonderful story about a time (1800s) and a place (St.Thomas) I knew little about. It was fascinating to learn of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews who fled from those countries to St. Thomas, then owned by the Dutch, where religious freedom was a right. Alice Hoffman's story beautifully unfolds taking the reader to that time with masterful characters. I enjoyed the span of the story and it's telling in shifting perspectives by those characters. The fact that Rachel's son becomes the famous French impressionist painter Pissarro is a great element. Hoffman's stories are always eloquent and enlightening!

Wonderful work of historical fiction. The authors way with words is utterly enchanting. The descriptions used for st Thomas and Paris make you feel like you're actually there. The story is heartwarming and heartbreaking. Really makes you think. I highly recommend this book.

I have to admit I had never heard of Pissaro, but he did hang with some artists I had heard of. Anyhow, I went into this open minded as I hadn't read the author or heard of the artist. And I found it to be an absolutely enjoyable and entertaining story. There are lots of things going on in this story and the author did a great job keeping them separate and introducing them. There were a couple of jaw dropping moments, several chuckles, a couple of tears, some mild anger and a lot of smiles for me while reading this. While the blurbs talk a lot about the painter, he isn't even born until more than halfway through the book. There's a lot about his mother and living on a island with not a lot of people. She is a strong woman who should have been a son with her ways of thinking during this time period. She is not well liked and keeps the gossip mongers busy. She breaks a lot of rules and I admire her stamina. She is definitely someone you don't want to cross! While I have heard of the author, this is my first book by her. It won't be my last. And I definitely recommend this book. Thanks to Simon and Schuster and Net Galley for providing me with this free e-galley in exchange for an honest review. It was great entertainment on a lazy Saturday!!