Publishers Weekly
12/10/2018
Gloss’s memorable latest (after Vintage) takes place in an artists’ colony, bringing to life its residents’ challenges and achievements alike. Nell Parker, the new director of the colony in Madison, Wis., has been struggling with her husband after a lost pregnancy and failed attempts at fertility treatments. The directorship at Mansion Hill Artists’ Colony was won by Nell on the strength of her PhD in art history, but she’s uncertain about how she can help the three residents. They had already been chosen by Betsy Barrett, a wealthy philanthropist who recently died and left instructions that her mansion on the lake be used for the colony. Nell does her best to get acclimated with her new job while the artists focus on their projects, which are meant to be presented in a show at the end of their stay. They’re a mixed lot, with multimedia artist Paige Jewell attending college in Madison while she lives at the colony and Odin Sorenson, arriving from Minneapolis, creating large metal pieces in the garage. Annie Beck, the oldest of the three (who achieved fame in the 1970s for her political art and activism), lives in the basement working with photography. It takes a while for the story to settle in, but the personalities and descriptions of artistic processes are skillfully portrayed. Gloss’s novel is a transportive, satisfying portrait of an artists’ colony. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
Featuring a cast of characters as varied as the art they create, Susan Gloss’s The Curiosities is about chasing dreams, second chances, and the gift of redemption. Enchanting and heartfelt!” — Karma Brown, Bestselling author of In This Moment
“A richly layered tale of the intersection of five very different lives, The Curiosities uniquely depicts how each step in the journey leads us where we’re ultimately meant to be. Page by page, Gloss proves that the beauty of life—like art—is often revealed to us a little at a time. The Curiosities is an absolute must read!” — Kristy Woodson Harvey, national bestselling author of Slightly South of Simple
“Driven by an eclectric mix mix of characters navigating dreams, disappointments, and second chances, The Curiosities is, at its heart, a celebration of creativity, self, and finding your own way. Thoroughly satisfying, from the first page to the last” — Jessica Strawser, author of Not That I Could Tell
“The Curiosities is a stained glass window of a novel: lovely, glowing and precise. Set in a community of artists who are outwardly coming together and inwardly coming apart, Susan Gloss’s writing brims with insight into grief and joy, love and regret.” — Greer Macallister, bestselling author of The Magician’s Lie and Girl in Disguise
Jessica Strawser
Driven by an eclectric mix mix of characters navigating dreams, disappointments, and second chances, The Curiosities is, at its heart, a celebration of creativity, self, and finding your own way. Thoroughly satisfying, from the first page to the last
Kristy Woodson Harvey
A richly layered tale of the intersection of five very different lives, The Curiosities uniquely depicts how each step in the journey leads us where we’re ultimately meant to be. Page by page, Gloss proves that the beauty of life—like art—is often revealed to us a little at a time. The Curiosities is an absolute must read!
Greer Macallister
The Curiosities is a stained glass window of a novel: lovely, glowing and precise. Set in a community of artists who are outwardly coming together and inwardly coming apart, Susan Gloss’s writing brims with insight into grief and joy, love and regret.
Karma Brown
Featuring a cast of characters as varied as the art they create, Susan Gloss’s The Curiosities is about chasing dreams, second chances, and the gift of redemption. Enchanting and heartfelt!
