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The Gallery of Vanished Husbands
A moving story of family and a life-long love affair in 1950s London, from the New York Times bestselling author of The House at Tyneford .
London, 1958. It's the eve of the sexual revolution, but in Juliet Montague's conservative Jewish community where only men can divorce women, she finds herself a living widow, invisible. Ever since her husband disappeared seven years ago, Juliet has been a hardworking single mother of two and unnaturally practical. But on her thirtieth birthday, that's all about to change. A wealthy young artist asks to paint her portrait, and Juliet, moved by the powerful desire to be seen, enters into the burgeoning art world of 1960s London, which will bring her fame, fortune, and a life-long love affair.
London, 1958. It's the eve of the sexual revolution, but in Juliet Montague's conservative Jewish community where only men can divorce women, she finds herself a living widow, invisible. Ever since her husband disappeared seven years ago, Juliet has been a hardworking single mother of two and unnaturally practical. But on her thirtieth birthday, that's all about to change. A wealthy young artist asks to paint her portrait, and Juliet, moved by the powerful desire to be seen, enters into the burgeoning art world of 1960s London, which will bring her fame, fortune, and a life-long love affair.
339 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2013
About the author
Natasha Solomons
9 books796 followersNatasha Solomons is a writer and the New York Times bestselling author of The Gallery of Vanished Husbands, The House at Tyneford, and Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English. She lives in Dorset England, with her husband, the writer David Solomons, and their two young children. Song of Hartgrove Hall is her fourth novel.
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December 24, 2020
Juliet is a woman who rebels against the Jewish community that she was born into. Left to bring up two children on her own when her feckless husband leaves for work as usual one morning but never returns, she becomes involved in the London art society of the 1950's/60's.
She was labelled an agunah ( a woman chained to a marriage after the husband disappears, and yet is not divorced). She is shunned by her community because of her lifestyle, something that brings shame on her family, but not Juliet, who wilfully maintains the lifestyle that she loves,even having a long term affair with one of her artist friends, something that would have been against her state of agunah.
For me the story plodded along nicely, but wasn't riveting. I found it hard to relate to Juliet, finding her too self absorbed,and therefore could find no empathy with her.
She was labelled an agunah ( a woman chained to a marriage after the husband disappears, and yet is not divorced). She is shunned by her community because of her lifestyle, something that brings shame on her family, but not Juliet, who wilfully maintains the lifestyle that she loves,even having a long term affair with one of her artist friends, something that would have been against her state of agunah.
For me the story plodded along nicely, but wasn't riveting. I found it hard to relate to Juliet, finding her too self absorbed,and therefore could find no empathy with her.
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October 1, 2013I have a lot of mixed up emotions about this book. It addresses a serious issue: What happens to a Jewish woman when her husband disappears and she's unable to get a religious divorce. She's in limbo, a married woman without a husband with no chance to remarry again until he's found alive and is willing to give her the divorce. (If he's found dead, she can be declared a widow.) Until then, she is an aguna.
It's incredibly painful and disturbing to read how powerless Juliet Montague is after her husband leaves without a trace of his whereabouts. Juliet's parents eventually hire a private detective and what happens afterward is heartbreaking. It's also painful to see that Juliet is the subject of pity and gossip within her community.
It's clear that Juliet doesn't want her parents' traditional life. She stops keeping kosher and no longer observes the Sabbath. I get the impression that she sees these things as backward, ancient, dull. Which in a thousand ways breaks my heart. She much prefers the exciting world of art. Juliet becomes entwined with artists and ends up running a galley. Art plays an important, key role in this novel, which I loved because I too appreciate art. The descriptions of the artists and their work completely captivated me.
I could have understood Juliet's frustration over her faith because of becoming an aguna. But that wasn't my perception at all as to why she was turning away from Judaism. She wasn't interested in remarrying (though it may very well be because it wasn't an option. But if it were an option, I'm not sure she would have), she seemed to eventually accept her fate, and she did find a way to enjoy life with her artist boyfriend and friends. Overall, I didn't feel her angst over her life and situation. Yes, she was embarrassed. Yes, she was hurt. But she seemed more frustrated over the fact that her good-for-nothing husband stole her painting. If anything, she felt sad for the pain her husband's absence caused her children. But she too, caused her children pain, by often putting her love for art before them.
As a story, I was fascinated and gripped by the tale. It's well written and the characters' voices are strong.
As someone who deeply loves her faith, this story broke my heart. I felt so sad for the horrible position Juliet found herself in. The author's husband's grandmother was an aguna and was the inspiration for the novel. The real woman, Rosie, seemed to be quite strong. She ended up owning a popular hair salon and raising her two children alone. Beyond admirable.
One observation about this novel disturbed me. I felt that it perpetuated a negative stereotype of observant Jews that doesn't exist for me and certainly not in a lot of communities I know. Was this the author's perception of how things were in the late 1940s and 50s? Was it authentic? I guess that depends on each individual. But I can't relate to it and for that I am deeply grateful. For me, being Jewish and observant is something I absolutely love and cherish.
I think fans of Naomi Ragen's books will like this one.
Thank you so much to Penguin (Plume Books) for providing a review copy.
It's incredibly painful and disturbing to read how powerless Juliet Montague is after her husband leaves without a trace of his whereabouts. Juliet's parents eventually hire a private detective and what happens afterward is heartbreaking. It's also painful to see that Juliet is the subject of pity and gossip within her community.
It's clear that Juliet doesn't want her parents' traditional life. She stops keeping kosher and no longer observes the Sabbath. I get the impression that she sees these things as backward, ancient, dull. Which in a thousand ways breaks my heart. She much prefers the exciting world of art. Juliet becomes entwined with artists and ends up running a galley. Art plays an important, key role in this novel, which I loved because I too appreciate art. The descriptions of the artists and their work completely captivated me.
I could have understood Juliet's frustration over her faith because of becoming an aguna. But that wasn't my perception at all as to why she was turning away from Judaism. She wasn't interested in remarrying (though it may very well be because it wasn't an option. But if it were an option, I'm not sure she would have), she seemed to eventually accept her fate, and she did find a way to enjoy life with her artist boyfriend and friends. Overall, I didn't feel her angst over her life and situation. Yes, she was embarrassed. Yes, she was hurt. But she seemed more frustrated over the fact that her good-for-nothing husband stole her painting. If anything, she felt sad for the pain her husband's absence caused her children. But she too, caused her children pain, by often putting her love for art before them.
As a story, I was fascinated and gripped by the tale. It's well written and the characters' voices are strong.
As someone who deeply loves her faith, this story broke my heart. I felt so sad for the horrible position Juliet found herself in. The author's husband's grandmother was an aguna and was the inspiration for the novel. The real woman, Rosie, seemed to be quite strong. She ended up owning a popular hair salon and raising her two children alone. Beyond admirable.
One observation about this novel disturbed me. I felt that it perpetuated a negative stereotype of observant Jews that doesn't exist for me and certainly not in a lot of communities I know. Was this the author's perception of how things were in the late 1940s and 50s? Was it authentic? I guess that depends on each individual. But I can't relate to it and for that I am deeply grateful. For me, being Jewish and observant is something I absolutely love and cherish.
I think fans of Naomi Ragen's books will like this one.
Thank you so much to Penguin (Plume Books) for providing a review copy.
April 25, 2014
I did not enjoy this book for many reasons. It was not terribly written but it lacked passion and atmosphere. I felt that my eyes were having to climb across each page with great effort.
It begins in the 1960s but there is no real feel of the sixties conveyed. We are introduced to Juliet who is saving up for a fridge and her children who want a TV but really that seems to be the authors only attempt to demonstrate that the story is not set in the present. It could be set in the 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s. There is nothing in the writing to evoke the sixties. An odd comment is thrown in to the story occasionally to remind the reader of the decade, but even that felt forced.
The characters are passionless. I understand that they are meant to appear respectable and conservative because of their Jewish upbringing but for a woman who lives for art; a creative passion, and rebels against her family and has a love affair, I found it all quite simply boring. There was no intensity, excitement or passion shown at all.
The vanished husband is a tiny part of the story that was tied up in a bow on the last few pages and felt quite flat.
The editing towards the end of the book is not great and you get the feeling that even the writer and editor were bored by that point and hurrying up to get it over with.
When I read a book, I love the after feeling where you are free to wonder what happened to the characters. I love the individuality of it, the way the reader can create their own future for everyone. The end of this book is full of short chapters to summarise the lives of all characters so that you are not even left with the opportunity to use your imagination after you finish reading.
It took me over a month to read this. Each time I read a few pages I had to stop. I don't recommend it. I found it boring, unmemorable and slow.
My review half way through:
I'm really struggling with this book and I'm finding that I am skim reading which is never a good sign for me as I love to take in and digest every word.
The writing seems to jump as if edited poorly. Scenes are separated either by a huge jump in a paragraph; a page break; a decorative fern (I do not know if this has a technical name) or the end of a chapter. All of these would generally be acceptable but it seems like each was chosen randomly and the inconsistency feels like carelessness.
It begins in the 1960s but there is no real feel of the sixties conveyed. We are introduced to Juliet who is saving up for a fridge and her children who want a TV but really that seems to be the authors only attempt to demonstrate that the story is not set in the present. It could be set in the 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s. There is nothing in the writing to evoke the sixties. An odd comment is thrown in to the story occasionally to remind the reader of the decade, but even that felt forced.
The characters are passionless. I understand that they are meant to appear respectable and conservative because of their Jewish upbringing but for a woman who lives for art; a creative passion, and rebels against her family and has a love affair, I found it all quite simply boring. There was no intensity, excitement or passion shown at all.
The vanished husband is a tiny part of the story that was tied up in a bow on the last few pages and felt quite flat.
The editing towards the end of the book is not great and you get the feeling that even the writer and editor were bored by that point and hurrying up to get it over with.
When I read a book, I love the after feeling where you are free to wonder what happened to the characters. I love the individuality of it, the way the reader can create their own future for everyone. The end of this book is full of short chapters to summarise the lives of all characters so that you are not even left with the opportunity to use your imagination after you finish reading.
It took me over a month to read this. Each time I read a few pages I had to stop. I don't recommend it. I found it boring, unmemorable and slow.
My review half way through:
I'm really struggling with this book and I'm finding that I am skim reading which is never a good sign for me as I love to take in and digest every word.
The writing seems to jump as if edited poorly. Scenes are separated either by a huge jump in a paragraph; a page break; a decorative fern (I do not know if this has a technical name) or the end of a chapter. All of these would generally be acceptable but it seems like each was chosen randomly and the inconsistency feels like carelessness.
July 28, 2013
The book takes place in 1960s London. Juliet Montague is a mother of two who lives in a very conservative Jewish community. Her husband disappeared one day and since then, Juliet has felt she has also become invisible to those around her. Only men can divorce their Jewish wives at that time, so Juliet is unable to marry again and lives a sort of half life until she comes across a young artist who paints her portrait.
This becomes just one a series of portraits of Juliet painted throughout her lifetime. Juliet, eventually enters the art world of London as a gallery owner. She also begins a lifelong love affair with a reclusive artist. But until she finds her long lost husband, she is unable to fully life her life or feel that she belongs.
Although this book was slow paced, it was wonderfully written. As Juliet is on an emotional journey, I felt her yearning for more in life and attempting to break free of her confining conservative homelife.
I loved that each chapter is titled with the name of a portrait done of Juliet and the year it was painted. That chapter dealt with that period in Juliet's life. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
This becomes just one a series of portraits of Juliet painted throughout her lifetime. Juliet, eventually enters the art world of London as a gallery owner. She also begins a lifelong love affair with a reclusive artist. But until she finds her long lost husband, she is unable to fully life her life or feel that she belongs.
Although this book was slow paced, it was wonderfully written. As Juliet is on an emotional journey, I felt her yearning for more in life and attempting to break free of her confining conservative homelife.
I loved that each chapter is titled with the name of a portrait done of Juliet and the year it was painted. That chapter dealt with that period in Juliet's life. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
March 2, 2019
this book was a slow mover and didn't really get myself into it and couldn't really get into the characters as well
January 2, 2015
Sorry, but you can get the plot in another review; this is my opinion. The story was compelling enough to keep me reading to the end, but I didn't connect with most of the characters - and especially the main character. The disconnect was almost immediate when I saw that the heroine's name was Juliet Montague but nobody ever made a joke, or even mentioned, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. I never understood what she was feeling or why she made the decisions she did. Indeed, I found some of the secondary characters better fleshed out. The descriptions of the 1950's Orthodox world and modern art culture, and how they clashed, were excellent. I certainly got a good feel for the time and place.
August 16, 2013
Not sure the cover art does the book any favors - this is a book mostly about a woman rebelling against her traditional community in favor of art. Juliet is one of those people who sees things: blues are really blue, ugly stands out, and if you show her a bare wall she can tell you what art you should put there. One of the defining moments of her life came when she was young and an artist painted her portrait in exchange for her father repairing his glasses.
She's also in an impossible situation: her husband disappeared (taking that portrait with him). For most of us, we could get a divorce based on desertion. Juliet, however, lives in an orthodox Jewish community and she can't get a religious divorce, so she's a "living widow" with certain restrictions on her life. This is London in the 1950s and 60s, and Juliet's rebellion (leaving her father's glasses factory to found an art gallery, consorting with men without a chaperone) may seem tame but in her world? Huge.
The problem for me was that the book mutes both the art aspect and the rebellion aspect, instead settling for a muddy middle ground that looks at Juliet's life from 1958 through 2006. We get to know her family (parents and children), her artists, her search for her husband (or, more accurately, the portrait he took) and other parts of her life but it's not as vivid as it could have been.
ARC provided by publisher.
She's also in an impossible situation: her husband disappeared (taking that portrait with him). For most of us, we could get a divorce based on desertion. Juliet, however, lives in an orthodox Jewish community and she can't get a religious divorce, so she's a "living widow" with certain restrictions on her life. This is London in the 1950s and 60s, and Juliet's rebellion (leaving her father's glasses factory to found an art gallery, consorting with men without a chaperone) may seem tame but in her world? Huge.
The problem for me was that the book mutes both the art aspect and the rebellion aspect, instead settling for a muddy middle ground that looks at Juliet's life from 1958 through 2006. We get to know her family (parents and children), her artists, her search for her husband (or, more accurately, the portrait he took) and other parts of her life but it's not as vivid as it could have been.
ARC provided by publisher.
March 23, 2016
Loved it. I really like the writing style and tone which Natasha Solomons uses. She has a way of making words dance.
This story is about a very conventionally raised Jewish wife who breaks free and becomes a much respected Gallery owner in the art world of the 1960s. That sounds like a predictable plot. No way!
On Juliet Montague's thirtieth birthday she sets off to buy a 'fridge, something she has painfully saved up for. Her husband walked out one day and never returned, she has struggled to raise her two children and is smothered in the very Jewish proper 'village' society. Instead of that much needed 'fridge Juliet sees a young artist and although he won't sell her the portrait she admires he does offer to paint hers. Juliet says yes, bang goes the 'fridge, but thus begins her emergence from suburban nonentity to respected art adviser and gallery owner.
Note the name, Juliet Montague. Solomons has a lovely dry wit which reveals itself in the names, and the situations she puts her characters in. She gently laughs at her characters, their worlds and
beliefs. It's a kinder version of 'Lord, what fools these mortals be.' and makes for one of those reads where the reader is given much to think about and a gentle laugh at humanity.
A great read for anyone who likes to think and ponder with an author whose sense of humour is gentle and unobtrusive, and whose writing style is impeccable.
This story is about a very conventionally raised Jewish wife who breaks free and becomes a much respected Gallery owner in the art world of the 1960s. That sounds like a predictable plot. No way!
On Juliet Montague's thirtieth birthday she sets off to buy a 'fridge, something she has painfully saved up for. Her husband walked out one day and never returned, she has struggled to raise her two children and is smothered in the very Jewish proper 'village' society. Instead of that much needed 'fridge Juliet sees a young artist and although he won't sell her the portrait she admires he does offer to paint hers. Juliet says yes, bang goes the 'fridge, but thus begins her emergence from suburban nonentity to respected art adviser and gallery owner.
Note the name, Juliet Montague. Solomons has a lovely dry wit which reveals itself in the names, and the situations she puts her characters in. She gently laughs at her characters, their worlds and
beliefs. It's a kinder version of 'Lord, what fools these mortals be.' and makes for one of those reads where the reader is given much to think about and a gentle laugh at humanity.
A great read for anyone who likes to think and ponder with an author whose sense of humour is gentle and unobtrusive, and whose writing style is impeccable.
September 4, 2013
The year was 1958, and Juliet Montague was turning thirty. She'd planned to be sensible, to go out and bring home the new refrigerator that she had been saving hard to buy. But Juliet had always had an eye for art, and on the way to the shops she spotted a young artist, Charlie, at work. She asked to buy the painting; he wouldn't sell it, but he offered to paint Juliet instead. A much better present!
It wasn't the first time that Juliet's portrait was painted. The first time had been when she was just nine years-old. But her husband had taken that portrait - and one or two other things of value - when he abandoned Juliet and their two children.
And, because Juliet came from a strict Jewish community, that made her an `aguna' - a woman who is still a wife, and will always be a wife, unless her husband can be traced and persuaded to grant a divorce.
But Juliet's second portrait heralded the start of a new life. She was pulled into the circle of a group of young artists, ready to open a new gallery to showcase their work, and eager for Juliet, whose instinctive understanding of art they greatly appreciated, to run it for them. It was a whole new world, and Juliet loved it.
But Juliet's traditional, conventional, parents don't understand. They are good people, they love their daughter, and they have the means to help support her and their grandchildren, but they fear for their daughter.
She moves between her two worlds - belonging and yet not belonging in each of them - and knowing, but not quite admitting, that she can't be at peace until she learns her husband's story.
Natasha Solomons writes beautifully, with a wonderfully light touch, and she catches people, places, emotions, quite beautifully. I appreciated that she shared a great deal of understanding of the Jewish community, and Juliet's position, without in any way making this a book about issues. It's a book about Juliet's life, her relationships, and her emotional journey.
I particularly liked the way that the impact of the family situation on Juliet's son and daughter was illuminated at different points of the story. And the way it was shown that times, relationships, everything changes.
But I was disappointed that other characters were barely illuminated at all. There was so much potential in the many of the artists that crossed Juliet's path, and so I was disappointed that there were intriguing hints, particularly of things that had happened in the past, but no more than that.
The structure is interesting: each section begins with the catalogue number and title of a different portrait of Juliet, and spins a story around that time of her life. That made things a little episodic, but it was only a problem at the end of the book, when the story jumped forward quite a few years.
Those things, the slight fuzziness that they give the story, make me inclined to say that this isn't as good a book as The Novel in the Viola - which I loved - but it is very readable, and emotionally engaging. I appreciated that it was a very different story, set in a different world and at a different time.
The Gallery of Lost Husbands is a quiet story, a story of a life being lived. There are no big dramas, but the important moments, when something happened or when realisation dawned, were captured beautifully. You could say that it's a very grown-up light read ...
It wasn't the first time that Juliet's portrait was painted. The first time had been when she was just nine years-old. But her husband had taken that portrait - and one or two other things of value - when he abandoned Juliet and their two children.
And, because Juliet came from a strict Jewish community, that made her an `aguna' - a woman who is still a wife, and will always be a wife, unless her husband can be traced and persuaded to grant a divorce.
But Juliet's second portrait heralded the start of a new life. She was pulled into the circle of a group of young artists, ready to open a new gallery to showcase their work, and eager for Juliet, whose instinctive understanding of art they greatly appreciated, to run it for them. It was a whole new world, and Juliet loved it.
But Juliet's traditional, conventional, parents don't understand. They are good people, they love their daughter, and they have the means to help support her and their grandchildren, but they fear for their daughter.
She moves between her two worlds - belonging and yet not belonging in each of them - and knowing, but not quite admitting, that she can't be at peace until she learns her husband's story.
Natasha Solomons writes beautifully, with a wonderfully light touch, and she catches people, places, emotions, quite beautifully. I appreciated that she shared a great deal of understanding of the Jewish community, and Juliet's position, without in any way making this a book about issues. It's a book about Juliet's life, her relationships, and her emotional journey.
I particularly liked the way that the impact of the family situation on Juliet's son and daughter was illuminated at different points of the story. And the way it was shown that times, relationships, everything changes.
But I was disappointed that other characters were barely illuminated at all. There was so much potential in the many of the artists that crossed Juliet's path, and so I was disappointed that there were intriguing hints, particularly of things that had happened in the past, but no more than that.
The structure is interesting: each section begins with the catalogue number and title of a different portrait of Juliet, and spins a story around that time of her life. That made things a little episodic, but it was only a problem at the end of the book, when the story jumped forward quite a few years.
Those things, the slight fuzziness that they give the story, make me inclined to say that this isn't as good a book as The Novel in the Viola - which I loved - but it is very readable, and emotionally engaging. I appreciated that it was a very different story, set in a different world and at a different time.
The Gallery of Lost Husbands is a quiet story, a story of a life being lived. There are no big dramas, but the important moments, when something happened or when realisation dawned, were captured beautifully. You could say that it's a very grown-up light read ...
July 23, 2014
An excellent novel about a Jewish-English woman from quite a traditional background in the late 1950's, who creates her own path in the world by using her talent to appreciate and discover painting talent
While the novel starts in 1958 when Juliet Montague (born Greene in a Jewish village near London, where everyone was descended from Jewish immigrants from Polish villages at the turn of the century, so everyone knew everyone and the traditions were strong and far from the sophistication of the more recent Jewish immigrants from Vienna and Central Europe more generally) was getting close to her 30th birthday and was trying to get by as she has been abandoned some six years ago by her handsome, but gambling, lying and even not above the occasional pilfering, husband George, one of those refugees (from Hungary whom she had married after a fast courtship in 1946 when she was 18), when their son Leonard was 2 and their daughter Frieda was 5, The Gallery of Vanished Husbands moves both back in time to Juliet's childhood and early marriage years and forward to our time following her and her family
Since in traditional Jewish law, only husbands have the right to divorce their wives, if a woman was abandoned she was in a "ghost" state as she wasn't really married, divorced, widowed etc and while of course under civil law she could get a divorce and remarry, in the traditional world of the 50's that meant social shunning - there is a scene when Juliet finally deciding to get a "boyfriend" (whose identity is reasonably clear after a while but their relationship is part of the interesting-ness of the novel), goes to her family doctor to ask for a pill prescriptions - which at the time was available under British law only to married women - and he starts exclaiming, "wonderful news, Mr. Montague has returned" etc to Juliet's great embarrassment, and when she tells him what actually she wants, he almost refuses though he cannot legally do so and finally he grudgingly accepts to prescribe her the pill only after Juliet points out that if he illegally refuses her she will go at another doctor...
And so it goes, though Juliet doesn't really care any more about the opinion of the village - and there it helps that her father as a factory owner is a local notable - and she lives her life to the full
Great stuff and an excellent novel which is superb for the first 3/4, though it becomes somewhat scattered towards the end where we move very fast in time to our present (2004) and where the narrative force becomes a little spent.
Incidentally the title refers to the practice at the time to advertise pictures of missing husbands in Jewish newspapers, asking them to either return or grant their wives divorces through the local rabbi of wherever they are, so they can resume their lives so to speak...
While the novel starts in 1958 when Juliet Montague (born Greene in a Jewish village near London, where everyone was descended from Jewish immigrants from Polish villages at the turn of the century, so everyone knew everyone and the traditions were strong and far from the sophistication of the more recent Jewish immigrants from Vienna and Central Europe more generally) was getting close to her 30th birthday and was trying to get by as she has been abandoned some six years ago by her handsome, but gambling, lying and even not above the occasional pilfering, husband George, one of those refugees (from Hungary whom she had married after a fast courtship in 1946 when she was 18), when their son Leonard was 2 and their daughter Frieda was 5, The Gallery of Vanished Husbands moves both back in time to Juliet's childhood and early marriage years and forward to our time following her and her family
Since in traditional Jewish law, only husbands have the right to divorce their wives, if a woman was abandoned she was in a "ghost" state as she wasn't really married, divorced, widowed etc and while of course under civil law she could get a divorce and remarry, in the traditional world of the 50's that meant social shunning - there is a scene when Juliet finally deciding to get a "boyfriend" (whose identity is reasonably clear after a while but their relationship is part of the interesting-ness of the novel), goes to her family doctor to ask for a pill prescriptions - which at the time was available under British law only to married women - and he starts exclaiming, "wonderful news, Mr. Montague has returned" etc to Juliet's great embarrassment, and when she tells him what actually she wants, he almost refuses though he cannot legally do so and finally he grudgingly accepts to prescribe her the pill only after Juliet points out that if he illegally refuses her she will go at another doctor...
And so it goes, though Juliet doesn't really care any more about the opinion of the village - and there it helps that her father as a factory owner is a local notable - and she lives her life to the full
Great stuff and an excellent novel which is superb for the first 3/4, though it becomes somewhat scattered towards the end where we move very fast in time to our present (2004) and where the narrative force becomes a little spent.
Incidentally the title refers to the practice at the time to advertise pictures of missing husbands in Jewish newspapers, asking them to either return or grant their wives divorces through the local rabbi of wherever they are, so they can resume their lives so to speak...
January 1, 2015
Chose to read this book because the title intrigued me and the the truth behind the title is an interesting glimpse into the history of the Jewish people. I never realized the limbo that Jewish women whose husbands had vanished found themselves in. This novel allows us to follow Juliet Montague who rebels against the strictures imposed upon her when she finds herself in this position. She finds herself in the art world of 1960s London and as the years progress she has her portrait painted by scores of artists. I really liked the way that a description of some of the paintings (as if from an art catelogue) are the focus points for different chapters of Juliet's life. Would recommend this book highly.
August 2, 2017
I seldom award 5 stars, but the book gets my wholehearted 5 stars. I devoured it in one sitting, again, something I seldom do.
It’s a rich story, dealing with the world of conservative Jewish tradition, with the vibrant London art world set as counterpoint. To read entire review go to http://thebooksmithblog.wordpress.com
It’s a rich story, dealing with the world of conservative Jewish tradition, with the vibrant London art world set as counterpoint. To read entire review go to http://thebooksmithblog.wordpress.com
November 20, 2015
I didn't feel connected to any of the characters and never felt drawn into the story.
March 28, 2017
This was very disappointing in the end. I did not like the main character at all. She comes across as a total narcissist (Who has over 6 self-portraits of themselves lining their walls?). Her parenting skills were terrible and I really disliked her boyfriend Max....weak, so very weak.
December 1, 2022
Such a beautiful journey when reading this book. Gentle, loving and aesthetic.
January 6, 2014
Juliet Montague is an anomaly amongst those in her Jewish community in London. She is an abandoned wife and therefore forbidden to date or re-marry until her vanished husband is found and a settlement can be made. Left to raise her two children, she works in a boring job at her father's spectacle factory and indulges in her love of art. Over the years, as she tries to make life more interesting and find out what happened to her missing husband, George, she has her portrait painted by numerous artists. The first portrait was actually made when she was a child but her husband absconded with it. As she meets various artists, opens her own gallery, begins a long-running affair with one of the artists, each man paints her at different stages of her life in different ways. Soon the hallway of her stairwell is lined with pictures of her as she and her family search a column in a Jewish newspaper called the gallery of vanished husbands.
This is a book which builds momentum as the story progresses. As the personalities of those in the book are revealed and expanded, the reader becomes more involved with them emotionally. Although it moved slowly at the beginning, I found it harder to put down by the time I was mid-way through the book and eventually really enjoyed it. I would now like to read her other books as well.
This is a book which builds momentum as the story progresses. As the personalities of those in the book are revealed and expanded, the reader becomes more involved with them emotionally. Although it moved slowly at the beginning, I found it harder to put down by the time I was mid-way through the book and eventually really enjoyed it. I would now like to read her other books as well.
May 21, 2014
This story is set in England over many years and the main character of the story is a woman called Juliet Montague. Juliet is a mother and wife although her husband has now vanished and has left her in an uncertain position and surrounded by her tightly knit Jewish community. I felt incredibly sorry for Juliet, she is trying to get through a difficult time with people talking behind her back as she tries to raise and protect her children and yet not lose herself amongst everything that is happening. Reading the book I felt almost claustrophobic sometimes , Juliet was stuck in a place in her life where she could not move on and you often feel her helplessness. During all this she finds solace in an unexpected place and this would give her comfort and joy throughout her life .Juliet's act of rebellion was a shining moment in the book where we really see Juliet the woman, her guts and gumption , and this made her a terrific heroine and very inspiring. I recommend this to everyone who likes a book with a bit of a mystery.
I received this book for review from the lovely folks over at Lovereading.co.uk
I received this book for review from the lovely folks over at Lovereading.co.uk
October 4, 2015
I thought this book started off well but after a while I found it dragged rather. The beginning is quirky and I had high hopes of it but the rest of the book to me didn't live up to its initial promise. Juliet's husband has disappeared. Because of this she is something of an outcast in her Jewish community.
Going out to buy herself a birthday present, she intends to buy a fridge, she is diverted by a young artist selling his wares on the street and decides to commission a portrait of herself instead of spending the money on a fridge. This sudden extravagance leads her into a world of art and artists and a new career. Not an artist herself, she recognises a good picture when she sees one.
Somehow what happened to Juliet left me cold after about the first third of the book and I found I really didn't care about her life any more and it was a real struggle to finish the book. Yes it is well written and the beginning grabbed my attention but I just lost interest in Juliet and her life and ceased to care about it. Others may love the book but for me it just wasn't the right book at the right time.
Going out to buy herself a birthday present, she intends to buy a fridge, she is diverted by a young artist selling his wares on the street and decides to commission a portrait of herself instead of spending the money on a fridge. This sudden extravagance leads her into a world of art and artists and a new career. Not an artist herself, she recognises a good picture when she sees one.
Somehow what happened to Juliet left me cold after about the first third of the book and I found I really didn't care about her life any more and it was a real struggle to finish the book. Yes it is well written and the beginning grabbed my attention but I just lost interest in Juliet and her life and ceased to care about it. Others may love the book but for me it just wasn't the right book at the right time.
May 5, 2014
This book was a bit of a jump in the dark; I got it out of the library because I liked the cover...
Julie is 30 and impulsively gets a portrait of herself painted for her birthday instead of spending the money on a fridge. This action opens up a new life for her and her two children.
The story covers an era and situations I know absolutely nothing about: the 60s London art scene and what it's like to be a Jewish woman whose husband has disappeared. Now I know a tiny bit more. Because Juliet's husband left her, never to be seen again, within her community she is an 'agunah': Jewish law states that unless a husband gives his wife an official bill of divorce, she remains married to him forever, she is literally 'chained' to her marriage unless her husband can be found. Juliet can never really move on, and you get a good sense of how confining she finds her life, especially as she is constantly viewed not with compassion but with pity. I wonder sometimes how the difference between the two would feel like and Juliet's experience captured it very well.
Julie is 30 and impulsively gets a portrait of herself painted for her birthday instead of spending the money on a fridge. This action opens up a new life for her and her two children.
The story covers an era and situations I know absolutely nothing about: the 60s London art scene and what it's like to be a Jewish woman whose husband has disappeared. Now I know a tiny bit more. Because Juliet's husband left her, never to be seen again, within her community she is an 'agunah': Jewish law states that unless a husband gives his wife an official bill of divorce, she remains married to him forever, she is literally 'chained' to her marriage unless her husband can be found. Juliet can never really move on, and you get a good sense of how confining she finds her life, especially as she is constantly viewed not with compassion but with pity. I wonder sometimes how the difference between the two would feel like and Juliet's experience captured it very well.
April 9, 2014
I was impressed with the thought that went into this novel. The title is great and the use of portrait titles and the artist for each chapter is ingenious. We follow the life of Juliet and the painting of her portrait by each of the painters throughout the book. Each section represents a different period in her life. We are shown how Juliet is tortured between being a good jewish widow and being herself. She wants to please her mother, but at the same time yearns to break free from the old traditions. When she tries to track down her missing husband, she finds that he committed bigamy. This changes her whole outlook. The book is more about Juliet finding herself. This was a fairly quick read for me, but it is not action packed. I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.
February 3, 2016
Juliet lives in a conservative Jewish community in England in the late 1950's. She has two young children and a husband who has left her, becoming an object of pity to her parents' friends . But a chance encounter with an artist changes her life forever, freeing her from her from her restrictive traditions. Her world becomes that of artists and art, seeing life in a whole new way.
I really like Solomon's writing and all of her books I have read so far. She has a way of telling a story, with some humor and great insight into human nature. "Alcohol seals occasions as varnish does garden benches."
I really like Solomon's writing and all of her books I have read so far. She has a way of telling a story, with some humor and great insight into human nature. "Alcohol seals occasions as varnish does garden benches."
November 21, 2013
Book Review & Giveaway: The book cover for The Gallery of Vanished Husbands by bestselling author Natasha Solomons drew me like flies to honey. I had to know who this mysterious woman was! Reading the publisher’s brief description clinched it; I had to read this novel. This is the story of a woman who wanted the world to see her for who she was instead of who they thought she should be. This novel may be set in the mid-20th century but its message is still quite pertinent in today’s world. Read the rest of our review to see if it should be on your TBR list, and be sure to enter our giveaway at http://popcornreads.com/?p=6821 so you can win a copy!
May 6, 2015
This has been the best book I have read in a while.The story has many layers, but the one I love is about the relationship between artists and those who 'see' their work - really see beyond the canvas, using intelligence and a rarely found perception which lies at the edge of consciousness: it can't be explained or rationalized, but it does propel the life of the main character Juliet.
Natasha Solomons is a gifted writer - so many times I could not resist reading aloud a paragraph to Rob - just to hear the beauty of the words and their life beyond the page.
Natasha Solomons is a gifted writer - so many times I could not resist reading aloud a paragraph to Rob - just to hear the beauty of the words and their life beyond the page.
January 11, 2018
The book could've been so much better with a few more revisions and better editing. And a thicker plot. It had the potential but didn't deliver. A story about a Jewish society! -- yet the author seems to think being Jewish is super boring, and there's no love for the culture. A story about the sixties! -- yet there's no atmosphere of the sixties. A love story between a woman releasing her closeted sexuality and a hermit artist! -- seriously, how could that turn out so lame?
August 2, 2015
The novel is about Juliet, a Jewish woman whose husband left her and their children. Her husband disappeared without divorce and this fact fixed Juliet's fate. Fortunately, inspite of it she had an interesting life because she could find her happiness in her job. She led a gallery in London and she found her company, people who accepted her with her status.
I really liked it.
I really liked it.
December 15, 2013
Juliet is a woman to be admired. She is a woman who was dealt lemons and made lemonade! Who doesn't admire someone, who when the going gets tough, plows ahead and reinvents oneself? Ultimately, we are all responsible for our own happiness.
January 21, 2016
Just ok. I enjoyed the character, the art, and the family, both the Jewish and the art community. But it moved slow for me. The story of the vanished husband was an unexpected surprise. The portraits a nice touch.
December 26, 2013
Interesting and well written but not particularly compelling though I was motivated to finish it just to find out if the vanished husband ever reappears.
September 12, 2013
This book should appeal to Anglophiles and those who enjoy art. I have read other books by this author, and they have been a pleasure.
January 15, 2014
see my review at http://www.thereportergroup.org/Artic...
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