The Marriage of Opposites

Written by:
Alice Hoffman

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
76
Narrator
21
Release Date
August 2015
Duration
13 hours 37 minutes
Summary
“A luminous, Marquez-esque tale” (O, The Oprah Magazine) from the New York Times bestselling author of The Museum of Extraordinary Things: a forbidden love story set on a tropical island about the extraordinary woman who gave birth to painter Camille Pissarro—the Father of Impressionism.

Growing up on idyllic St. Thomas in the early 1800s, Rachel dreams of life in faraway Paris. Rachel’s mother, a pillar of their small refugee community of Jews who escaped the Inquisition, has never forgiven her daughter for being a difficult girl who refuses to live by the rules. Growing up, Rachel’s salvation is their maid Adelle’s belief in her strengths, and her deep, life-long friendship with Jestine, Adelle’s daughter. But Rachel’s life is not her own. She is married off to a widower with three children to save her father’s business. When her older husband dies suddenly and his handsome, much younger nephew, Frédérick, arrives from France to settle the estate, Rachel seizes her own life story, beginning a defiant, passionate love affair that sparks a scandal that affects all of her family, including her favorite son, who will become one of the greatest artists of France.

“A work of art” (Dallas Morning News), The Marriage of Opposites showcases the beloved, bestselling Alice Hoffman at the height of her considerable powers. “Her lush, seductive prose, and heart-pounding subject…make this latest skinny-dip in enchanted realism…the Platonic ideal of the beach read” (Slate.com). Once forgotten to history, the marriage of Rachel and Frédérick “will only renew your commitment to Hoffman’s astonishing storytelling” (USA TODAY).
Reviews
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Sandra T.

Lovely descriptions, well developed characters, entertaining of plots and sub plots worked well! I enjoyed it all.

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Laura R.

Most of the book was really enticing, but the combination of the first narrator’s voice and a drawn out description made the first part difficult for us to stay awake during.

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Katherine Chargin

It took me quite a while to get interested in the story, though there were great parts here and there. For me the main problem was the initial reader -- I really disliked her style: she seemed too phony, stylized, stilted, and pompous. Sorry Tina, but I really did not like your work on this one. I've never read Alice Hoffman and not sure I ever will based on this. The other two narrators were fine.

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Monique A.

God book and interesting story.

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Chris C.

This historic fictional about the parents of arts Camille Pissarro held my attention. Particularly interesting to me was the history of the Jews, their migration to the island and their community during the 1800s.

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Kristin M

I had a hard time getting into this one. I found the first narrator distracting. I am glad I stuck with it - good story and characters.

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Susan Patz

Wonderfully told story. Enjoyed Hoffman's characters and was engrossed from the start

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alice greene

Got a little tedious Interesting historical topic. Enjoyed most of it

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Danica Ramgoolam

Beautifully written and narrated. I loved this book and would recommend it to lovers of Alice Hoffman it is one of her best!!

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