Mid-Columbia Libraries (2024)

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2022

Title:	The Secret Life of Sunflowers Dana Marton
Author:	Marton, Dana
Format:	Ebook, Electronic Resources, Book
Publisher, Date:	[S.I.] : Marta Molnar, 2022.
Summary:	"This book draws all the emotions out of you. I went from tears to snorting with laughter. It was both lighthearted and heart breaking, yet it inspires me to live my best life!" Michele Cox When Hollywood auctioneer Emsley Wilson finds her famous grandmother's diary while cleaning out her New York brownstone, the pages are full of surprises. The first surprise is, the diary isn't her grandmother's. It belongs to Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law. Johanna inherited Vincent van Gogh's paintings. They were all she had, and they weren't worth anything. She was a 28 year old widow with a baby in the 1800s, without any means of supporting herself, living in Paris where she barely spoke the language. Yet she managed to introduce Vincent's legacy to the world. The inspiration couldn't come at a better time for Emsley. With her business failing, an unexpected love turning up in her life, and family secrets unraveling, can she find answers in the past? "This book was so much more than I had expected, and I had high expectations... one of the most beautiful stories I've read in years." Kaela Stokes
Subjects:	Fiction Literature Historical Fiction
Other Author:	Overdrive Inc.
Notes:	Adobe EPUB eBook ebook-epub-adobe 1366581 Kindle Book ebook-kindle OverDrive Read ebook-overdrive
ISBN:	9781940627489
Call Number:	Downloadable Ebook

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Publication date:	2022

Description:

"This book draws all the emotions out of you. I went from tears to snorting with laughter. It was both lighthearted and heart breaking, yet it inspires me to live my best life!" Michele Cox

When Hollywood auctioneer Emsley Wilson finds her famous grandmother's diary while cleaning out her New York brownstone, the pages are full of surprises. The first surprise is, the diary isn't her grandmother's. It belongs to Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law.

Johanna inherited Vincent van Gogh's paintings. They were all she had, and they weren't worth anything. She was a 28 year old widow with a baby in the 1800s, without any means of supporting herself, living in Paris where she barely spoke the language. Yet she managed to introduce Vincent's legacy to the world.

The inspiration couldn't come at a better time for Emsley. With her business failing, an unexpected love turning up in her life, and family secrets unraveling, can she find answers in the past?

"This book was so much more than I had expected, and I had high expectations... one of the most beautiful stories I've read in years." Kaela Stokes

Reviews:

February 13, 2023
Molnar (Broslin Creek, as Dana Marton) offers a delightful story about an American woman’s possible connection to the family of Vincent Van Gogh. Emsley Watson is struggling to keep her niche L.A. auction house afloat and hasn’t been able to raise the money needed to buy out her cheating boyfriend partner. After her grandmother Violet has a stroke, Emsley visits her in New York City, and then inherits the contents of Violet’s brownstone upon her death. There, Emsley uncovers a diary from 1887 Amsterdam by someone named Clara. The book chronicles the life of Johanna (née Bonger) Van Gogh, who married the painter Vincent’s brother Theo, and whose story emerges in a parallel narrative. After moving to Paris with Theo, Johanna encounters the erratic Vincent. Theo explained to her how “Sunflowers mean gratitude to Vincent. He never loses faith,” and after Vincent’s death, Johanna determines to protect the Van Gogh legacy. Shifting between Emsley and Johanna, Molnar unfurls a gripping set of mysteries: Who is Clara? Could Emsley be related to the Van Goghs? And who painted the picture of an ugly baby Emsley found in Violet’s house? Molar effectively portrays Emsley and Johanna as strong, dauntless women determined to rebuild their lives after setbacks. This is a delight.

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