The Art of Always

I just finished The Art of Always by Patricia Friedrich

So close to graduating, art history Major Darcey Mendes needs a topic to write her thesis on to be able to graduate with her class and help her family not lose their home. Being in such gratitude to her parents as they watch her daughter when she is in school, a daughter no one knows about.

Archie, her friend from a rich and influential family, reappears in her life, bringing with him the salvation of a topic for her thesis and the underlying feelings she harbors for him. His great-grandmother was a modernist painter, on the verge of super stardom in the 1920s yet disappeared from the spotlight after her exhibition.

As she translates Ana's story from letters, she finds a mystery that may cause such despair to Archie's family but it is too late to find another subject to write about. Can Darcey do the right thing for everyone involved without giving up her dreams? Can she find a way without hurting the man she loves?

I really enjoyed the parts about Ana. The storyline there was rich and I felt so connected to how Ana was feeling during this time in her life. A free spirit held in the confines of a time that wasn't ready for her. She was born in the wrong era. As a painter myself, I can completely understand what painting is for her and the sacrifices... My heart tore open when I found out about that. An unbelievably hard thing she had to do.

I didn't connect with Darcy. Hiding her kid? Weird and as a mother, you never have a need to do that unless the child is in danger and hers was not. Putting school ahead of her child too.... I just can't. She treated Archie like poop and having them end up together made me sour. I didn't find anything redeemable in Darcy for me and that was a bitter pill to swallow.

Can't fault the author, they nailed this book. Their writing captivated me and shaped my opinions so they have a lot of talent, I just felt Darcy could have been better. More rationale as to why she was the way she was and why she dealt with things the way she did.

Definitely a solid 4 star read. I would recommend it to other readers who enjoy historical fiction that straddles two eras and who likes the letter format for writing.

Thank you to @katieandbreyPA for my review copy and to the author, @patricia.friedrich.author

Who doesn't love a dual timeline story particularly in the hands of a master writer like Patricia Friedrich who seamlessly weaves together the 1996 story of Darcy, a young mother and academic, desperate to complete her dissertation so she can support her 3-year old daughter and her sacrificing parents, or Ana, the fiery Brazilian Modernist painter in the early 1920's, the great grandmother of Darcy's great friend Archie, who suddenly disappears in the midst of a career triumph and whose letters reveal the secret she kept from the world.

As we follow each women's story through not only their triumphs but their sacrifices, we realize the similarities between the challenges each faces, whether it's in personal relationships with the men in their lives or the ups and downs of being a creative artist, whether through painting or writing, in a male-dominated world.

Come for the romance but stay for the intricate and heartfelt examination of what it means to be a woman no matter what time period you're living through.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.