Synopsis
Katherine Ross, a struggling artist-turned-successful-businesswoman, has a life many would envy. At only thirty-one years old, Katherine runs one of the top luxury real-estate firms in Manhattan, and she lives in a fabulous loft with her dreamy husband. That is, of course, until her marriage comes to a screeching halt, forcing Katherine to face the truths she’s been burying deep within her heart. She hasn’t been happy for a long time. And her life, while glamorous, is not the life she ever wanted.
Fighting through the fog of her confusion and pain, Katherine makes the daring, or possibly insane, choice to start over somewhere new. She leaves her business, her friends, and the city behind, while she ventures alone to the mountains in hopes of rediscovering her artistic roots in a place surrounded by beauty, peace, and quiet.
But life in Bluewater isn’t as simple as it may seem, and when her art career suddenly begins to take off in this unlikely setting, Katherine finds herself torn between two worlds. Does she pursue her lifelong dream and become the world-famous artist she always wanted to be? Or does she open her heart to the possibility of new dreams and a life she never imagined?
My review
I think the key sentence in this book is: First she needed to find herself. Katherine has been too busy being someone else, because she thought that was what she had to be. She’s lost touch with her soul. But she knows where to find it and so leaves her affluent city life behind to return to Bluewater. Here she begins to paint again, and as well as starting to find herself she finds rich talent she’d forgotten she had. And eventually she also finds herself facing decisions, and maybe even losing herself again.
She also finds Will. And Will is a complicating factor. He’s attractive, yet standoffish, a mystery. But like her he has his reasons for being in Bluewater. Gradually they get to know each other but there are misunderstandings and unintentional hurts. The course of true love never did run smooth, as we all know, but is this love or just another difficult choice for Katherine to make.
In some ways this book is a paintings in words, or rather a series of landscapes and portraits. The author creates exquisite landscapes – hustle and luxury in the city; wild nature in Bluewater. Each of her characters is a detailed portrait, rather than a rough sketch. We get to see them with their blemishes – no touching up.
It’s interesting to get a glimpse in this novel of how the fine art world operates. It’s a lot more cut-throat and business-like than one might imagine from such talented creativity. That adds a unique quality to this book and makes it not only an enchanting read, but a fascinating one too.
This is a super and extremely enjoyable novel. And isn’t that such a soothing and beautiful cover?
Purchase Links
Amazon US:
https://smile.amazon.com/Painting-Blue-Water-Leigh-Fossan/dp/1732267200/
Amazon UK
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Painting-Blue-Water-Leigh-Fossan/dp/1732267200/
Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/painting-blue-water-leigh-fossan/1128842830?ean=9781732267206
Author bio
Painting Blue Water is the debut novel for Leigh Fossan. A creative soul at heart, Leigh grew up with a paintbrush in her hand, and went on to study the arts in Florence, Italy. While abroad, Leigh was one of the few recipients of the Coluccio Salutati Award for Creative Writing. Today, Leigh is a professional artist and her paintings are collected around the world. She lives in Colorado with her artist husband, and their young daughter, who wants to be a scientist.
?You can see Leigh’s paintings at www.lavfineart.com
Social Media Links –
WEBSITE: https://www.leighfossanauthor.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/leighfossanauthor/
INSTAGRAM: @leighfossanauthor
TWITTER: @LeighFossan
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Thank you for the beautiful review!