This is a marvelously intriguing tale of surrealist artists, Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varos. Overshadowed by the likes of Max Ernst and other famous surrealists of the time, their works were not as lauded and they were often dismissed as muses while they were just as talented. Though this account is fictionalized, it brings the perspective of the hardships they each faced. It was a truly interesting take and it was very interesting how central the tarot and tarot decks were to this specific tale.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

This was not my favorite -- I usually go into books blind, but should have read the synopsis of this one.

If you enjoy historical fiction about women, self discovery, art, or obscure figures, Alchemy of a Blackbird may be one to watch out for! I picked it up because I love books about art and artists, and I had never heard of Remedios Varo or Leonora Carrington. As it turns out, they were connected to major players in the Surrealist movement, although neither gained fame until later in life, overshadowed by the male artists of their circle. I may not be the true target audience, as the book had a lot to do with tarot and Remedios’ connection to it, and it’s not something I know much about. The book employs an unusual format, introducing each person as a certain character of the tarot deck. I personally didn’t care for so many side characters’ perspectives and thought we’d get more from Leonora and Remedios; some of the POVs added to the story while others felt unnecessary, or I at least wanted them more fleshed out. Clocking in at just under 300 pages, Alcheky of a Blackbird is a relatively quick read, but I definitely felt like it should be longer at times to fully immerse myself in Remedios’ journey. In fact, her last few chapters were some of my favorites, because she is fully confident and acting on her dreams of being an artist, and I got clear insight into her painting/creative process. I also enjoyed the deep friendship between Leonora and Remedios, a source of continual encouragement and support for them throughout the book. If you do pick up Alchemy of a Blackbird, I highly recommend looking up images of Remedios’ and Leonora’s art. It’s so alluring.

Alchemy of a Blackbird by Claire McMillan. Pub Date: July 11, 2023. Rating: 3 stars. Based on the true story of tarot card enthusiasts and 20th century painters, this is the story of Remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington. I love historical fiction that feels new, fresh and paints a difference picture of a time in history I know little about. Honestly, I liked this novel but did not love it. I found it to be long, dragged out and slow moving. I wanted to love this one, but found it difficult to keep reading because the pacing felt off. I hope others have better luck than I did because I do believe it is a story to be told, but maybe with a little more editing. Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #alchemyofablackbird #netgalley

This book was so different than what I was expecting! I had never heard of either Remedios Varo or Leonora Carrington, so this book definitely succeeded in bringing to light at least two lesser celebrated artists from the past. I liked getting to understand her experience through the storyline, and the tarot cards were a fascinating and illuminating way to really hook the reader into the story. It took me a while to catch on that the card described the upcoming narrator, which was one of the few things I struggled with while reading. The descriptions of Varo seeking connection and alchemy struck a chord within my own soul and the different searches it has gone on.

Alchemy of a Blackbird takes you on the less frequently discussed journey of artists fleeing Paris during WWII, following Remedios Varo and other surrealists to Mexico. You get an inner look into the philosophies and beliefs at play in surrealism, as well as a sketch of Varo and her contributions as a female surrealist painter. I highly recommend this book for any fan of art and art history, surrealism, and anyone curious about tarot, alchemy, and feminism.

The life of an artist is never easy. So many things will shape the way they see life and in turn see themselves. When discouragement and lack of appreciation for their gift is manifest in their childhood, the results can be either wonderful or leave an impression of unworthiness. The artist's ego is a fragile and complicated thing. So many of life's lessons will be transformed by those the artist is associated with.
A chance entry into a used book store will change how Remedios sees the world and her role in it! Tarot becomes her new way of searching for the meanings in her life!


Fleeing the Nazi's and finding safe haven outside of Paris has lasting effects on this artist. She never quite reaches the realization that her art is magnificent!

This was a great story with many lessons in it for artists and anyone who is looking and searching for their own identity!

I was given an ARC copy of this book for my honest opinion.

"Buy what you wish, mademoiselle. No need to wait for someone to give you what you need. You must acquire your tools for yourself. You are the agent of your destiny."⠀
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Claire McMillan, Alchemy of a Blackbird⠀
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Alchemy of a Blackbird by Claire McMillan is a fascinating look into the occult and art scene of the mid 1900's. Focused on real life artists Remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington, this international tale is one of intrigue, survival, love, and self awakening. I was immediately drawn into the tense world of the war and it's fallout, as the artists and their companions travel around at breakneck speeds to evade capture. The tarot and occult aspects of the story were very interesting and I especially liked the tarot card headers for each chapter. The mentions of many famous artists and philosophers was intriguing and I found myself looking many of them up after finishing the book. I really enjoy historical fiction like this and recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of fancy in their history.

I chose this book from NetGalley because it included some of the people I came to love while reading Leonora in the Morning Light. McMillan tells the story of Remedios Varo, yet another artist in her own right whose career is almost completely eclipsed by her famous partner. But the real story here is the intense and often fraught friendship between Varo and Carrington. I love how McMillan distinguishes these women from their (arguably?) more famous partners, finally giving their talent the spotlight it deserves. Also, as someone unfamiliar with the meanings of the tarot deck, I found this element of the story especially fascinating.

To begin with I absolutely adored the cover. What I read on the blurb made me want to request this book. However, although interesting, I found it to be disjointed and somewhat hard to read.. I felt as if there were too many side stories that took away from the main story. Honestly, I found this book hard to follow along. It seemed to skip around so much for me. Although Tarot was involved, it was presented in a manner that was hard to understand, which is surprising since I myself have been a Tarot reader for over 35 years. I believe that many people will enjoy this book, however this was not the book for me.

Going into this story i had no knowledge of these various artists. I found the story fascinating as well as the Tarot. I always like to learn from historical fiction and this novel taught me much.
Many thanks toAtria and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

‘Art is for the things we don’t have words for.’

This is stated more than once in Claire McMillan’s historical fictionalized biography of artist Remedios Varo and her life among the other artists and cultural icons, especially of the surrealist movement, caught up in the madness and fear which engulfed Paris and France as the Nazi army advanced toward the city. Not long into the novel, Remedios, her lover Benjamin Peret, and others are forced to escape for Marseilles where they will stay until they can find some way to leave France. Here they connect with Varian Fry at Villa Air Bel which has been serving as a safe house for artists that Fry is working to help out of Europe. During this time at Marseilles we see the Remedios renew and strengthen the connection to the Tarot that helps structure this book and her life. Here too, Remedios learns of her friend, and fellow artist, Leonora Carrington’s placement in a mental hospital in Spain. The table has been set and everyone is in place and about to begin their new lives.

Considering that I knew nothing of Varo or a Arrington or their art before reading this book and only limited information about the other artists, thinkers and writers involved, I found this story very interesting and the structure used, original and in keeping with Remedios Varo’s apparent philosophy of life. The story is essentially told through Remedios’s point of view, while periodically we hear from other important characters who are also identified by tarot cards, with appropriate descriptions. We readers receive a brief introduction into some of the cards’s meanings.

Following the transformation of an artist from someone’s muse to becoming an independent creator is a fascinating process, and I believe McMillan has fashioned a wonderful novel in Alchemy of a Blackbird. I know that I want to find whatever of Varo’s art may be available to view online after the descriptions I’ve just read.

I recommend this book to those interested in art, women in art. This is fiction, but based in fact.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced e-copy of this book. This review is my own.

This fictionalized account of artist Remedious Varo introduced me to someone I did not know. The author also introduced me to Tarot cards. The book takes through the life of this aspiring artist in WWII Europe, her and her friends escape to Mexico, and her eventual artistic success. The author is a talented writer who caused me to hit the dictionary a few times, which I like. This story is definitely worth a read.

Alchemy of a Blackbird, by Claire McMillan, is a complex story of surrealists Remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington, who we first meet as artists trying to exit France during WWII. McMillan packs many themes into a relatively short book, including the role of women artists in a male-dominated society, an oppressive war environment, and the influence and study of the Tarot cards for insight, inspiration, and guidance. However, it is the friendship and support of Varo and Carrington that provide the heart and soul of this novel. Do not miss the author's note at the end of the book. She meticulously details her sources and distinguishes between historical fact and fictional liberties. I did not identify with either of the main characters, but I was intrigued with both. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read a digital ARC.

This book based on a friendship between two occultist and surrealist artists RemedioVaro, and Leonora Carrington.
The beginning starts in Paris at the beginning of world war II, where a lot of the artist escaped to the coast of France to Villa Air Bel, a safe house for artists on the Riviera.
The book is full of artist of the time period, from painters, poets, collectors, and other artists, but the main character is Remedio Varo.
She and friend Leonora Carrington studied the tarot cards and would look to them, in their daily life, which also influenced their art.
Each chapter in the book starts with a different tarot card and there interpretations.
Eventually a lot of the artist will reunite once again in Mexico city, where they will start their new lives, coming into their own and living a crazy life.
I must say this book fascinated me and was so fun to read. I loved looking up all of the artist work to immerse myself into their stories.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria books for a copy of this book.

The age of light comp got me, and while I felt the similarities, I didn’t love this as much. Something felt disjointed, may have been shifts in perspectives?

This story of surrealist artists doing their artist things around the world was charming—like hanging out casually and appreciating the world as they seemed to be doing.

While the story originally seemed about the friendship between Remedios and Leonora, as it progressed it told more of Remedios’ life and the unique bond that always existed between her and Leonora. The women were part of a unique population and artists in their own right, although they lived often in the shadows of men. The author’s note at the end acknowledges the story as "faction"—while some events and people may have actually been part of Remedios’ life, the book is more told as things that could have been part of her story.

The book inspires curiosity about all of its characters—surreal artists and members of society starting in Paris, and then fleeing the war from 1939 through the next couple decades. They somehow continued trying to maintain their salons and appreciation for each other and their art through unique and trying circumstances they encountered as they traveled.

The formatting of the narration and chapters was especially delightful. A portion of the story would be told, then the description of a tarot card would be provided and linked with a character. Then that character would narrate their portion of the story. Some of the viewpoints of the characters vs. how they seemed to be acting from the overall scene were amusing.

Overall, the story earned 4 out of 5 stars and inspired an urge to explore tarot cards and surreal artists in the early to mid-1900s. This book is recommended for those who enjoy historical fiction and stories based on real characters.

I loved everything about this book! I've become interested in the tarot as of late and this book was the right book at the right time.

Remedios' transformation throughout the story was what kept me reading, and I was loving this book so much that I started another one just so that this one wouldn't end!

Remedios and Leonora's friendship was the perfect example of how there are some friends that become your soulmates.

This is my first time reading Claire McMillan and now I need to read her previous books.

Thank you to NetGalley, author and publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

My thanks to Simon and Schuster for this copy of the book. This was enthralling in that through the various points of view the reader is immersed into the world of Paris and Mexico City during World War II and thereafter. The fictional story of two renowned artists, one a painter which I learned so much about and the other an author was well done. The overlapping them of the Tarot cards was fascinating but hard to read a bit on kindle. The interaction of events and people was amazing, I highly recommend this book.

I thought this was an interesting premise, indeed being based on real painters and their lives adds to that. My difficulty comes with switching points of view. It's a first-person limited viewpoint that is often Remedios, however, it changes suddenly, sometimes in the same chapter, to another person I then have to play detective to figure out since there are no clear markers of whose head I am in. I found this off-putting enough that I will discontinue reading, as every time this happens it breaks the immersion for me.

Otherwise, I believe this is a fine book. It's intriguing, the characters are interesting and well-written. I just found that I could not continue reading based on the point of views issue which made it more tedious each time I thought about going back to the book to continue the story.