There are those who say that heaven and hell are not so far apart. They are not at opposite ends of the world beyond ours, only a step away from one another.

If you have not read an Alice Hoffman book, you are missing out - she is the reason to read. Her characters are deep and they always lead me to how the mundane is easily a passion of life. The best way to describe her books is by her characters

Rachel Pizzarro Pomie a young woman that is defiant. Her Jewish heritage may be the reason for her defiance. A people that have been scattered and persecuted throughout history. Her family in the mid 1800 had scattered to St. Thomas islands. Her father Moses Pizzaroo was a merchant and wanted his daughter educated despite her mother's wishes. She loved her father deeply, however, her mother's relationship was strained. Rachel did as she pleased. When her father arranged a marriage of Isacc Pomie who was recently widowed with 3 children, Rachel insisted on meeting the children first. She loved the children as her own and swore to their dead mother that she would care for them and not replace her in her children's hearts or her husband. The Marriage of Opposites show Rachel's two marriages- The first one was of duty and the second of Love to Frederick. It also showed two different sides of Rachel. A dutiful Rachel that was loyal to what was right and wrong and a passionate Rachel that loved without apology.


There were several characters in Rachel's story that brought out the good and bad of her character. Her best friend Justine whom she betrayed. Her mother and her favorite son. The relationship between mother and son were solely ironic in nature and hooked me all way thru her life. It is a story that is full circle in friendship, love, and loyalty. What drives us and keeps us going. Rachel in her zest for what mattered to her knew love in all extremes.

A special thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

I'm sure this one is beautiful as I tend to love Alice Hoffman but I couldn't get myself connected and engaged with this title. I'm not sure what it was that made it difficult for me to get hooked enough to want to finish but I just never could get there despite many attempts. Perhaps just having expectations set already from having read and loved other titles by the author.

I love Alice Hoffman and have read many of her books. This one differed in that it presented a fictional account based on a real person, Camille Pissaro. I enjoyed the lushly described locations and the beautiful language Ms. Hoffman uses, The pacing was a bit too slow for me.

Alice Hoffman is such a talent. She has been in the forefront of American fiction for years and her recent publications are no exception. She writes rich, detailed stories and characters that draw the reader in. I don't want to spoil anything in the story but her writing is fantastic and not to be missed. I would definitely pick this up.

Hoffman is a good go to author especially when it comes to Historical Fiction. St Thomas is the setting for the story of two girls and their loves, losses and lives. One of Jewish faith who will become Impressionist painter Pissarro's mother. The other her best friend, daughter of a former slave. This children and their adventures take them to Paris. Hoffman evokes all of the senses when describing St Thomas and the City of Lights
A must read for Hoffman fans.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

Hoffman continues to prove she is an adept story teller. From life on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas to Paris, Rachel Pomie, is a strong spokesman for women in the 1800’s. Based on a real person, Hoffman has created more than just a love story, she takes us into the hearts of both owners and slaves as she dissects both the passion and the sadness of what life throws out to you.

Alice Hoffman is one of my all time favorite authors. She has a way with a story that just makes sense and keeps you wanting more.

The Marriage of Opposites is as good as all of her other books and does not disappoint at all. It is the story of Camille Pissarro : the Father of Impressionism. But more importantly about the woman who raised him and how he came to be the man he was. Set on the beautiful island of St Thomas and Hoffman does a beautiful job describing the colors and smells of the island along with the different characters that are full of life and drama.

I highly recommend any book that Alice Hoffman writes!

Although the premise was genuinely intriguing, I found the pacing a little too slow for my taste. I also had some trouble connecting with the characters. The writing was gorgeous though and Alice Hoffman is definitely an author whose work I will visit again in the future.

(★★★½ rounded up)

I received the ARC for 'The Marriage of Opposites' back in April 2015. But before I could read & review it, mysterious tech hiccups & aggravation eventually led to complete hard drive failure. Then life turned upside-down. However, since its publication, I've first read and then listened to 'The Marriage of Opposites' — I highly recommend both formats!

I knew only generally of Camille Pissarro (the 'Father of Impressionism') and nothing about his mother, Rachel, so I was thrilled when I finally got time to read this book. Whilst I enjoyed the book overall, I had expected it to be about Rachel Pissarro from start to finish so my interest waned a bit when the focus switched to other characters. I kept waiting to return to Rachel's story.

Ms. Hoffman's style has always 'clicked' with me. Visually lush and quietly insightful in turns, I got lost in her interweaving of historical fact and fiction. This was another solid read.

The desire, love and the rules of both the conservative and the passionate ones.

This is the fictional story of the life of Rachel Pizzarro, the mother of Camille Pissarro, one of the greatest pre-impressions painters and one of the fathers of impressionism.
The tropical and colourful island of St. Thomas, the early 1800s. Rachel is not the one to oblige her Jewish family, even if she has been willing to sacrifice herself into the marriage of convenience to a man older than herself to save their family business. But after some years and 3 children (and the fourth one on the way), her husband unexpectedly dies. It was not love, but they respected each other. But in these times woman has no right to own the property or business, so the family from France sends a nephew of her late husband to take care of things.
And this is when Rachel knows what love is.
But in the eyes of the conservative society of Jews this is a scandal, as they are aunt and nephew, even if just by family ties, not in blood (and Frédéric is younger by 7 years, too). And the local Jews know why they do not wish a scandal amongst themselves, as they have been hunted for centuries from one place to another and they do not wish that peaceful life to end. But Rachel and Frédéric fight - and it is their strength and passion that will make their wish come true - and also make some really bad blood and bitterness to grow outside and inside the family.

Fascinating book! I like magic realism and this book was full of it, even if the nature with all of its beauty plays the bigger role than magical stories. The environment is one of the key players here - the colours mostly, but also the smells, the forms and the impact on both body and soul. I have been fascinated by all of this and I just want to purchase my plane tickets! Just the vivid descriptions are more than worth of reading this book.
And the passion! The book is written without many erotic descriptions that are so often to be found in the modern literature, and I am very thankful for that - as this is the proof the lascivious words are not needed when writing about the great passion. This is the kind of romance where one does not know where the desire ends and the love starts, but you believe the two to have both.
And it is much more than that, as it describes Rachel as the woman of strength and the will that can overwhelm a lot - but can hurt a lot, too. Rachel is a big character, but every coin has two sides and the strength is not always kind - and Rachel, who has known what pain is, doesn´t want her son to experience the same. Good luck with that, if your son is one of the enormous talent and dreams.

I do not like Rachel (she is one of the strong Scarlett O´ Haras of the literature, which I respect, but also I find a bit too hard of heart for my taste), but I see the strength when I see it. Bu T quite liked Jestine, her friend, also the one with the difficult fate. And I like all the St. Thomas community with their stories and secrets, some known, some untold. We are not alone in the chain of sufferings, some of it was started by the acting of the previous generations. And some of it we will give to the offsprings.
Maybe this is the morale of the story - that everyone has a story.
And this one is worth of reading it.

Reading The Marriage of Opposites really made me think.....The Rules of Magic is my favorite Alice Hoffman book, but have I found a new favorite? Oh yes, it is my new favorite as I adored this book. One of the things I love about Hoffman's books is that each one is so different. Yes, she has a running theme in many of her books and this one was no different....the color red, red haired women, birds, and of course, love (no magical realism in here, but not missed). But the stories she weaves are so unique and varied but utterly captivating.

The Marriage of Opposites is the story of Rachel Pissarro, growing up on the island of St. Thomas in the early 1800's. I enjoy visiting St. Thomas and seeing the land (though I'm more partial to Tortola right across the water via ferry). I enjoyed hearing of the lush lands, the foods, and the people from so long ago. Rachel was a strong young woman who spoke her mind and did what she wanted. Naturally, this ruffled many feathers in her community and within the Jewish families. Rachel was married to her fathers business partner to help save the business, and so her epic life began. The story moves back and forth between St. Thomas and Paris, France where Rachel has longed to visit. There are many rules of marriage and that of opposites is forbidden. But that does not stop Rachel. Eventually when her husband dies, she marries his nephew who is sent to the island to take over the business. And so begins the love affair that last many years to come. Though they are shunned due to this forbidden marriage. But Rachel does not care. She gives birth to many children, but one in particular is focused on. That is Camille Pissarro, the the Father of Impressionism. One of the wonderful things of this book is that it's part true story, and part fiction. Camille was a real person, a very well known painter in France, and his mother was Rachel, who gave birth to many children. Hoffman weaves this true tale but adding in more details of their lives. This is quite the family saga drawn over many years and many people.

I listened to the audio version of this which added to the beauty of this book. The narrators were wonderful, switching between the voice of Rachel, Camille, and a 'narrator' telling this amazing story. If you can't tell by now, I loved this book. I'm so glad that I finally read it and will tell any Hoffman fan to pick this one up. I just need to figure out which Hoffman book to follow up with now. I think that is a tall order to fill.

The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman is a story of scope and grandeur that is too often lacking in today's books. This is, in a word, literature. Hoffman researches her novels meticulously and it shows. The settings, the people and the faith that in turn binds and frees them. The Marriage of Opposites is a tale of love and duty and the decisions made in service to them both.

in the early 1800s, on the island of St. Thomas, Rachel is born into an well respected family of the small community of Jews who have taken refuge on the island, fleeing the Inquisition in Europe. Though many years have passed since this persecution, the Jews of St. Thomas have stayed on the island, building a world uniquely their own. Rachel is a rebellious child and struggles with the obligations and rules placed upon her by her mother. Her only respite is with the family maid, Adele and her daughter, Rachel's best friend, Jestine.

But Rachel's life is not her own and she soon finds herself to be wed to a man much older than her, in hope's of saving her father's business. When both her father and husband die, Rachel finds herself in dire straits, for no one will accept a woman as a merchant, much less a widow. Her husband's family sends a young man from Paris to run the business on St. Thomas. Her husband's much younger and handsome nephew, Frederick. For Rachel, this is a moment to own her own life as she and Frederick begin a passionate and forbidden love affair. An affair that she must keep hidden from her family and her faith. But nothing stays hidden on this small island for long.

The story of Rachel and Frederick is one of passion and pain. Denounced by their faith and their families, still they strive to build a world of their own. But it is not only them that suffer for their love, but their children as well. Bullied and ostracized, they are a family of Pariahs. Yet, their business forces the very people who would look down upon them, and bar them from their place of worship, to come to them in times of need.

The Marriage of Opposites is not only the tale of Rachel and Frederick but of Jestine as well and the pain and betrayal her love has given her. Of Adele and and the love she could never call hers and of Rachel's mother, whose suffering was carried daily and yet hidden from the rest of the world.

It is also the tale of Rachel's rebellious son. The one who took after her. The one who fought her at every turn. The one who became the artist, Camille Pissarro: the Father of Impressionism.

I first read Alice Hoffman's writing in the novel called The Dovekeepers. It was a novel so brilliantly written with characters so real that I thought surely, this is her greatest work and the can be no others to compare it to. I was wrong. The Marriage of Opposites is a novel of scope and breath that for a time it will do what a good book should do. It will transport you from where you are to an island in the Caribbean in the 1800s. To the streets of Paris in the winter. To the danger and the heartache that is forbidden love. To the joy of that same love.

You will not read Alice Hoffman's The Marriage of Opposites. You will live it.

A very good read.

I love reading books by Alice Hoffman. I loved it so much that I had to buy a copy. Highly recommended.