The House of Dreams
A Novel
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4.1 • 7 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In 2000, Sophie Cass, an ambitious journalist, may have finally found her big break. Convinced a celebrated painter in the Hamptons is hiding a dark secret, she sets off to unravel the truth about his past. Her research takes her back decades to 1940, as an international group of artists and intellectuals gather at The House of Dreams, a beautiful villa just outside Marseilles where American journalist Varian Fry and his remarkable team are working to help them escape France. Despite the incredible danger they all face, The House of Dreams is a place of true camaraderie and creativity—and the setting of a love affair that changed the course of the painter’s life forever. But as Sophie digs further into his past, she begins to wonder whether some secrets are better left untouched.
Inspired by the real-life heroism of Varian Fry and the volunteers who risked their lives to help save legendary figures like Marc Chagall, Hannah Arendt, and Max Ernst, Kate Lord Brown’s The House of Dreamsis a lyrically told novel of great courage, love, and the power of art.
Customer Reviews
Spectacular but Challenging Read
The story is extraordinary & the prose evocative & elegant.
It’s deep & complex, lots of characters, places & times to track.
Totally worth the read but not a light & easy adventure.
I did not enjoy it!
The House of Dreams by Kate Lord Brown is set in 2000 and then goes back in time to tell the story. Sophie Cass is a reporter with The New York Times (but not for much longer if she does not have a great article). Sophie is determined to interview Gabriel Lambert, the artist, for an article she is writing about her deceased Aunt Vita. Gabriel knew Vita in France. Gabriel does not want to see Sophie and the family has refused her requests. Sophie writes Gabriel to let him know she will be visiting him and she will not be put off any longer (pushy and very determined). Gabriel is ninety-five years old and dying. This is Sophie’s last chance to connect with him. The story takes us back to 1939. Gabriel was in France at the beginning of World War II. He needed assistance getting out of the country and went to Varian Fry and the American Relief Center (ARC). We get to see what life was like for Gabriel and others who stayed at Villa Air Bel outside Marseille, France. A group of them rented the house. Some were helping people get out of the country and others were trying to escape (artists). Gabriel has a secret that he has kept all these years and he wants to take it to his grave. Sophie needs a good story to keep her job. What secret is Gabriel hiding? Will Sophie be happy with the answers she receives?
The House of Dreams is told in the first person from various characters’ point-of-view (mostly Gabriel’s). I really did not enjoy this novel. The writing is disjointed and awkward. It starts in 2000 and then jumps back in time. It keeps going back and forth (making it disjointed and hard to read). The House of Dreams is an extremely long and boring book (just from my perspective). I had a hard time reading this book. It just did not engage me (or draw me in) as a reader. I thought Gabriel's "secret" was obvious. I decided to take a guess before I read the book and see if I was right. I was (I kept hoping for a twist)! The ending is odd. I wanted to quit reading after a couple of chapters, but I pushed on and finished it (I kept hoping it would get better). I give The House of Dreams 1.5 out of 5 stars. This novel was just not for me. I am really tired of novels dealing with World War II (I keep hoping I will get a really good one). We have had a plethora of them over the last year (and most of them were not enjoyable).
I received a complimentary copy of The House of Dreams from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of the novel.