Customer Reviews

Flesh Tones

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This courtroom drama drew me in quickly. Rose examines love and obsession, focusing on romantic, passionate unions as well as familial, parent-child relationships, and she does it all within a tight and gripping plot. A perfect summer read and a step above the average beach book.

A real page-turner! I stayed up most of the night to finish it. Ms. Rose "paints" a superb, riveting story, with strong, complex, and fascinating characters. She is a great storyteller and the first-person narrative works very well with the detailed descriptions of scenery and feelings alike. Courtroom settings and dialogue are first-rate, with very thorough research, as is all the minute details about art and the art world. FLESH TONES is also a great love story, with a once-in-a-lifetime love, devotion, passion and desire. It is high drama, love, suspense and intrigue, with intricate characters and relationships.

Ms. Rose is a real winner with FLESH TONES. It is a sophisticated, intelligent, highly entertaining and very well written novel.

I don't know what book 'reader in Los Angeles' read, but it was not Flesh Tones. The book I read was well written, and like other reviewers, I found myself unable to put it down once I started. One of the best summer reads of the year!

What a novel! I could not stop reading--for the page-turning story, for the psychological insights, and for the depth of the characters. The prose is astonishing: clear, clean, and yet packed with an emotional punch. I've loved all of M. J. Rose's novels, but this one is the most brilliant yet.

Genny Haviland is on trial for the murder of her lover, famed artist Slade Gabriel. Her defense is a tad unusual: assisted suicide. Rose writes these terrific books that just defy categorizing. This one is her best effort yet, a psychological/legal thriller based in the art world, with more passion than found in most romance novels, and enough twists along the way to make this a real joy-ride. Don't miss it.

A death, a murder trial and a love so strong the reader wonders if it's love or obsession. MJ Rose takes us from the present to the past with a smooth touch, never leaving the reader confused.

As the trial progresses the reasons for Genny Haviland to kill Slade Gabriel mounts. I wanted to believe in a love so strong that Genny helped her lover die a death with dignity, not a revenge so evil that murder was not only possible, but probable. Even as the jury reaches their own verdict, the reader doesn't.

Plot, characters and twists all written in layers. FLESH TONES is very much like a great painting, in passing it appears to be one thing, but upon closer inspection there's much more than what's on the surface. Rose uses a pen as Picasso used his palatte. The result is just as satisfying.

I loved the art evoked by this book. I could see Gabriel's paintings in my mind, as well as the scenes described. Although this book starts with John Grisham in mind, it is more a romance than a mystery. The mystery element pales as compared to the love story. The family relationships, Ginny, her mother, and her father, are interesting to say the least. How many families are like this, but no one knows? The erotic elements are exciting without being voyeuristic. This was a fast read, could be a beach read, and I loved it.

FLESH TONES is an emotional blockbuster beginning with the New York trial room where Genny Haviland is accused of murdering her lover, painter Slade Gabriel. Was it a mercy killing or second degree murder? You are hooked at once when you are lead into the lust crazed obsessive love affair that spans over two decades between Genny and Gabriel when they first met when she was 17 and he 37 in her father's gallery.

The action switches back and forth between the trial and the memories in Genny's mind of what really happened with Slade Gabriel, her parents, her friends, and herself as she leads you into the painting of her own life with this dynamic man who had captured her love, her lust, her being as Ms. Rose delves into the human psyche and peels back the layers of what makes Genny and Gabriel tick. The characters are very complex with a mixture of dark and light. I was so emotionally tied up that when I finished Flesh Tones I had one doggoned big cry, especially when I discovered the gift that Gabriel left Genny.

M.J. Rose also gives you a virtual tour of the art world and artists. I've always loved New York and the museums, but I now have a much better opinion of what art is all about after reading this compelling book. This summer I know everyone is going to be talking about M.J. Rose's FLESH TONES, a book that appeals to your intellect, and your emotions. Sensational!
There is a lot of thought provoking issues that certainly will jolt you.

"FLESH TONES is one hell of a compelling read with its eye opening view into the art world as M.J. Rose mesmerizes you with a tale of lust, greed, passion and obsession that is staggering to your emotions as a kaleidoscope of visions flash by in glorious colors. Believe me, you won't be unaffected by this book. I'm still reeling. Simply stunning! Ms. Rose gets better with every book. Put her on your A list now."

Suzanne Coleburn, Reader To Reader Reviews

Flesh Tones is the kind of book you carry around with you for days and keep reading... while you are waiting for a meeting to start... while you are waiting for someone to arrive at a restaurant... while the kids are watching tv... in the bath... while the pasta is boiling.

I couldn't put it down. And was very very sorry when it ended.

What a book!

I can't remember the last time I read a book that kept me riveted to the page for so long. I was even shunning the family at the dinner table for three nights to keep my nose in it. Rarely is a novel written that evokes such intense emotion in the
reader. It's been years since I've read a book that made me cry.
Flesh Tones made me cry.