Flesh Tones (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Did Genny Haviland poison Slade Gabriel to save her adored father's art gallery or did she help the acclaimed artist kill himself before Alzheimer's disease destroyed his mind and talent? Although billed as a courtroom drama, there's not a great deal of suspense here, but that may not matter to readers who prefer their mysteries with a romantic subplot. In this engrossing, erotic novel, the affair that begins when 17-year-old Genny meets and falls in love with the married, much older Gabriel, and then spans two decades is more than a subplot--it's the whole thing. While the outcome of Genny's murder trial is hardly in doubt, it's a good frame for a nicely told story of love, art, and obsession. --Jane Adams --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Emotionally numb after her passion for an artist ends in tragedy, Genny Haviland faces a New York jury in this sensuous courtroom melodrama combining art world intrigue with romantic obsession. Precocious, pampered 17-year-old Genny fell for artist Slade Gabriel, more than twice her age, when he walked into her father's Madison Avenue art gallery, but as soon as he found out who she was, Gabriel ended their affair. Two decades later, an accident brings them together again, each successful in a career but not in marriage, each still longing for the other. This time the affair ends with Slade's death and grieving Genny is tried for his murder. As the story switches back and forth between the courtroom and Genny's memories, erotic passages alternate with psychological observations of Genny's doting father, distant mother and gifted, moody lover, as Genny decides whether to take the stand on her own behalf. Romance fans will savor the descriptions of sexual desire, the emotion-laden internal monologues and the web of family relationships, while followers of the art market will recognize situations resembling the scandals surrounding the Rothko estate, de Kooning's health and price-fixing among reputable art dealers. In the end, it is not the art but the intensity of erotic discovery that drives this novel, overwhelming the comparatively tame mystery as Rose (In Fidelity; Lip Service; etc.) explores the incongruities and pitfalls of family and romantic relationships in this story of sexual discovery.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; F edition (April 29, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345451058
• ISBN-13: 978-0345451057
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,224,864 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A smart and sexy page turner, June 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Flesh Tones (Hardcover)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A POWERFUL, PICTURESQUE STORY!, July 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Flesh Tones (Hardcover)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars erotic and haunting love story, July 22, 2002

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Flesh Tones (Hardcover)

Although Genny knew at seventeen that her thirty-seven year old lover was married and had a child, it didn't matter. His intense need for her fed her love for him until it threatened to consume her. When artist Slade Gabriel learns her true age and that she is the daughter of the gallery owner where he exhibits his paintings, his discovery makes the decision to return to his wife and child that much easier.

Genny's love turned to hate and then to indifference. She got married and divorced, made a successful career as a producer, winning two Emmys in her career. During that time Gabriel becomes a legend in his own time, his paintings selling for $200,000 and more.

Twenty years later Genny is reunited with Gabriel when a freak accident puts him and her father in a hospital. Their passion reignites and they have one grand and glorious year together before Genny goes on trial for his murder. Numb from the pain, she is almost unable to defend herself on the assisted suicide story her lawyer is trying to convince the jury is true.

FLESH TONES is an erotic and haunting love story about a man and a woman who have a connection that transcends age, society and morality. Told in the first person narrative within the framework of a murder trial, author M.J. Rose uses the flashback technique smoothly so there is no disruption of the prime plot line. Once started, this novel will prove impossible to put down until the reader reaches the end.

Harriet Klausner