Alice Hoffman is on fire. Having always been a prolific and successful author, in recent years she has outdone herself, publishing a series of historical novels that incorporate religious, social, political and artistic flights of introspection and adventure, as well as a burgeoning sense of the lives of women as quiet leaders in their societies. The mix is heady and oftentimes requires that you, the reader, not put the book down in order to stay inside the visceral bubble that these stories create around you. It is a fascinating place to spend a day or two or nine (if you re-read her books on a regular basis as I do).

THE MARRIAGE OF OPPOSITES is yet another in this continuing line of beautiful and heartwrenching volumes. It is a sublime book, a story that will enrich, enchant and compel readers, and one that will become a classic read (like PRACTICAL MAGIC or ILLUMINATION NIGHT) that lives on bookshelves without ever going out of print. It's that good.

We alight on the isle of St. Thomas, where a young woman named Rachel Pissarro becomes embroiled in a love affair that is doomed from the start. She is from a proud Jewish heritage, and that information makes her none too cozy with her fellow island-mates. Add to that her adventurous spirit and the forbidden love, and she is a class-A outcast in her world. Regardless of the difficulties that befall her, Rachel has faith in art, love and the world being a good place. She eventually has a child, the talented Camille, who becomes the Father of Impressionist painting. 

Although she grows up amidst island splendor, Rachel has always had a jones for Paris and dreams, in the early 1800s, of someday living there. Her quest for freedom and desire for flight are just a few of the free-wheeling traits she exhibits as a child, traits that her rule-following mother finds abhorrent. The family is a member of a community of Jewish refugees who have fled the Inquisition, and Rachel threatens their status in this close-knit world through her defiant spirit.

"THE MARRIAGE OF OPPOSITES is such a rich and delightful book that I recommend it wholeheartedly to EVERYONE. If you like intrigue, romance, historical fiction, art, religion or just plain old adventure, Hoffman has infused every page, every piece of punctuation, with bright complexity. Her language is sharp and incisive, and her pace gentle but steady."

Rachel finds solace with the family maid Adelle and her daughter Jestine, who accept her for what she is and have no issues with her independent streak. The young girls share their island misadventures with Rachel's cousin, Aaron, who becomes the love of her life. Adelle is a seer and warns Rachel that things will not go as Rachel would like. She is correct; Rachel ends up marrying a widower with children, and her life is not her own. However, his death leads her to yet another daring romantic entanglement, resulting in the birth of her headstrong artist son. 

The strength and ardor with which Rachel lives her life is apparent in every word that Hoffman chooses. Her brand of literature is elegant, genuine, wildly romantic and tragic without ever falling into schmaltz. THE MARRIAGE OF OPPOSITES is a harrowing and painful story, but the beating heart of Rachel and her indefatigable life spirit shines through every page. As I read the book, I kept imagining the pages pulsing with a palpable heat and light (and it wasn't just because I was reading in the sun). Like all great heroines, Rachel manages to hold on to the enthusiasm and hope of youth, no matter how grave the situation or its consequences, and so the reader hangs on to every word, praying that Rachel will get only the best out of life in the end. No matter how outrageously optimistic her hope makes us, we are never duped into thinking that everything will be tied up perfectly. Hoffman balances the pains and truths of her protagonist's life with that beating heart, that life force, that makes THE MARRIAGE OF OPPOSITES a true pleasure to read.

There are books that are so evocative that you are literally transported from your actual life into the pretend world with nary a delineation in time or space. I felt like I was standing in front of Dumbledore's pensieve, watching these events go down as if I were right next to Rachel, hearing her breathe and speak, experiencing the joys and tribulations of her life as if she were part of me. It is a rare occurrence these days when I can be transported out of the hectic pace of modern life and take a vacation on someone else's planet in this way. But regardless of the drama inherent in the story, I came out refreshed and feeling as if I had just had a marathon session with my new best friend. Rachel will become part of the pantheon of characters that mark the trail of my reading life, standing next to Jo March, Holden, Mrs. Dalloway, Scout, Frankie and Garp as literary creations that feel like members of my own family.

THE MARRIAGE OF OPPOSITES is such a rich and delightful book that I recommend it wholeheartedly to EVERYONE. If you like intrigue, romance, historical fiction, art, religion or just plain old adventure, Hoffman has infused every page, every piece of punctuation, with bright complexity. Her language is sharp and incisive, and her pace gentle but steady. People of all ages will find the book as thrilling as any paperback mystery, and readers of the classics will discover a finely tuned talent here who is ready to be part of the modern canon.

Congratulations, Alice Hoffman! In this day and age, when experienced and successful authors hire a full team of ghostwriters to keep up with the public demand, when many writers find their imaginations waning after 20 or so books, you have found an energy and renewed focus that makes THE MARRIAGE OF OPPOSITES one of your most compelling novels yet. I thank you from my book-loving soul for giving us the pleasure of Rachel's company on paper to enjoy again and again.