Someone Always Nearby

by Susan Wittig Albert

In 1940, art-world icon Georgia O'Keeffe bought a house in a mountain-rimmed New Mexico desert, planning to live there for six months every year. To manage her remote household while she paints, O'Keeffe invited Maria Chabot-a young and naïve would-be writer-to join her.

Their tempestuous relationship endured throughout the chaotic years of WW2; the death of Georgia's domineering, philandering husband (famed photographer Alfred Stieglitz); and Maria's design and building of a remarkable adobe house and studio for the artist in the native village of Abiquiu--a generous gift from an exceptional friend.

An evocative story that explores the dimensions of friendship and the debts we incur to those who make our lives easier, Someone Always Nearby is based on research into a massive collection of over 700 letters, documents, media reports, and historical accounts. Readers will be fascinated by this intimate, revealing portrait of the artist's daily life during her first decade at her New Mexico ranch-a mysterious, enigmatic O'Keeffe that only one woman, Maria Chabot, ever fully knew.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Art, Audiobook, Historical, Adult, Mystery

261 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 7, 2023

About the author

Susan is the author/co-author of biographical/historical fiction, mysteries, and nonfiction. Now in her 80s and continuing to write, she says that retirement is not (yet) an option. She publishes under her own imprint. Here are her latest books.

A PLAIN VANILLA MURDER, #27 in the long-running China Bayles/Pecan Springs series.

Two Pecan Springs novella trilogies: The Crystal Cave Trilogy (featuring Ruby Wilcox): noBODY, SomeBODY Else, and Out of BODY; and The Enterprise Trilogy (featuring Jessica Nelson): DEADLINES, FAULTLINES, and FIRELINES.

THE DARLING DAHLIAS AND THE POINSETTIA PUZZLE #8 in the Darling Dahlias series, set in the early 1930s in fictional Darling AL

THE GENERAL'S WOMEN. Kay, Mamie, and Ike--the wartime romance that won a war but could have derailed a presidency.

LOVING ELEANOR: A novel about the intimate 30-year friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok, based on their letters

A WILDER ROSE: the true story of Rose Wilder Lane, who transformed her mother from a farm wife and occasional writer to a literary icon

THE TALE OF CASTLE COTTAGE, #8 in the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter

DEATH ON THE LIZARD, the 12th and last (2006) of the Robin Paige series, by Susan and Bill Albert

TOGETHER, ALONE: A MEMOIR OF MARRIAGE AND PLACE

AN EXTRAORDINARY YEAR OF ORDINARY DAYS

WORK OF HER OWN: A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO RIGHT LIVELIHOOD

WRITING FROM LIFE: TELLING YOUR SOUL'S STORY

Reviews

[Cathrine ☯️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 🏜️🏜️🏜️🏜️
I quite enjoyed this story "based on research into a massive collection of over 700 letters, documents, media reports, and historical accounts" on audio.
I remain a fan of New Mexico and Georgia O'Keffee's art, but I wouldn't have wanted to call her friend. She referred to helpers as her slaves and was not free with praise or reward.
Maria Chabot comes out smelling like a desert rose in this one and O'Keffee the quintessential temperamental, egotistical, and difficult but brilliant artist. Often the case but still a disappointment.
This could end up being my favorite cover for 2024.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well Georgia O’Keefe was hell on wheels - what a dreadful woman. She referred to her so called friends as slaves and treated them as such. This fictionalized version was a real eyeopener- well researched and nicely written. I enjoyed the history of New Mexico mixed in with the story.

I’d never heard of Mary Chabot, or many of the other people mentioned.

A few years ago Sarasota had an excellent exhibit of her work along with that of her husband, Alfred Stieglitz. That was my first exposure to her personal life. I also followed her work on a trip to Santa Fe and Taos. Her paintings are wonderful, but she sounds like a monster.

I have read all Ms Albert’s cozy books, this was a nice surprise. This one took its place on my book/state list for New Mexico.

[Carrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s hard to believe that this was written by the same author of the wonderful China Bayles and Beatrix Potter books!

This was so freaking dull! A dull story of two dull women, with even duller chapters of general history spread throughout.

Or maybe I shouldn’t say the women were dull, since who knows what they were like in real life? But they were certainly dull in SWA’s hands.

I will still be very happy to read the next China Bayles book! But I recommend skipping this one!!

[Dena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this book not knowing much about O’Keeffe or her life and the people in it. Based on what I have read now, I don’t think I would have been friends with Georgia. She comes across as selfish and kind of mean. I don’t understand why so many people aligned themselves with her.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating story about an artist I always loved, because she painted the New Mexico landscape I love. We learn a great many unusual details about Georgia O'Keeffe, that Susan Wittig Albert weaves into a novel, that flows with a history of place. However, it is shocking to discover that Maria Chabot, her loyal friend, who gifted her Abiquiu was treated like only a "handyman", just another "slave" to use the words O'Keeffe used for almost everyone. The title of this book sums it up. O'Keeffe had "Someone Always Nearby" to do the everyday work that made her life in the desert possible, while she only had to focus on painting. To use a current word, O'Keefe had a very strange sense of entitlement. For me, she is no longer enigmatic. She was a very arrogant person. Her behavior went way beyond artistic temperament. I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it.

[Beth Cato · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for a library book club.

The amount of research that Albert put into this book is certainly exhaustive. In many ways, it read more like a nonfiction biography than a novel, which is likely why the author begins with an explanatory forward. I, however, found the book frustrating. There is no plot, and the subject, Georgia O'Keeffe, is incredibly temperamental and unlikeable. I was quickly tired of her antics; I don't know how anyone tolerated her in real life, especially Maria Chabot, who largely tells the tale. Often, the book feels like a list of chores that Maria completes on the estates that she manages.

I have visited New Mexico several times in my life, and Albert certainly did a wonderful job of describing the unique setting with all the senses.

[Jerry Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it.
The author took piles of correspondence between O'Keefe and Chabot and crafted a novel around it.
It meandered a bit and I wish it included a bit more on how Chabot, the protagonist, lived her life in the later decades but overall, it was a cool read.

[M. White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating account of Georgia O'Keefe the artist, but even more a glimpse of the complex, difficult woman behind the art. In addition, it contains fascinating bits of history about the world she chose to live in for half of every year and returned to permanently after her husband's death. The book is thoroughly researched, very well written, and a fascinating read. I highly recommend it.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 This really seemed to want to be a biography, despite the fact that some of the chapters were written from Maria’s perspective in 1st person. It was hard to stay in the moment switching to historical information in the other chapters. And even Maria’s chapters jumped around. Even so it was interesting and I had no trouble quickly finishing it.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book fascinating. The story tells of the relationship between Maria Chabot and Georgia O’Keefe, focusing on the 1940’s. Maria’s love and respect for Georgia endures decades of distain, anger and volatile verbal tirades by the artist. Maria is responsible for rebuilding and managing Ghost Ranch and then the Chavez Pueblo. She unselfishly works tirelessly without financial or emotional support from O’Keefe. I had a hard time understanding why she kept working. O’Keefe was a brilliant artist who seemed to lack any real affection for her closest friends. She considered those working for her (even her friends) as “slaves” and easily disposed.

[Paula Hess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the setting and beautiful descriptions of the southwest. The story was good but seemed to lack something.

[Gayleen Hayes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry could not get into it. Stopped at mage 50

[Mary Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone Always Nearby is a tender and respectful in-depth study into the decades-long relationship between the famous painter, Georgia O'Keeffe, with writer and environmentalist Maria Chabot, based on the letters the two exchanged during their near life-long relationship. This absorbing study of two talented women shows the the true nature of O'Keeffe's shadowed and introverted personality and the young woman who sought to learn from O'Keeffe and support her, with the hope to become a friend. As someone always fascinated by human behavior, I enjoyed becoming acquainted with many of O'Keefe's unique relationships with her peers, acquaintances, and lovers.
I've always admired the O'Keefe paintings (prints) in my home and was fascinated to learn more of her life and personality, as well as Maria Chabot's.

[Mary Franquemont · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful story that shared information about Chabot and O'Keefe. Felt very close to being a biography instead of historical fiction. At times, the time line of events was difficult to follow.

[(Lonestarlibrarian) Keddy Ann Outlaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Audio version, well read by Maria McCann)
I once took a 6 day ElderHostel course in New Mexico about Georgia O’Keeffe, have visited the museum in Santa Fe twice and read a lot about her. My first in-person exposure to her art was a major retrospective at a Museum in Dallas back in 88. In other words, I sort of idolized her. This book took her off that pedestal. It tells of Georgia as seen through the eyes of Maria Chabot, her helpmate throughout the World War years who eventually built the house in Abiquiú for OKeeffe. (I got to visit that house during the ElderHostel course. It was thrilling to step into that dwelling, see her “pet” rocks on the window and her gardens, etc.)

But anyway, apparently O’Keeffe was often overbearing, spoiled, entitled, etc. She could barely keep help of any kind. She called her helpers slaves — imagine that. Yet Chabot was made of strong stuff and persevered in her relationship with the stormy artist. She met Stieglitz and stayed in their NY apartment. She traveled with O’Keeffe, slept side by side with her in sleeping bags when they camped out or stargazed from the roof of the Ghost Ranch house, and did so very much for her in dozens of ways, yet often encountered the artist’s cold shoulder. Maria was the one who frequently drove O’Keeffe out into the desert to paint. She always hoped O’Keefe would think of her as a friend. Not really, yet they exchanged some 700 letters!

This novel is unusual in that alternate parts of it read like nonfiction, where all the facts of the times or the house building in Abiquiú are given long detailed coverage. Then all of a sudden, there will be first person chapters about Chabot and her life (not just with Georgia). She eventually became quite involved with Native American art and causes. No matter that sometimes confusing shift in styles, this was a captivating book. Sadly eye-opening for me. But now I have a new heroine to admire, that of Maria Chabot!

[Jeanette "Josie" Cook M.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a heartfelt look at the artist's life and the way she related to others around her. Her relationships were very difficult at times. It made me think she was not close to her own family or sisters. Georgia was hard to relate to and many people were afraid of her. Her art is where she lived and where she found peace.

Georgia called her help, her slaves and she fired many of them over very petty reasons. To get along with her, even her so-called friends had to be very cautious around her.

I found her homes the most interesting and how they were so important to her, as far as, where they were and how they were designed to meet her needs as an artist. Georgia used a lot of people to get what she needed and underappreciated them. Maria, for example, made sure she had what she needed while she was around her and she also prepared for her arrival. Maria was at her disposal most of the time, and she was just a phone call away. Maria kept her living spaces the way she requested and dealt with the help. Georgia's requests were many and kept Maria busy from her writing.

Georgia also dealt with a lot in New York with her husband and his illness. This kept her busy while she lived there because she constantly replaced the person providing his care. After all, she was so picky about what they did and how she related to them. While there, she set up her shows and displayed her paintings at The Place. Her paintings and her art were the most important things to her and what they meant to her. This was her focus always and she was very sensitive about her work and what people said and thought about it.

Georgia was picky about what she and her husband ate and their diet. Maria provided for her at the Ghost Ranch and her other house, in the way of food and growing it. The gardens and the shopping were Maria's responsibilities. Maria's family was important to her and she was often back and forth between Georgia and her parents providing for all of them and their requests. She had a great many tasks on her plate and handled them well and this is why she became so important in Georgia's life. But, as time went on, Georgia replaced her. She still wrote her and called her. They stayed in touch.

The end of her life was sad because her eyesight was failing and Georgia had to rely on many people not by choice. This is when Hamilton became important to her after her husband had passed away. She sought his help to keep going and to get her art where it needed to be to sell. She traveled often. He was with her and others were, too. In the end, there were many things to settle, after her death.

I found the details of her life very interesting. This kept me reading and thinking about her decisions, her art, and her way of life. It is a well-crafted story about her focusing on Georgia and decisions, relationships, and her strong personality. She lives on via her paintings, her homes, and what she left behind for people and other institutions. There is a strong sense of place inside these pages. There are also detailed descriptions of relationships and the groups of people who related to each other who had art in their lives and were artists.

[Claire Pickett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this historical biographical novel was a true shocker. I would have had no idea that the artist Georgia O'Keeffe was such a narcissist, oblivious to others even when they were catering to her. The one exception was her lifelong partner, the famous NYC photographer Alfred Stieglitz, who made her a star in the art world by displaying and promoting her paintings in his gallery. However, she failed to return to NY when he was dying.

This book is based on the thousands of letters exchanged over the years between O'Keeffe and her "friend" Maria Chabot. I've put the word "friend" in quotation marks because the artist would say to Maria's face that she doesn't consider her a friend, even though Maria was at her beck and call for years. I found myself identifying with Maria who did backbreaking work on the gardens as well as designing, building, and then remodeling domiciles in Santa Fe expressly for the artist. She said she did it at first to learn from O'Keeffe's lifestyle. I'm not sure whether she was actually in love with her. Who would work under such abusive conditions!

I'm a gardener who adores flowers. However, I have never been a fan of her huge blah flowers. I've seen many gorgeous, detailed floral paintings in European museums that take my breath away. Georgia's leave me cold. I think it was Steiglitz's promotion of them that drew undeserved attention.

I won't go into the many examples of O'Keeffe's rudeness, as the book testifies to them. She never bothered to learn to speak Spanish even though she dwelt among Hispanics and made the region her own. People tend to make excuses for her when I've shared these nasty revelations about the artist. There are no excuses.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of a series of books about “hidden women” helped or influenced famous American women. Maria Chabot was a helper, unpaid employee, hired man, ranch manager and home renovator for Georgia O’Keefe. She spent about 10 years of her life making Georgia’s life easy so she could spend her time painting. She sublimated her own desire to paint her be an author to take care of Georgia who apparently was quite helpless all her life. O’Keefe comes off as a cold, selfish woman whose relationships are primarily transactional.

I have always admired O’Keefe’s work and was disappointed to learn she felt no empathy or appreciation for others who helped her throughout her life. She referred to the people who kept her life running smoothly as slaves and they were disposable in her mind. She was ill tempered and given to volcanic outbursts and enjoyed flailing people with her tongue.

Chabot managed her home for several years and when Georgia bought a falling down abode spent several years working as the general contractor to make it habitable. She was paid almost nothing as she admired O’Keefe and thought she was doing important work. Even after they had a falling out she would continue to help O’Keefe when she called on her fix something. Chabot was a multi-talented woman and the abode “Abiquiu” was placed on the historical record after the massive rebuilding of what was a ruin.

This author did a splendid job of bringing these two women to life and the although it is historical fiction, it was well researched and based on letters exchanged between the women over the years as will as academic research of O’Keefe and New Mexico.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio version
This well researched novel is the story of the relationship between Georgia O’Keeffe and Maria Chabot. I would not characterize it as a friendship because the power dynamic all flowed to the artist. However they were associates for many years.

Maria was a fairly naive young woman from Texas with aspirations to be a writer. The two women met in New Mexico in the 1940s. Maria thought they had struck up a friendship. Maria decided to help Georgia manage/renovate The Ghost Ranch. This is the first property that the artist bought in NM. In fact, Georgia referred to Maria as her “hired man” although Maria’s remuneration was room and board. Georgia was quite a financially successful artist at this time.

Georgia was very self involved. She used people up and spit them out including her husband, the photographer, Alfred Stieglitz. At least five or six other people received this same treatment from Georgia O’Keefe over her lifetime. Certainly great artists are not required to be humanitarians but I found her treatment of others appalling. What the author did not sufficiently address is why these people were so enamored of the artist that they were interested in helping her. The author’s description of Georgia O’Keefe did not present any positive qualities other than her artistic abilities.

This audiobook was very entertaining.The author entwined tidbits about the native culture in New Mexico. I am very glad I listened to it but it has certainly colored my impression of Georgia O’Keefe and not in a good way.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was the very interesting fictionalized story of the decades-long relationship between Georgia O'Keefe and Maria Chabot, who worked for Georgia, contractor and rebuilder of an ancient dwelling in New Mexico called Abiquiu (pronounced a be cue).

They were friends, and Maria worked for Georgia. Maria aspired to be a writer, and their agreement included half days off so that Maria could write, as she was to be a sort of companion and assistant to Georgia (I don't exactly remember the clear definition of her "job description," I may have had a brain lapse at the moment that was explained, as sometimes happens while listening to an audiobook).

Anyway, not a mystery - my go-to genre - but I did enjoy listening to it. I think it was a good one for an audiobook because, unlike mysteries, I didn't need to give it my undivided attention every moment to listen for clues.

Before I read this book I knew almost nothing about Georgia O'Keefe, except that I liked her art, that she painted in New Mexico, and maybe that she was married to a photographer (I may have thought that he was Ansel Adams, but I would have been wrong).

So I recommend Someone Always Nearby to just about anyone, not excluding YA's. There was some sexual preference info early on, but mostly just background stuff for the characters. Other than that, I didn't notice any profanity, or bad language at all.

Well worth the 5 stars I gave it!

[Sandra de Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novel about the relationship between Geogia O'keeffe and Marie Chabot. Carolyn Gage wrote a play about those two women called Georgia and the Butch. Marie Chabot was a butch lesbian, much younger than O'Keeffe, who befriended O'Keeffe in order to get close to her. Both this book and the play are based on the hundreds of letters between O'Keeffe and Chabot. Albert did deep and massive research for this book, not only the letters between the two women, but letters between each of them and other people. Albert agrees that Chabot was a lesbian and O'Keeffe had at least one affair with a woman (not Chabot), but doesn't believe they were sexual with each other. They certainly slept together, did thing together naked ... but I think it's hard for straight women to imagine sex between two women. Maybe especially when there is both an age difference, and a power imbalance. Whatever the truth is about their sex lives, O'Keeffe emotionally abused Chabot for years, took extremely unfair advantage of her and her skills, and robbed her of any ability to write. She basically refused to allow Chabot to write anything about O'Keeffe. Albert's writing is superb, her research impeccable, and the reader is likely to come away with a bad opinion of O'Keeffe's treatment of others.

[Bernadette · Rating 5 out of 5]

For years, I've wanted to visit the New Mexico desert home and area where Georgia O'Keefe lived and painted, but so far have not been able to do so. Instead Susan Wittig Albert took me there with her outstanding historical novel, Someone Always Nearby. Based heavily on 700 letters exchanged between O'Keefe and Maria Chabot, a younger would-be writer who vied for O'Keefe's friendship and worked as her "hired man," driver, companion, and even builder of the artist's restored hacienda home at Abiquiu. For many years, O'Keefe divided her time between New York City and New Mexico. The author offers a remarkable portrait of the demanding, difficult-to-please O'Keefe but whose engaging and creative personality attracted many artistic, wealthy and no-so wealthy men and women who wanted to be in her favor.
Although the myth exists the O'Keefe led an isolated, simple life in the NM desert, this book demonstrates the opposite. She needed help with the practical basics of living and there was "someone always nearby" to meet those needs, sometimes poorly paid like Chabot, who often did things for O'Keefe just to please her. I listened to the book, narrated from the voices of each of the two women frequently quoting from their letters. It is a revealing, powerful dialogue that covers much of the ups and downs of the long relationship between O'Keefe and Chabot. Highly recommend the book.

[DAGMARA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting fictional biography of Georgia O'Keefe as told from the persoective of her relationship with Maria Chabot, her assistant at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico and the architect and contractor for her major renovation project: the rebuilding and moderization of a derelict historic adobe property at Abiquiu that had been left to the Catholic church. Maria Chabot was a writer who compiled her correspondence with O'Keefe over the years, their letters providing Wittig Albert with a key source of historical information for this interesting book. Maria considered O'Keefe a friend while O' Keefe considered her a "slave" as she did any of her employees. She underpaid Maria, promising to will her Abuquiu then later changed her will to leave her entire estate to a very young man who became her constant companion and friend in her old age when she became blind and her health deteriorated. After the family challenged the codicil, a settlement left her young male friend a millionaire but turned most of her artwork, letters and NM properties to art museums.

[Linda Puente · Rating 3 out of 5]

Susan Wittig Albert has been one of my favorite authors for quite some time. I thoroughly enjoy her China Bayles mysteries and find the Cottage Tales charming, but I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as I had hoped I would. There was a great deal of repetition, so much so that it sometimes felt like it was being padded to reach a certain page count. There is no question about the research having been thorough and well documented but that's not what one necessarily expects in a novel, which this purports to be. I did learn a great deal about Georgia O'Keeffe, not much of it good. The people surrounding her seemed to be pathologically obsessed with her persona and one wonders why when she appears to have been extremely abusive to them. Many other luminaries from the mid-20th century also come to life here. Descriptions of the landscape of New Mexico are excellent; it made me feel like I was back there and could almost smell the desert. I'm not sorry that I read the book, but I'm unlikely to rush to read others in this series.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of a "hidden woman," part of a series of books that explore women who support well-known women through their friendships. Maria Chabot was one of these women: her decades-long relationship with artist Georgia O'Keeffe was instrumental in the artist's move to NM. Albert tells her story, using an array of historical documents including 700 letters that the two exchanged, and offers an intimate look at how the two women navigated their unique and odd relationship.

Only familiar with some of O'Keeffe's artwork, I learned much about her in this book. Albert does an excellent job of portraying the complexities of being a woman in our culture.

There was a third character in this fictional accounting: the landscape of northern NM - a place that both women loved.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a loyal reader of this author, so had this audiobook on hold from the library as soon as it was available. It's been an interesting listen, filled with fascinating art & historical detail that I expect from the author. The story of the women involved is fraught with emotional discord, as a thoroughly unpleasant portrait of Georgia O'Keefe emerges. Her treatment of her so-called friends seems to be reprehensible & Maria Chabot's reactions to it are difficult to understand at first. But as she ages & becomes more self-aware, she begins to put her involvement with the tyrannical O'Keefe into perspective, taking ownership of her own faulty judgements. It was very interesting to read about the New Mexico house she rebuilds for O'Keefe & her involvement in farming in the area, as well as her various other pursuits.

[Grace Batcha · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book resonates with me so much. i can understand the inspiration that okeefe drew from the dramatic western landscapes. this is something that encaptured me when i moved to colorado. having been in new mexico and southwest colorado, i understand many of the native tribes and their impact on the landscape. I also had someone in my life who reminded me a lot of okeefe. i resonate with maria who set aside her own personal goals to be there for someone who she thought needed help. it was disappointing to see that even through the decades, OKeefe never really considered Maria a friend. it seems like everyone was indentured to someone and the unforgiving landscapes only accentuates that fact.

[Terri Pilate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful historical novel about Georgia O’Keeffe and Maria Chabot, who worked for Georgia many years. Ms Wittig Albert also writes a Readers Guide that is available as a pdf from her website. I unfortunately did not have Internet access while reading this book and will be diving into the Guide after completing the novel. I paused in my reading of this novel early because I was afraid I would dislike Georgia O’Keeffe after reading. She was a complicated artist who continually pushed people away. Maria was able to understand Georgia and came to accept her, though she was deeply hurt by Georgia’s words and attitudes.

I’m visiting Santa Fe and Abiquiú soon and found this novel a wonderful way to prepare for our visit.

[Beth Given · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reads a little like a memoir, but it's fictional. I liked learning about Georgia O'Keefe (I guess I learned she was kind of needy and manipulative!) but the writing was more like a conglomeration of the author's research than a story, with a few fictionalized scenes thrown in.

I still enjoyed the book if only because I'm familiar with Abiquiu and the area where O'Keefe and Maria lived. I liked reading about the place more than the people in this book. But without a mental picture of this place, it's hard to imagine someone enjoying this book.


Even though the artist/bohemian lifestyle includes the occasional love affair and nude photo, there's nothing explicit in this book, and there's no language, either.

[Margaret Shumaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good

I loved this and couldn't stop reading. I've lived in New Mexico for over 20 years and still find it the land of enchantment. I have spent many happy weekend at Ghost Ranch, A truly magical and beautiful place. I have always admired the paintings of Georgia I'm serve and have visited her home in Abique, which was lovely. This book is the story of two complex and talented women and their complicated friendship, but their are lots of other interesting people. The author does a lovely job of describing and appreciating the beauty of the land and people of New Mexico. I've read the author's mysteries , which I enjoyed but this book is very special.