What do you think?
Rate this book
Dazzled by Darkness: A Story of Art & Desire
Librarian's Note: Alternate-cover edition for ASIN B00XV6BUWC
Sara is a book-smart Jewish girl who works at the Brooklyn Museum Art School. 'G' is a street-smart Latino apprentice who creates radical, in-your-face art work. When these two NY opposites meet, something clicks, and wheels begin to turn. In this unique novel about Mental illness, Art History, and Time-travel, readers will experience Life in the 1960s and Life during the Renaissance (and other Great Periods of Art History) like they never have before! The two main protagonists each escape into their own fantasies (hearing voices, on the part of schizophrenic Sara; imagined interactions with Dead Master Artists, on the part of "G"), both ending up in a Compulsive-Obsessional World of Art & Desire!
Sara is a book-smart Jewish girl who works at the Brooklyn Museum Art School. 'G' is a street-smart Latino apprentice who creates radical, in-your-face art work. When these two NY opposites meet, something clicks, and wheels begin to turn. In this unique novel about Mental illness, Art History, and Time-travel, readers will experience Life in the 1960s and Life during the Renaissance (and other Great Periods of Art History) like they never have before! The two main protagonists each escape into their own fantasies (hearing voices, on the part of schizophrenic Sara; imagined interactions with Dead Master Artists, on the part of "G"), both ending up in a Compulsive-Obsessional World of Art & Desire!
433 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 18, 2015
1 person is currently reading
329 people want to read
About the author
Erica Miles
8 books48 followersErica Miles received her B.A. in Theatre from Brooklyn College and her M.A. in Teaching ESL from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her poetry and short stories have been published in The Greenwich Village Literary Review and Void Magazine. Her debut novel, Dazzled by Darkness, was nominated as a Big City Book Club selection for The New York Times.
http://www.amazon.com/Dazzled-Darknes...
http://www.amazon.com/Dazzled-Darknes...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 18, 2015
Dazzled by Darkness, by Erica Miles, is an exciting, multi-faceted novel that feels as authentic and intimate as a memoir. It brings the reader right back into the tumult of the Sixties, when tensions burned high between the races and abortions were available only in dangerous back alleys or expensive, faraway places like Puerto Rico.
Racism inevitably seeps beneath the skins of the two young lovers, Gavilán and Sara, clear-cut and engaging characters that inhabit worlds that are long-gone, yet pulse with life in the author's evocations. Author Miles deftly avoids any racial stereotypes in creating her characters, offering a more intimate view to readers who may have little experience with the black or Latino communities.
Delicate pencil drawings by Selma Eisenstadt and Ms. Miles enrich the book, emphasizing the artistic theme that drives the story. Sara works at the Brooklyn Museum and is blessed with a lyrical imagination. Gavilán is an artist whose imaginary encounters with Leonardo da Vinci, Van Gogh, Picasso, Andy Warhol and others provide him with ideas and inspiration--but it is his soulful conversations with his best friend and spiritual big brother, James, that unveil the deepest secrets of his heart.
Sara, from a middle-class Jewish background, is the more elusive, impulsive character. From the beginning, she takes heart-pounding risks: endangering the children who take classes at the museum, painting her skin dark to ride on the subway with Gavilán, quitting her job over an imagined insult. And despite the inevitable insults from both sides of a racist world, it is basic incompatibility rather than race that finally drives Sara and Gavilán apart. Yet both grow into happiness in surprising ways. I won't spoil it for you--give yourself the pleasure of reading the book to find out.
--Ellen Schecter, author of Fierce Joy
(Used with permission from The Greenwich Village Literary Review)
Racism inevitably seeps beneath the skins of the two young lovers, Gavilán and Sara, clear-cut and engaging characters that inhabit worlds that are long-gone, yet pulse with life in the author's evocations. Author Miles deftly avoids any racial stereotypes in creating her characters, offering a more intimate view to readers who may have little experience with the black or Latino communities.
Delicate pencil drawings by Selma Eisenstadt and Ms. Miles enrich the book, emphasizing the artistic theme that drives the story. Sara works at the Brooklyn Museum and is blessed with a lyrical imagination. Gavilán is an artist whose imaginary encounters with Leonardo da Vinci, Van Gogh, Picasso, Andy Warhol and others provide him with ideas and inspiration--but it is his soulful conversations with his best friend and spiritual big brother, James, that unveil the deepest secrets of his heart.
Sara, from a middle-class Jewish background, is the more elusive, impulsive character. From the beginning, she takes heart-pounding risks: endangering the children who take classes at the museum, painting her skin dark to ride on the subway with Gavilán, quitting her job over an imagined insult. And despite the inevitable insults from both sides of a racist world, it is basic incompatibility rather than race that finally drives Sara and Gavilán apart. Yet both grow into happiness in surprising ways. I won't spoil it for you--give yourself the pleasure of reading the book to find out.
--Ellen Schecter, author of Fierce Joy
(Used with permission from The Greenwich Village Literary Review)
September 7, 2015
Erica Miles takes you inside the head of Sara Got, a lonely, highly imaginative, young Jewish woman living in Brooklyn, and her provocative, talented young Latino lover and budding artist, Gavilán Sanchez, with equal aplomb.
While Sara's outer life remains the quiet existence of a working woman, her inner life is a landscape in which readers will glimpse their own darker side reflected in her needs, fears, and desires, as the human psyche is painted in the mystical tones of a master work.
Gavilán, who comes from a tough Brooklyn neighborhood, is a complex contradiction of close family ties, artistic potential, charming conversationalist, and enough attitude to make for a difficult but exciting relationship with Sara.
With raw-nerve honesty, Miles unveils the deepest thoughts of her two major characters with intuitive and intelligent strokes.
Sara and G, as Gavilán is known, are culturally and emotionally too far apart to find the necessary foundation for a long-lasting love, but their common love of art and their need for a close relationship holds them to an uneasy truce that passes for love. Through the course of their passionate but volatile romance, we watch to see how their differences will play out.
Miles gives us a rich tapestry to explore, from Sara's epiphany in a place she is not supposed to trespass, which costs her precious job at a museum, to G's fanciful, yet realistic conversations with the great artists of the centuries. And if you read closely, you'll find that the author's tongue is often firmly entrenched in her cheek.
Sara and G grow emotionally in the course of their journeys, and if we listen to their experiences, we will grow with them
While Sara's outer life remains the quiet existence of a working woman, her inner life is a landscape in which readers will glimpse their own darker side reflected in her needs, fears, and desires, as the human psyche is painted in the mystical tones of a master work.
Gavilán, who comes from a tough Brooklyn neighborhood, is a complex contradiction of close family ties, artistic potential, charming conversationalist, and enough attitude to make for a difficult but exciting relationship with Sara.
With raw-nerve honesty, Miles unveils the deepest thoughts of her two major characters with intuitive and intelligent strokes.
Sara and G, as Gavilán is known, are culturally and emotionally too far apart to find the necessary foundation for a long-lasting love, but their common love of art and their need for a close relationship holds them to an uneasy truce that passes for love. Through the course of their passionate but volatile romance, we watch to see how their differences will play out.
Miles gives us a rich tapestry to explore, from Sara's epiphany in a place she is not supposed to trespass, which costs her precious job at a museum, to G's fanciful, yet realistic conversations with the great artists of the centuries. And if you read closely, you'll find that the author's tongue is often firmly entrenched in her cheek.
Sara and G grow emotionally in the course of their journeys, and if we listen to their experiences, we will grow with them
May 16, 2015
I enjoyed reading this creative and thought provoking novel. The novel takes you on an exciting journey through both romantic love and the love of art. The author pairs the modern day upcoming artist with world renowned and revered artists of the past in dream like sequences throughout the novel. Those sequences transport you through the paintings of artists such as Van Gogh and Picasso, bringing you into their worlds of inspiration. Of intrigue is the passionate and raw romantic relationship that forms between the modern day artist and his muse, Sarah, bringing forth elements of cultural divide and societal barriers and how each character overcomes such adversities.
April 26, 2015
An evocation of space and time, Brooklyn when a crack had appeared in the world and the young were busily marching through. Miles creates characters who embody some of the changes occurring in that period, explorers in a new reality. Especially remarkable are Gavilan's imagined conversations with artists from the past, a fun romp through Art History.
April 28, 2015
I recommend this very enjoyable read especially if you are a native New Yorker, though non-natives will love it as well. It's an unconventional love story with a fair amount of fantasy and a lot of art history woven throughout all set in and around Brooklyn and Manhattan.
April 29, 2015
As a young woman coming of age during the late '60's and early '70's, Dazzled by Darkness: A Story of Art and Desire, spoke to me, bringing back feelings and memories around those special years. The author captured the sensibilities of the era so well. I felt myself traveling along with the main character, Sara, chapter by chapter--feeling, growing, discovering her womanhood, her independence, the ways of the world.
The dashing and determined young man in Sara's life immerses himself in the art scene, taking fantastic adventures of the mind to glean what he can from the old masters to shape his own work.
Not only does society clash with their unconventional relationship, but internal clashes arise as well. The author tells the story of their need for each other and their separate desires in both tender and harsh detail.
I found the novel to be beautifully crafted, interweaving words and drawings into a rare delight.
The dashing and determined young man in Sara's life immerses himself in the art scene, taking fantastic adventures of the mind to glean what he can from the old masters to shape his own work.
Not only does society clash with their unconventional relationship, but internal clashes arise as well. The author tells the story of their need for each other and their separate desires in both tender and harsh detail.
I found the novel to be beautifully crafted, interweaving words and drawings into a rare delight.
May 1, 2015
An exciting read about a young woman’s relationship with herself, her lover, her religion, and her world. Ms. Miles’ language is flavorful and lively, often jumping off the page. Her detailed descriptions of the New York City area could only be written by someone who lives and loves everything New York! Is Dazzled by Darkness a journey to find self and God or just a schizophrenic/psychedelic trip? You’ll have to decide for yourself.
May 3, 2015
DAZZLED BY DARKNESS is an electric, riveting novel written by an author who is an accomplished artist of words. The characters, artists or not, live, breathe, struggle, love, hate, connect, and disengage in a moment, compelling the reader to turn pages and chapters to fi nd out what happens next. An unconventional, dazzling read.
May 4, 2015
In Dazzled by Darkness, Erica Miles’ unique voice captivates the reader with its exploration of a culturally-clashing romance set in 1960's Brooklyn. Imaginative and richly detailed, the novel deftly portrays two singular protagonists caught up in a time of racial, sexual, and artistic revolution.
May 8, 2015
I chose my rating because it held me in suspense with a catching story line. While I paid attention to the author's turn of phrases, I enjoyed the tour of New York and how the race-sex-art revolution intertwined so uniquely.
August 22, 2015
Dazzled by Darkness is an educated, insightful, rollicking (and sometimes heart-breaking) romance, seen through the hearts and minds of Sara and Gavilàn, our two protagonists. She comes from a solidly middle class white family, he from Afro-American and Latino roots, and poor. Both of them are either extremely psychic or downright psychotic. And both relate to reality from its fringes, in a Kafkaesque fashion.
The author, Erica Miles, thinks like an artist. Gavilàn, in his mind, periodically visits with the masters of fine art, entering into the parlors and neighborhoods of the likes of Michelangelo, Fra Angelica, Pablo Picasso, and others, all in the quest for inspiration on his own artistic path. Sara works as a secretary to support them but secretly wishes he’d contribute to their expenses financially.
All of this is set into the cultural context of New York City during the 1960’s and early 70’s, when the hippie movement and the black backlash against white society set the tone of the day. Sara and Gavilàn are reaching for each other against all odds.
Dazzled by Darkness is about two people who at least try to bridge their differences, and who in their own minds enter into an ideal world where class, race, and religious beliefs shouldn’t matter. But, in the end, they do. Each of them learns that the hard way, and the reader grieves with them as their ideals are shattered and they go their separate ways. Neither of them really finds themselves until their relationship is over.
This is a book about the experiments of the 1960’s, and the honest emotions of those participating is these cultural experiments. As such, it could be called historical fiction, as it uniquely captures the spirit of the times. A must-read for Baby Boomers, and a wonderful education for younger readers, as well.
The author, Erica Miles, thinks like an artist. Gavilàn, in his mind, periodically visits with the masters of fine art, entering into the parlors and neighborhoods of the likes of Michelangelo, Fra Angelica, Pablo Picasso, and others, all in the quest for inspiration on his own artistic path. Sara works as a secretary to support them but secretly wishes he’d contribute to their expenses financially.
All of this is set into the cultural context of New York City during the 1960’s and early 70’s, when the hippie movement and the black backlash against white society set the tone of the day. Sara and Gavilàn are reaching for each other against all odds.
Dazzled by Darkness is about two people who at least try to bridge their differences, and who in their own minds enter into an ideal world where class, race, and religious beliefs shouldn’t matter. But, in the end, they do. Each of them learns that the hard way, and the reader grieves with them as their ideals are shattered and they go their separate ways. Neither of them really finds themselves until their relationship is over.
This is a book about the experiments of the 1960’s, and the honest emotions of those participating is these cultural experiments. As such, it could be called historical fiction, as it uniquely captures the spirit of the times. A must-read for Baby Boomers, and a wonderful education for younger readers, as well.
February 16, 2016
Dazzled by Darkness transported me across time and space to Brooklyn of the late 1960s and early 1970s where I experienced the year-long relationship between Sara and Gavilán. Sara is a hopeful writer working as a secretary at an art museum where she meets Gavilán, known as G, who is an art student.
Through the course of the romantic relationship, author Erica Miles explores the racial tensions of the period. Sara is a middle-class Jewish woman and G is a poor black Latino just coming to his own as a man. We see both Sara and G’s families and friends through each other’s perspectives and find both moments of understanding and the barriers people throw up to retain comfortable familiarity.
One of the most fascinating elements of the novel for me was G’s artistic journey. Over the course of the novel, G “visits” such famous artists as Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol. His imagined interactions with the artists provided insight both into G’s character and the artists visited.
Both Sara and G are strong-willed and not entirely sympathetic, but they are all the more realistic for it. Both their personal and cultural biases are revealed in stark, honest fashion. The novel is illustrated by a series of beautiful charcoal sketches by Selma Eisenstadt. These helped to enhance both the emotional gravity of the novel and bolstered the sense of an artistic journey.
In looking back at the racial, sexual, and artistic scene of the past, Dazzled by Darkness gave me the opportunity to look around at the present and consider where we might be going in the future.
Through the course of the romantic relationship, author Erica Miles explores the racial tensions of the period. Sara is a middle-class Jewish woman and G is a poor black Latino just coming to his own as a man. We see both Sara and G’s families and friends through each other’s perspectives and find both moments of understanding and the barriers people throw up to retain comfortable familiarity.
One of the most fascinating elements of the novel for me was G’s artistic journey. Over the course of the novel, G “visits” such famous artists as Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol. His imagined interactions with the artists provided insight both into G’s character and the artists visited.
Both Sara and G are strong-willed and not entirely sympathetic, but they are all the more realistic for it. Both their personal and cultural biases are revealed in stark, honest fashion. The novel is illustrated by a series of beautiful charcoal sketches by Selma Eisenstadt. These helped to enhance both the emotional gravity of the novel and bolstered the sense of an artistic journey.
In looking back at the racial, sexual, and artistic scene of the past, Dazzled by Darkness gave me the opportunity to look around at the present and consider where we might be going in the future.
May 26, 2015
I took my time reading this book and enjoyed it very much. I especially liked the chapter about Sara's friend Eleanor, who reminded me of a woman I once knew, and I could imagine how Sara and G would relate to her.It brought me back to a very happy place and lots of pleasant memories.
The book was a great read and kept my interest from beginning to end. I can picture my friend who resembled Eleanor smiling down lovingly on Ms Erica Miles and her book success.
The book was a great read and kept my interest from beginning to end. I can picture my friend who resembled Eleanor smiling down lovingly on Ms Erica Miles and her book success.
January 6, 2016
Sara Got’s imaginary ‘Sweet Sir Galahad’ comes to life when she meets 19-year-old ‘G ’at the Brooklyn Museum Art School. Alongside the blossoming romance between the two creative souls, there also loom issues of mental health, interracial love, and racial prejudice. The sensitive way in which the author handles these issues while portraying the romance between two people from diverse backgrounds is thoroughly entertaining. It is also interesting to compare and contrast G’s and Sara’s individual interpretations of each rendezvous between them. At the beginning of each chapter, there are sketches of characters to be introduced, which give the reader a visual treat of what or who to expect.
Erica Miles is an outstanding writer. She shares her extensive knowledge of art and artists with the reader in a unique way. I found G’s conversations with painters such as Goya, Michelangelo, and Van Gogh (amongst others) quite ingenious. Overall, the book was hard to put down. Once I started reading it I could not stop until I finished it! I cannot wait to read the next book by this author.
Erica Miles is an outstanding writer. She shares her extensive knowledge of art and artists with the reader in a unique way. I found G’s conversations with painters such as Goya, Michelangelo, and Van Gogh (amongst others) quite ingenious. Overall, the book was hard to put down. Once I started reading it I could not stop until I finished it! I cannot wait to read the next book by this author.
February 21, 2016
"In 'Dazzled by Darkness: A Story of Art and Desire' by Erica Miles, Sara, a 25-year-old Jewish woman who works in the Art Museum, falls for Gavilan, a 19-year-old black art museum student. The story, although mostly through Sara's point of view, takes the reader into the minds of two opposites who decide to come together during the 60's. As an immigrant from South America, of Italian origin, I was fascinated to read about an era in the United States when racial, cultural, and sexual differences began blending together through art and love to clash with society. This was very interesting to me.
Miles does a great job presenting the readers with smart, complicated, well-developed characters. On one hand, the reader will experience the troubled mind of Sara who suffers with mental illness. On the other hand, the reader will get a close encounter with a dark and creative mind through Gavilan (G, as known by Sara) and his art. These two characters' futile relationship combined with the times and the setting their story takes place in has all the elements of a great read. But that was not enough as Miles takes the reader for a ride through time travel to meet the minds of art geniuses like Leonardo and Picasso. The only complaint I have about the book is maybe its length, but thanks to the beautiful art displayed throughout, going through the pages was as captivating as going through the story.
'Dazzled by Darkness: A Story of Art and Desire' by Erica Miles is definitely a great read for those who enjoy unique points of view and styles. I invite those readers to take a ride into dark minds, time travel and a troubled romance while enjoying beautiful art in this unique and captivating story placed in one of the most controversial eras in the United States. Definitely one of the most interesting reads I have encountered in a long time."
--Susan Violante
Miles does a great job presenting the readers with smart, complicated, well-developed characters. On one hand, the reader will experience the troubled mind of Sara who suffers with mental illness. On the other hand, the reader will get a close encounter with a dark and creative mind through Gavilan (G, as known by Sara) and his art. These two characters' futile relationship combined with the times and the setting their story takes place in has all the elements of a great read. But that was not enough as Miles takes the reader for a ride through time travel to meet the minds of art geniuses like Leonardo and Picasso. The only complaint I have about the book is maybe its length, but thanks to the beautiful art displayed throughout, going through the pages was as captivating as going through the story.
'Dazzled by Darkness: A Story of Art and Desire' by Erica Miles is definitely a great read for those who enjoy unique points of view and styles. I invite those readers to take a ride into dark minds, time travel and a troubled romance while enjoying beautiful art in this unique and captivating story placed in one of the most controversial eras in the United States. Definitely one of the most interesting reads I have encountered in a long time."
--Susan Violante
June 6, 2015
Dazzling Insights
Love, like religious fervor, is an act of faith. When one hears love’s call, it is wise to heed it—even if reasonable evidence suggests otherwise. Giving oneself to art is also an act of faith, inasmuch as one’s creativity and imagination are based on ineluctable knots of nature and nurture. Dazzled by Darkness, Erica Miles’ fine debut novel, is an artful exploration into the hearts and minds of two star-crossed lovers, G and Sara. A large and colorful cast of supporting characters (friends, family, psychiatrist, and the time-travelling voices of master artists and thinkers) add to the author's dazzling insights into life, love, and art.
Love, like religious fervor, is an act of faith. When one hears love’s call, it is wise to heed it—even if reasonable evidence suggests otherwise. Giving oneself to art is also an act of faith, inasmuch as one’s creativity and imagination are based on ineluctable knots of nature and nurture. Dazzled by Darkness, Erica Miles’ fine debut novel, is an artful exploration into the hearts and minds of two star-crossed lovers, G and Sara. A large and colorful cast of supporting characters (friends, family, psychiatrist, and the time-travelling voices of master artists and thinkers) add to the author's dazzling insights into life, love, and art.
January 19, 2016
I finished “Dazzled by Darkness” just after the first of the year, and I have been thinking hard since then how I might write a review that would do this first novel justice. While the work is grounded in a very specific time and place, Brooklyn in the late 60s, it travels through the world of art that includes Leonardo Da Vinci and ends with Warhol. When I bought my copy, I first thumbed through it and wondered what the pencil sketches that fill the book were; I looked at the cover and was puzzled if I had bought something that belonged in the “Teen Reader” section of a bookstore; I began to read and was immediately aware that I seemed to have fallen into a dream – or “trip”. Here are some things that are important to know before beginning: The cover art is misleading; this is not a “teen” book; It is essential to willingly “suspend disbelief”; and you must remember the era.
Miles provides a look back at a time when everything we once believed was questioned and almost all rules were broken. So, with that frame, it isn’t surprising that the book is about art, and spiritual seeking, and fallen racial barriers, and psychological healing, and obsession, desire, and wild acid trips. To say this novel is a showcase for some actual – and remarkable – artwork, or that is a an examination of creativity, or that it is about the obsession of an older woman for a much younger man, or about a white woman and a black man, or a Jewish woman and a Christian man, or an exploration of mind-altering drugs, or the efficacy of psychotherapy, or about a spiritual journey, or even an exploration of madness, is to limit the ultimate effect of the novel. It is about all those things, but it is more.
What I was left with, when I put the book down, was voices. There is a huge cast of characters, and they talk. They talk to each other, to long dead artists, to therapists and religious leaders, and the main character hears voices in her head. Picasso speaks to G, as does Leonardo da Vinci. Sara listens to voices. Everyone tries to explain, to help, to guide – it is as though if one could get just the right words in just the right order, all would be clear. The 60s wanted to “connect”, and produced words, signs – everywhere a sign.
I don’t like spoilers and don’t want to provide any here. How does Miles manage to pull together all the themes and threads of this wide-ranging novel? Do Sara and G grow and develop as the work comes to a conclusion? Do the sketches that fill the work mesh with the point of the novel itself? Do we leave the work with a deeper understanding of art, desire, race, and spiritual longing? You simply must get the book and read it for yourself. It is a remarkable experience.
Miles provides a look back at a time when everything we once believed was questioned and almost all rules were broken. So, with that frame, it isn’t surprising that the book is about art, and spiritual seeking, and fallen racial barriers, and psychological healing, and obsession, desire, and wild acid trips. To say this novel is a showcase for some actual – and remarkable – artwork, or that is a an examination of creativity, or that it is about the obsession of an older woman for a much younger man, or about a white woman and a black man, or a Jewish woman and a Christian man, or an exploration of mind-altering drugs, or the efficacy of psychotherapy, or about a spiritual journey, or even an exploration of madness, is to limit the ultimate effect of the novel. It is about all those things, but it is more.
What I was left with, when I put the book down, was voices. There is a huge cast of characters, and they talk. They talk to each other, to long dead artists, to therapists and religious leaders, and the main character hears voices in her head. Picasso speaks to G, as does Leonardo da Vinci. Sara listens to voices. Everyone tries to explain, to help, to guide – it is as though if one could get just the right words in just the right order, all would be clear. The 60s wanted to “connect”, and produced words, signs – everywhere a sign.
I don’t like spoilers and don’t want to provide any here. How does Miles manage to pull together all the themes and threads of this wide-ranging novel? Do Sara and G grow and develop as the work comes to a conclusion? Do the sketches that fill the work mesh with the point of the novel itself? Do we leave the work with a deeper understanding of art, desire, race, and spiritual longing? You simply must get the book and read it for yourself. It is a remarkable experience.
October 25, 2015
This novel does not fall into the genre of books that I usually read. It keeps the mind alive to step outside of habit and experience what others are reading. The well written characters make decisions that remind us of the ones we have made and keeps one reading to see if end results are the same. Issues of race, sex, and what is right or wrong about how to live the life prevail. This novel is destined to capture a large audience. Excellent drawings add pleasure.
October 18, 2015
This book was a different love story. I think it was a good book. I enjoyed reading this book. It was about a 25-year-old Jewish girl who works in the Art Museum falling head over heels for a black art museum student. Opposites do attract sometimes and I love a good love story. This book was a page turner for me. * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
December 29, 2015
I so loved this book....thanks so much for taking me along for the ride into the world of Art & Desire Erica...Happy Holidays...best of luck for 2016..will be watching for more books by you in the future...
September 18, 2016
What a wonderful read ! I am truly impressed by Ms . Ehrlich's knowledge of art and her passionate, adventurous spirit ! A novel that must be savored to its fullest !
April 18, 2016
Dazzled By Darkness is a unique book that is unlike any book I have read before.
The story is set in Brooklyn in the late 1960s. The time period and setting are unfamiliar to me, however, I was keen to read what it was like being young and living in such a turbulent period in American history.
The concept of the story itself has multiple layers, telling a tale of troubled romance and how different people live their lives, and touching on issues such as inter racial relationships, mental health, drug taking, and stretching and even breaking the boundaries of society of the times.
The two main characters, Sara and Gavilan, are well developed and three dimensional. Although I was not able to connect on a personal level with either of these two protagonists, I found them to be intriguing and was enticed to read more and more about how they were living their lives, the decisions they made, and their perceptions on living in the 1960s. I also appreciated being let inside the mind of a young woman who hears voices talking to her and also experiencing Galivan’s fantasy trips of meeting and interacting with famous artists of a bygone era.
Dazzled By Darkness is a one of a kind book. It’s well written and easy to read, allowing you to savour the vivid imagery portraying life in America in the 1960s. Although I am not really into art and know little of famous artists, I enjoyed reading this book. It is somewhat out of my comfort zone with it being quite raw and even explicit at times, however, the story is fascinating, the characters are captivating, and the drawings included throughout the book make it a stand out work from other novels.
The story is set in Brooklyn in the late 1960s. The time period and setting are unfamiliar to me, however, I was keen to read what it was like being young and living in such a turbulent period in American history.
The concept of the story itself has multiple layers, telling a tale of troubled romance and how different people live their lives, and touching on issues such as inter racial relationships, mental health, drug taking, and stretching and even breaking the boundaries of society of the times.
The two main characters, Sara and Gavilan, are well developed and three dimensional. Although I was not able to connect on a personal level with either of these two protagonists, I found them to be intriguing and was enticed to read more and more about how they were living their lives, the decisions they made, and their perceptions on living in the 1960s. I also appreciated being let inside the mind of a young woman who hears voices talking to her and also experiencing Galivan’s fantasy trips of meeting and interacting with famous artists of a bygone era.
Dazzled By Darkness is a one of a kind book. It’s well written and easy to read, allowing you to savour the vivid imagery portraying life in America in the 1960s. Although I am not really into art and know little of famous artists, I enjoyed reading this book. It is somewhat out of my comfort zone with it being quite raw and even explicit at times, however, the story is fascinating, the characters are captivating, and the drawings included throughout the book make it a stand out work from other novels.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews