Bonfire of the Vanderbilts: Scholar's Edition

by Gerald Everett Jones

This special scholar's courseware edition of Bonfire of the Vanderbilts includes the full text of the novel, along with the author's research whitepaper "Deconstructing the Scandalous Narrative of The Baptism," which appeared in the Fall 2016 issue of The Journal of Art Crime. Also included in the endmatter are rare photographs from the private collection of the painter's family and links to related audiovisual supplementary materials, including the recording of the author's presentation on the The Baptism to the American Art Council of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

In 1892 Paris, Julius Stewart painted The Baptism, a Vanderbilt family scene that contains an embarrassing secret. In the novel, art historian Grace Atwood becomes obsessed with the painting and its hidden clues for reasons that have more to do with her personal ghosts. Either her doting husband is trying to make her think she's crazy, or she really is in the early stages of dementia.

"I must say, I am impressed with your sleuthing, your imagination and your ability to weave a story. Your theory is fascinating, and I personally would be quite excited if any piece of it proved true."  --  Carson Joyner Clark, biographer of painter Julius Stewart

"Alva Vanderbilt Belmont would be very grateful to you for researching a Vanderbilt family painting - as will all the family. And as I do. Historians keep us alive!"  --  Margaret Hayden Rector, Vanderbilt biographer, author of Alva,That Vanderbilt-Belmont Woman"

Of the many inquiries we get, this has been the most interesting in a long time."  --  The Very Rev. Harry E. Krauss (retired)

"I think you've done an extraordinary job of researching and speculating on the painting. You've certainly convinced me that this was a Vanderbilt affair!"  --  Mary Sudman Donovan, Historian, Episcopal Church USA, Author of A Different Call: Women's Ministries in the Episcopal Church, 1850-1920

Genres: Historical Fiction, Art

415 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 6, 2015

About the author

Gerald says, "I write mystery-thrillers and literary fiction for adult readers who seek insight, fascination, and delight in the adventures of their own lives."
Gerald Everett Jones is a freelance writer who lives in Santa Monica, California. Harry Harambee's Kenyan Sundowner is his eleventh and most recent novel. From 2020-21 he won ten book awards - one in business, four in literary fiction, and five in mystery-thriller. He is a member of the Writers Guild of America, the Dramatists Guild, Women's National Book Association, and Film Independent (FIND), as well as a director of the Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC). He holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors from the College of Letters, Wesleyan University, where he studied under novelists Peter Boynton (Stone Island), F.D. Reeve (The Red Machines), and Jerzy Kosinski (The Painted Bird, Being There). Learn more at geraldeverettjones.com.

Reviews

[John Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the groundbreaking "Mr. Ballpoint", one of my all-time favorite novels, I've come to expect the best from Gerald Everett Jones. This latest effort certainly meets, if not exceeds, those expectations. Mr. Jones' writing enters me like a sweet liqueur. His style is unique, yet somehow familiar. There is a soothing consistent wholeness to the way his narration partners with his story line. It almost feels like I'm watching a movie when I read his novels. Which is not to say that he ever slips into superficiality. He is more Bergman than Spielberg, fearless in his willingness to explore the nuances of a scene or character, until we join him in a deeper understanding. Speaking of understanding, I learned so much about the craft of painting, what an artist goes through, how paintings are conceived, how scenarios generated and depicted, how characters within the framework of the scene depicted participate in a silent narrative, overall how much is going on in a painting beyond what is seen at first glance. Very fascinating!

At the same time, a good novel comes down to a good story. "Bonfire of the Vanderbilts" is a great story! I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes their contemporary drama flavored with historical intrigue.

[Rachel Chiapparine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was blessed enough to be given a free paperback copy of this book from the author in person at the Los Angeles Festival of books event this year in exchange for my honest review of the book which is as follows:

I want to start by saying that I am not an art person so I personally don't understand the "scandal" behind the painting however once I got into the storylines of the characters I was interested in the book more.

I personally enjoyed the middle to last half of the book the best. Overall I personally rate this book a 7/10. I also didn't see some of the twists in the story coming at all.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3/5

Genre: Mystery within a mystery within a mystery….

Recommended Age: 16+ (sexual references)

Pages: 446

Author Website

Amazon Link

Disclaimer: I received this book for free for promotion from Black Chateau. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: In 1892 Paris, Julius Stewart painted The Baptism, a Vanderbilt family scene that contains an embarrassing secret. In the present day, art historian Grace Atwood becomes obsessed with the painting and its hidden clues for reasons that have more to do with her personal ghosts. Either her doting husband is trying to make her think she’s crazy, or she really is in the early stages of dementia.

I’ve never been one for art. I’ve always been the person who walks past an art exhibit to the cookie counter (there needs to be more of those in art museums). But I like mysteries and I was intrigued by the sound of this book so I decided to read it. I liked the overall story and I felt the plot was intriguing. I felt that if I was an art lover this would be my dream book and it definitely made me appreciate the hidden meanings and messages in art more.

However, this book wasn’t for me. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters in this novel and I felt that the pacing was way too fast and the writing was a bit off for the type of book this should have been. I think this book has a lot of potential though and maybe with the right people it’s amazing, but for me it was just average.

Verdict: This book is for the art lovers in your life.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to give this a two because I disliked it, but that's probably unfair because I'm not the right audience for this book, so I gave it a three.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book through Goodreads. This was a really good historical ..mysterish read. I could not put it down. I had to see what was next, loved it.

[McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story showed all the promises of dedicated research and truthful interpretations of what might have been. Well written and intriguing from the first chapter and I really enjoyed this book! While no one knows the full truth, this story will captivate you and leave you mystified wanting to continue the endeavor too.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was very hard to get into and like this book. Which was so disappointing because I really wanted to like it. It was slow in parts and not my cup of tea.

[Lindsay Heller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well. This was sort of a giant mess. I read it because Hoopla suggested it to me after boning up about all things Vanderbilt in preparation for a trip to Biltmore. And I figured I had to give it a go. So this is a story in two parts, one is the painter of a painting who has some stick up his butt about Cornelius Vanderbilt II and wants to embarrass him about something that isn't embarrassing (a baptism at home that was sanctioned). The other story is about a woman who becomes obsessed with the painting and tries to discover if the painting is of the painters family or, in fact, the Vanderbilts. But that is soon overshadowed by dramatic goings on in her life. It was... not a good book. Besides being a bit of a mess story wise it was like the author didn't know what to do with the story. There's a whole random chapter where suddenly the author is the POV character as he has a meeting with people that want to market this actual book to movie producers. There was a whole thing about how Grace, the modern day protagonist, needed to be stronger and get herself out of her VERY DRAMATIC predicament and the author seems to consider it, but then we go back to the story and NOPE.

I don't know what else to say. I am actually curious about this author's other books because this thing is the sort to send an unpublished writer into despair because how the fyck did an editor let this into the world?