The Pelton Papers: A Novel

by Mari Coates

A richly imagined novel based on the life of artist Agnes Pelton, whose life tracks the early days of modernism in America. Born into a family ruined by scandal, Agnes becomes part of the lively New York art scene, finding early success in the famous Armory Show of 1913. Fame seems inevitable, but Agnes is burdened by shyness and instead retreats to a contemplative life, first to a Long Island windmill, and then to the California desert. Undefeated by her history—family ruination in the Beecher-Tilton scandal, a shrouded Brooklyn childhood, and a passionate attachment to another woman—she follows her muse to create more than a hundred luminous and deeply spiritual abstract paintings.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Art, Fiction, Adult Fiction, Biographical Fiction

330 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 7, 2020

Reviews

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, I’m the first one to review this. Lovely. So it’s been some time and I was craving a proper work of literature. This one had the added bonus of introducing the readers to a not so well known artist. One I’ve never heard of until reading this book. Agnes Pelton (1881 to 1961) was a genuine artist in that her entire life was about her art. She never married, seemingly going through life sustained only by familial affection and numerous friendships, one was of a one sided unrequited variety, but that’s it. Seems kind of sad for 79 years, but Agnes doesn’t seem to have thought so. She was born into a family ravaged by a famous scandal and raised abroad until settling in Brooklyn in her grandmother’s place. Raised mostly by her mother, theirs was a close relationship of a bygone era variety. It’s no longer quite so socially acceptable, but Agnes lived with her mother on and off until well into adulthood and was supported by her mother’s Pelton music school’s proceeds for ages. All the while, encouraged by her mother, Agnes pursued her art, stateside and abroad, achieving some small degrees of success and recognition. It’s an interesting life for the sheer fact that it spans decades and covers the social scene and various luminaries of the artistic world of the times. And then, much like the more famous Georgia ‘Keefe, the desert. Very enjoyable from a historical fiction perspective. But…here comes the but…for all its lovely language and real life events and people, it’s much too mild of a read to be genuinely exciting. Much like its protagonist, the book is pleasant, but tepid. Maybe art alone isn’t enough to sustain it as it seems to do Agnes. Maybe she’s just too mild and meek of a character. I’m not sure, but after a while the book was kind of dragging its artistically lovely feet. Something about the pace, not quite slow per se, more like languorous. Certainly consistent with the time and general mood, but not ideal for audience engagement. And no, I’m not saying it needed to have a passionate love affair or two to spice things up, but maybe something…something more. It was interesting for what it was, something that inspires like, but not love. Emotionally aloof, much like its subject, but worth a read, especially for fans of (art related) historical fiction. So of course after reading the book I checked out Pelton’s art and actually it’s pretty good, I like abstractions and the use of colors. I don’t think knowing the story behind the art helps in the appreciation of it, per se, it stands very much on its own. Not the best thing ever, not like Pelton’s inspiration Kandinsky, but quite good it its own right. That was an interesting discovery. Thanks Netgalley.

[C.P. Lesley]

Like the better-known and perhaps luckier Georgia O’Keeffe, the American painter Agnes Pelton also found her unique vision in the western desert. Pelton and O’Keeffe took art classes from the same teacher and had parallel careers in several ways, yet Pelton is relatively unknown despite a number of major exhibitions during her lifetime and one traveling the United States even as this interview airs.

But Pelton’s time in the California desert is only a small part of the captivating story traced in The Pelton Papers. Born in Germany, where her ex-pat parents connected while escaping family scandals and tragedies, Pelton came to New York at the age of seven. A sickly girl in a dark and brooding house, she survived her childhood with a deeply religious grandmother, an absent father, a strong-minded mother who supported the family by giving music lessons, and no social life to speak of by losing herself in colors and paint. That set her on a path that led, through training in modernism and more traditional instruction in Italy, to a deeply spiritual, intensely personal understanding of her own artistic mission. In this beautifully written novel, Mari Coates—whose own family had a long and productive friendship with Pelton—draws on stories she heard growing up and numerous other sources to portray an emotionally complex, sometimes troubled, but always gifted heroine whose resilience and eventual triumph will warm your heart.

Interview with the author at New Books in Historical Fiction.

[MARK EISMAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mesmerizing portrait of an artist as painted by a literary artist. Pelton’s paintings and life emerge from this novel in glorious detail and vivid colors. An inspiring and poetic novel about an introvert’s struggle to find her place in the world. Delicate and heartfelt.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having just seen a show of the theosophical artists (or transcendental) at the Philbrook museum which included paintings by Agnes Pelton I was anxious to read this novel. Cates draws a very fine picture of the artist’s life, from being constricted by her grandmother’s very public affair with Henry Ward Beecher, to becoming an artist during a time when women weren’t thought of as true painters. Agnes was also held back by her never realized sexuality.

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, tediously told.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agnes Pelton was an American artist who was a modernist painter who acheived some notoriety in New York art circles prior to WWI. Her family history was a bit interesting and downright scandalous for the times but Agnes herself never did anything overtly out of line. She never married and the book leaves one with the impression she was a lesbian but too afraid to act upon her feelings.

Agnes was born in Germany to American parents and they all moved back to the States when she was still a child. Her parent’s marriage was a complicated one and her father was not part of her life for long. She was also sickly as a child. She did show promise as a young artist and she was sent to the Pratt Institute where her art education started.

This is a hard book to really describe. It’s not going to be for everyone. I would say an interest in art/art history is going to be helpful as so much of the narrative revolves around art, artists and art movements. I will admit that modern art is probably my least favorite art of any yet I still did find this book interesting. Being totally unfamiliar with Ms. Pelton I found it very helpful to have my phone or laptop handy so I could look up her works as they were described in the book to see what they looked like.

It’s an evenly paced, calm, well researched tale about an interesting woman. I always enjoy learning about new people from history and I have to admit that I have researching Ms. Pelton’s works since I finished the book. Despite not generally caring for abstract/modern art I have found myself quite intrigued by several of her pieces. She was also quite an accomplished portraitist as well.

The thing I found a bit disconcerting in the book was how Agnes’s story was told through history, history was often not included. The Depression was hardly mentioned at all and I found that rather shocking. From reading the book it hardling impacted Agnes’s life beyond an art show not having good attendence. I would expect that it had more effect on her life. But I suppose the focus of this author was on Agnes and Agnes alone.

I found it to be a nice diversion from my regular reading adventures. If you love art or are even interested in art give this book a try. If nothing else, give the works of Agnes Pelton a look. They will grow on you.

3.5

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lyrical narrative biography or fictionalized account of the life of Agnes Pelton. Grounded in place, Coates takes us through her life, relationships, and artistic growth. She finds a spiritual home in the California desert, and creates hundreds of landscapes for money when she wanted to do abstracts. Those spiritual, transcendental abstracts are luminous and did bring her some fame. WWW2 dampened sales during her lifetime; and, she speculates, her decision not to live in NYC, in the center of the art world.

Craft note: This is an interesting use of first person for biographical fiction. It reads like a memoir, as if Pelton wrote it. Coates did use fragments of Pelton's actual letters/journals in a few places.

(Side note: I read this because my husband loves her art.)

[Kathy Page]

As a visual artist, I was delighted at the author's articulate descriptions of the art-making process as well as her ability to evoke the life of an artist in the early 20th Century and to describe the actual works that Agnes Pelton painted. The period detail was just right, setting me firmly in the story without weighing down the narrative. I came to genuinely care about Agnes Pelton, both as the central character of this work of fiction and the real, complex human being that she was. Now, my goal is to see her work in person!

[Mary Higgins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book. It’s the author’s imagining of the life of Agnes Pelton, an American artist of the early twentieth century. Pelton’s work is modern, with much spiritual imagery. She led a rather quiet life, sometimes in seclusion, so don’t read this book if you are looking for an exciting adventure story where you can’t stop turning the pages. This book is more cerebral than that; it’s the author’s attempt to understand the artist’s inner life and the spiritual origin of her works. A quiet and beautifully written book.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more I think about this book, the more I like it. I wouldn’t say it was compelling, but it was certainly a very appealing historical fiction. I particularly enjoyed learning about Agnes Pelton and her art through the eyes of the author. I was constantly searching for images of her work; that truly fun. The descriptions of the art and the creative process were most delightful. The life-story of Agnes was interesting, picturesquely revealing the setting, the people and cultural mores of the times as they intermingled with the artist’s life. I’m almost talking myself into 5 stars.

[Margot Livesey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pelton Papers recreates in vivid detail the life and the work of the American modernist painter Agnes Pelton. Coates is a wonderfully graceful writer and from the opening pages, with the heartfelt scenes of Pelton's childhood, I felt the utmost confidence that the narrative would carry me along. Turning these pages I gradually realised that Pelton is on a journey of the soul and we, her lucky readers, are privileged to accompany her on that journey of darkness and radiance.

[Janeane Bowlware · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a perfectly pleasant book. If you need a "palate cleanser" I would recommend it. It's a nice look at an artist I'd never heard of who had a pretty unremarkable career. But her life is interesting - maybe not intensely so - but still was nice to read about. While she encounters some major set-backs, they aren't presented as earth shattering, which made this book a good read for me when I wasn't interested in reading anything heavy or dramatic.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book very much due to my interest in women’s art history. However, for those not as interested in art, I could see how the lack of a strong guiding plot would make it a slow read. And I felt like the author shied away from addressing Pelton’s love life. She had romantic crushes on women and lived in a bohemian milieu among lesbians and queers but the author wants us to believe she never acted on her sexuality.

[Kelly Gladney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book very much, especially since I had never heard of Agnes Pelton so I was introduced to an artist that I now admire. She was such an interesting woman who was ahead of her time in many ways. I'm assuming the writer pieced together her story from letters and diaries and accounts from close friends and family. Seemed very real and took us on an interesting journey through her life. I'll be exploring more of the artist's work thanks to this novel.

[Olga Zilberbourg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imaginatively written, with a very strong voice, this book gets truer to Agnes's voice than any biography possibly can. It's a product of deep research and thinking about the subject, and drafting and rewriting to get every word right. In addition to telling Agnes's story itself, this book is of interest to any artist or writer, a personal manual on how to build an independent artistic practice and live a life that prioritizes the art.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The challenge for an author writing about an artist is that some readers might have the expectation of a book that is a work of art. This author is one of the few who is up to the challenge. The book is beautifully written and the modern American artist, Agnes Pelton, is vividly brought to life.

[Jean Richmond · Rating 3 out of 5]

So the book is based on the life of American painter Agnes Pelton. Her story is interesting enough. And while it is made clear it was fiction, there just wasn’t enough of a plot for me. And that she went through her entire life without one single love affair was a bit odd. The language reads like poetry in sections, which I loved, but wasn’t really enough to make the book interesting

[Margot · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Great story about abstract artist Agnes Pelton, whom I had never heard of. Loved the simple, straightforward story telling filled with gorgeous descriptions of nature and art. It’s not a page turner which I liked considering the frantic times we are living in.

[Susan B. barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book, so descriptive especially when Agnes is in Florence. You feel like you are there with her.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love her work
The book was uneven
But still i enjoyed learning a bit more about this fascinating artist.

[natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off promising but became a slog.

[Lynne K. Dombrowski]

Beautifully written novel about a real female artist in the early 20th century. Really enjoyed the journey of her life, I couldn't put it down.

[Sandy Bielenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read on an American woman artist. I hadn’t heard of her or seen her brilliant works before this.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at a previously unknown to me artist

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Naive-ish tone but I loved it!! More historical fiction about female abstract artists please !

[Carolyn Lee Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, compelling inner and outer life of a woman artist in NYC, Santa Fe, and Southern California desert in the early 20th century. So well written; so much to relate to in present time.

[Denise O'Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book from #GalleyMatch we received for our book club. I enjoyed this historical fiction piece about Agnes Pelton. I appreciated learning about her life, and art. I had never heard of her, or seen any of her art. I found it made me "thirst" for more of her, and lead me to further research. I love a book that does that for me. She had what I imagine to be a typical artist's life. Sometimes secluded, yet interactive with mentors as they entered her life. I could visualize her and her surroundings, feel her feelings and I love when a book does that for me. In viewing her art online, I believe her to be "ahead of her time." Kandinsky is an artist I admire, and the fact that she did also, endeared Agnes to me. What a life of adventure she had; yet I heard so much sadness in her story. I am thankful to have been sent this book to read. If you love art, historical fiction and learning about a different time in history, I recommend reading The Pelton Papers.

[Robin Tuthill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story of a painter in the early 1900s swept me away with the tender descriptions of the soul of a spiritually driven painter who determinedly makes her own way in a world she doesn't feel she fits.

[Susan Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good read about a fairly unknown artist. I enjoyed her descriptions and the colors and what all she went through during her life trying to make a living as an artist. But I did find a monotonous sometimes. Still I would recommend it.