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A gripping, inspiring novel based on the true story of Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law (Light & Life Series)
by Marta Molnar
When Hollywood auctioneer Emsley Wilson finds her famous grandmother's diary while cleaning out her New York brownstone, the pages are full of surprises.
The first surprise is, the diary isn't her grandmother's. It belongs to Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law.
Johanna inherited Vincent van Gogh's paintings. They were all she had, and they weren't worth anything. She was a 28 year old widow with a baby in the 1800s, without any means of supporting herself, living in Paris where she barely spoke the language. Yet she managed to introduce Vincent's legacy to the world.
The inspiration couldn't come at a better time for Emsley. With her business failing, an unexpected love turning up in her life, and family secrets unraveling, can she find answers in the past?
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (5/21/2026)
...ery element definitely propel the stories forward. I'm about 75% through. I've had another historical fiction that centers on Jo Van Gogh on my TBR - The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Marta Molnar, published in 2022. I'm wondering if it will stand up to this forthcoming book by Piazza. All in all, it is good to know that Jo Van Gogh's importanc...
-Diane_Jones
What is your book club reading in 2025?
...George Eliot The Women by Kristin Hannah Sorrowful Mysteries by Stephen Harrigan Orbital by Samantha Harvey The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Marta Molnar & Dana Marton The God of the Woods by Liz Moore The Bee Sting by Paul Murray Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strou...
-Anne_Glasgow
"This book draws all the emotions out of you. I went from tears to snorting with laughter. It was both lighthearted and heart breaking, yet it inspires me to live my best life! " ―Michelle Cox
"This book was so much more than I had expected, and I had high expectations... one of the most beautiful stories I've read in years." ―Kaela Stokes
This information about The Secret Life Of Sunflowers was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Marta Molnar is the bestselling author of The Secret Life Of Sunflowers, Girl Braiding Her Hair, and Raising The Titanic. She is an art history enthusiast and a self-taught artist whose passion is writing about amazing women...
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