Alchemy of a Blackbird: A Novel

(Hardback)

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Named a Best Book of 2023 by Book Riot

For fans of The Age of Light and Z comes a beguiling novel of artistic ambition, perseverance, and friendship (Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author) based on the true story of the 20th-century painters and tarot devotees Remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington.

In this unforgettable adventure, and one you dont want to miss (Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author), painter Remedios Varo and her lover, poet Benjamin Peret escape the Nazis by fleeing Paris and arriving at a safe house for artists on the Rivieria.

Along with Max Ernst, Peggy Guggenheim, and others, the two anxiously wait for exit papers.

As the months pass, Remedios begins to sense that the others dont see her as a fellow artist; they have cast her in the stifling role of a surrealist ideal: the beautiful innocent. She finds refuge in a mysterious bookshop, where she stumbles into a world of occult learning and intensifies an esoteric practice in the tarot that helps her light the bright fire of her creative genius.

When travel documents come through, Remedios and Benjamin flee to Mexico where she is reunited with friend and fellow painter Leonora Carrington. Together, the women tap into their creativity, stake their independence, and each find their true loves. But it is the tarot that enables them to access the transcendent that lies on the other side of consciousness and to become the truest Surrealists of all.

Reviews

"Each chapter in this entrancing, vivid, and lushly illuminating novel begins with a tarot card that introduces the next narrator in a scintillating cast of actual and imagined characters offering distinct perspectives on Remedios and her profoundly inspired artistic and spiritual quest."Donna Seaman, Booklist
"McMillan chronicles the artistic evolution of surrealist painter Remedios Varo in her enchanting and intricately crafted latest...This superb exploration of survival and transformation will have special appeal to those interested in art, mysticism, and womens lives."Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Full of stunning detail about historical tarot practices, the Surrealist movements treatment of women creatives, and the thriving artistic and intellectual community in postwar Mexico, McMillans novel tells of two real-life artists seeking to create despite being stifled by societal norms surrounding gender and class. McMillans inclusion of tarot-card illustrations and her pairing of characters with certain cards gives the characters further development."Library Journal, starred review
"Claire McMillan has conjuredan utterly immersive and inspiring story of the deepfriendship between Surrealist artists Remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington. Alchemy of a Blackbirdis an inventive, inspiring, and absorbing novel about the magic that happens when women follow their creative passions and cast off the rolesand the menthat have held them back."Whitney Scharer, author of The Age of Light
A dazzling kaleidoscope of surrealist voices animates this beguiling novel of artistic ambition, perseverance, and friendship. Set against the backdrop of the Second World War's great artisticexodus,Alchemy of A Blackbirdinsists on the essential role art plays in the lives of its two dynamicfemale protagonistsLenora Carrington and Remedios Varos. McMillan transports us to the magical, uncanny world of the Surrealists by deftly usingtarot--a practice vital to the art of both Carrington and Varosto shape her narrative in unexpectedly dramatic and evocative ways. I wanted to linger along the French Riviera and get a coffee in Veracruz, Mexico with her incredible ensemble cast of characters. And maybe, if I was lucky, have them offer me a tarot spread, too."Katy Hays, author of The Cloisters
"Alchemy of a Blackbirdis enigmatic, inventive, and rich with love and longing, art and magic. A story told in the captivating voices of artists and their patrons, the novel explores fascinating lives in a state of profound upheaval, making for irresistible drama as the characters travel the world in search of beauty and peace." Timothy Schaffert, author ofThe Perfume Thief
"Claire Macmillan's clever, inventive take on the historical novel tells the story of the surrealist painter Remedios Varos's journey to becoming a remarkable artist - how the friendships, twists, joys and pains of her life, when pressed together, turned her art into gold." Miranda Cowley Heller,New York Timesbestselling author ofThe Paper Palace
"A chorus of fascinating voices, including the mystical and wise voice of the tarot, guides us through this powerful and immersive novel. Claire McMillan asks the most important questions about our lives and answers them with a book about the enigmatic alchemy of art, the transformative power of friendship, the mystery of unseen guidance, and the deep wounds and healing aspects of love.Alchemy of aBlackbirdis an unforgettable adventure, and one you dont want to miss: I loved it." Patti Callahan Henry,New York Timesbestselling author ofThe Secret Book of FloraLea
"Each chapter in this entrancing, vivid, and lushly illuminating novel begins with a tarot card that introduces the next narrator in a scintillating cast of actual and imagined characters offering distinct perspectives on Remedios and her profoundly inspired artistic and spiritual quest."Donna Seaman, Booklist
"McMillan chronicles the artistic evolution of surrealist painter Remedios Varo in her enchanting and intricately crafted latest...This superb exploration of survival and transformation will have special appeal to those interested in art, mysticism, and womens lives."Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Full of stunning detail about historical tarot practices, the Surrealist movements treatment of women creatives, and the thriving artistic and intellectual community in postwar Mexico, McMillans novel tells of two real-life artists seeking to create despite being stifled by societal norms surrounding gender and class. McMillans inclusion of tarot-card illustrations and her pairing of characters with certain cards gives the characters further development."Library Journal, starred review
"Claire McMillan has conjuredan utterly immersive and inspiring story of the deepfriendship between Surrealist artists Remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington. Alchemy of a Blackbirdis an inventive, inspiring, and absorbing novel about the magic that happens when women follow their creative passions and cast off the rolesand the menthat have held them back."Whitney Scharer, author of The Age of Light
A dazzling kaleidoscope of surrealist voices animates this beguiling novel of artistic ambition, perseverance, and friendship. Set against the backdrop of the Second World War's great artisticexodus,Alchemy of A Blackbirdinsists on the essential role art plays in the lives of its two dynamicfemale protagonistsLenora Carrington and Remedios Varos. McMillan transports us to the magical, uncanny world of the Surrealists by deftly usingtarot--a practice vital to the art of both Carrington and Varosto shape her narrative in unexpectedly dramatic and evocative ways. I wanted to linger along the French Riviera and get a coffee in Veracruz, Mexico with her incredible ensemble cast of characters. And maybe, if I was lucky, have them offer me a tarot spread, too."Katy Hays, author of The Cloisters
"Alchemy of a Blackbirdis enigmatic, inventive, and rich with love and longing, art and magic. A story told in the captivating voices of artists and their patrons, the novel explores fascinating lives in a state of profound upheaval, making for irresistible drama as the characters travel the world in search of beauty and peace." Timothy Schaffert, author ofThe Perfume Thief
"Claire Macmillan's clever, inventive take on the historical novel tells the story of the surrealist painter Remedios Varos's journey to becoming a remarkable artist - how the friendships, twists, joys and pains of her life, when pressed together, turned her art into gold." Miranda Cowley Heller,New York Timesbestselling author ofThe Paper Palace
"A chorus of fascinating voices, including the mystical and wise voice of the tarot, guides us through this powerful and immersive novel. Claire McMillan asks the most important questions about our lives and answers them with a book about the enigmatic alchemy of art, the transformative power of friendship, the mystery of unseen guidance, and the deep wounds and healing aspects of love.Alchemy of aBlackbirdis an unforgettable adventure, and one you dont want to miss: I loved it." Patti Callahan Henry,New York Timesbestselling author ofThe Secret Book of FloraLea

Author Bio

Claire McMillan is the author ofAlchemy of a Blackbird, Gilded Age,andThe Necklace. She was the 20172018 Cuyahoga County Writer-in-Residence and currently serves as a member of the board of trustees of The Mount, Edith Whartons home in Lenox, Massachusetts. She practiced law until 2003 and then received her MFA in creative writing from Bennington College. She grew up in Pasadena, California, and now lives on her husbands family farm outside of Cleveland, Ohio, with their two children.