A Sneak Peek at Author Mary Martin's book, The Fate of Pryde: second in the Trilogy of Remembrance.

I was giddy with excitement when Mary Martin contacted me to ask if I would review her latest book before it goes to print, The Fate of Pryde, book two in The Trilogy of Remembrance. "Of course, I would be thrilled!" Was my immediate response. As a reviewer it has been an honor to read and remark on Mary's work.

I was first introduced to Mary Martin's writing when I interviewed her for a Writers In The Sky Podcast about The Drawing Lesson which was book one in this series.  Mary's work is superb and she gave me one of the most enjoyable interview experiences I have had. That interview aired on 8/27/10.  Since that time, Mary has become one of my favorite authors.   

Mary E. Martin  is the author of two trilogies The Osgoode Trilogy set in the corridors of power in the world of the law, and The Trilogy of Remembrance set midst the glitter and shadows of the art world.

The Fate of Pryde more than lives up to its predecessor in The Trilogy of Remembrance. If you are a lover of words, ideas, and beauty; if you enjoy concepts and abstraction; if you, like me, want a book that will make you pause and look up, caught by some nuance of thought-seed carefully planted by the author, you will appreciate The Trilogy of Remembrance.

The Fate of Pryde will first be available on Create Space in the early fall and later through Smashwords; which gives you plenty of time to read part one, The Drawing Lesson. 

Now, on to my review . . .

The Fate of Pryde: The Trilogy of Remembrance,
by Mary Martin

Series: Trilogy of Remembrance
Paperback: 334 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (November 8, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1466263814
ISBN-13: 978-1466263819

With incredible depth of empathy, Mary Martin once again captivates our imaginations and transports us into the heart of artistry. In The Fate of Pryde, part two of The Trilogy of Remembrance, we return to the art world of Alexander Wainwright. Flushed with the success of his recent artistic breakthrough in The Drawing Lesson, Alex finds himself courted and commissioned to create a piece of stained glass for wealthy philanthropist, Jonathan Pryde.

Pryde is a man of immense wealth and power in the art world. Artists, museum boards, and critics alike bend before him. Pryde is a collector and a connoisseur of the artistic vision and Alex’s unique visionary gifts have caught his fascination. Pryde pursues Alex, challenging him both on a personal and a professional level. The further Alex moves into Pryde’s world the more the reader comes to realize that Pryde is dangerously fixated on the source of creative vision, Alex’s vision. Pryde’s desire to understand and to be understood by Alex becomes both a blessing and a source of danger to the artist. There is something not quite right about Jonathan Pryde, but Alex finds himself curiously drawn deeper into the man’s world. What they learn from each other and what they discover about artistic vision is the mystery that surrounds The Fate of Pryde.

Martin understands the healing potential of creativity and art. In The Fate of Pryde she explores the dichotomy of light and darkness and the power of creativity to both reveal and heal what hides within the soul of man. Martin uses the power of creativity as both an antagonistic force, to torment the mind and as a balm for the exploration and healing of her characters. Alex and Pryde both worship at the altar of artistic vision; Alex with open curiosity as a witness to life’s fullness, and Pryde with tormented longing and obsessive desire. Both men are driven forward by their hunger for creative vision. They each struggle in their own way to find a balancing place, one basking in the revelatory healing light vision brings, and the other seeking vision for absolution and redemption. What one man knows the other has yet to discover.

The artistic vision which infuses Mary Martin’s work is pure genius. Her story adeptly illuminates aspects of the human psyche and ego needs, bringing to man’s inner darkness the purifying light of awareness. The Fate of Pryde is a provocative and insightful work of art. I loved it!


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Special Amazon Download Deal! The Drawing Lesson

Author Mary Martin is a lawyer turned full time writer. Her law practice was the inspiration for the three legal suspense novels in The Osgoode Trilogy. 

Now the first book in the next trilogy has been published—The Drawing Lesson, the first in The Trilogy of Remembrance, which is set in the world of art.  Martin and her husband live in Toronto and have three adult children.  

The Drawing Lesson, the first in the Trilogy of Remembrance. 

With magical light, Alexander Wainwright, Britain’s finest landscape artist, creates stunning visions of the beyond. His painting, The Hay Wagon, wins the Turner Prize. His nemesis, Rinaldo, a conceptual artist seeks revenge. Despite his win, Alexander fears the loss of his muse. Seized with a vision, he paints ugly, misshapen, humanoid creatures on his canvas. Searching for his muse, Alex travels from London to Venice and New York, where Rinaldo awaits him to settle the score. But the real journey is within Alexander. Only by saving his tormentor not once, but twice, does he regain his artistic vision.

SPECIAL OFFER - Limited time discount.

Mary Martin's publisher has arranged for an offer with Amazon.com… a download to a Kindle for 99 cents. 

In case you missed it . . . here is my review.

Book Title: The Drawing Lesson

Author: Mary E. Martin

ISBN:  1450229360

Publisher:   iUniverse
Reviewer:  Vonnie Faroqui for WITS

The Drawing Lesson, by author Mary E. Martin stands among the best of literary fiction. She brings wisdom, grace, and beauty to the page as skillfully as the best painter to the canvas.

Alexander Wainwright has won Britain’s celebrated Turner Prize with a landscape painting of The Hay Wagon. He should be thrilled but the taunting criticism of contemporary and rival artist Rinaldo has thrown him into a soul searching spiral of self doubt. 

His beautiful landscapes, once so full of light and presence, begin to fill with creeping, shadowy figures.  These troll-like creatures deny understanding and confuse Alex's artistic vision. His muse seems to have left him.   A journey to rediscover his passion unfolds as Alex attempts to understand the creatures in his paintings.

The journey carries Alex into contact with a range of interesting characters who all struggle with personal inner demons. Alex touches each of their lives with his spirit and allows each in return to touch his own. The action of the story rises as the consequences of past choices return to entangle Alex in self doubt and recrimination, with the story reaching a climax as Rinaldo sets plans in motion to destroy Alex in a scene of public humiliation.

In the end Alex Wainwright transcends himself and his body of work by illuminating the human form with his divine vision, transfiguring on canvas both his inner and outer demons into beings of luminous spirit.

The Drawing Lesson is a deeply insightful book about life, choices, forgiveness, madness, self doubt, and creative inspiration.  Martin has an understanding of humanity, its inner turmoil, needs, and the creative urge that is both honest and compassionate.  This is a compelling and moving story to be savored on the palate like fine wine.

Check out our YouTube playlist, featuring . . . The Drawing Lesson.