The Art of Devotion by Samantha Bruce-Benjamin

[Samantha]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Samantha Bruce-Benjamin and I am the author of The Art of Devotion, which was just released in June by Gallery Books (an imprint of Simon and Schuster). If you like books about women, then I would hope that you will enjoy this. I told this story, set on an island in the Mediterranean Sea from the turn of the century until the late 1930s, from the vantage points of four very different, very strong women. Here's a little more about it:

"The Art of Devotion is a revival of elegance and grace, reminding us of an era when all literature was lyrical, with a fluidity that makes it appear song-like. Samantha Bruce-Benjamin's debut places her in a class with some of the best literary minds, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose Gatsby was a clear sign of inspiration."—The Examiner

In the tradition of bestselling authors Ian McEwan and Anne Enright, Samantha Bruce-Benjamin’s brilliant and timeless debut unveils the dark side of human nature as four women share the poignant tale of love, obsession, and ultimate betrayal that binds them forever.

Have we all not wished to keep forever the one person we love the most?

The secluded beaches of a sun-drenched Mediterranean island are the perfect playground for young Sebastian and Adora. Emotionally adrift from their mother, Adora shelters her sensitive older brother from the cruelties of the world. Sophie does not question her children’s intense need for one another until it’s too late. Her beloved son’s affections belong to Adora, and when he drowns in the sea, she has no one else to blame.

Still heartbroken years later, Adora fills her emptiness with Genevieve, the precocious young daughter of her husband’s business associate and his jealous wife, Miranda. Thrilled to be invited into the beautiful and enigmatic Adora’s world, the child idolizes her during their summers together. Yet, as the years progress, Genevieve begins to suspect their charmed existence is nothing more than a carefully crafted illusion. Soon, she too is ensnared in a web of lies.

Stunningly told in the tragic voices of four women whose lives are fatefully entangled, The Art of Devotion is evocative and haunting, a story of deceit, jealousy, and the heartbreaking reality of love’s true power.

I used to be an editor at Random House and the BBC before I left to write this book, so I am very new to blogging and to reaching out over the internet to groups like this one. I am learning (I have to!) quite quickly, however, and I very much hope that you will like the sound of my debut and that it will strike a chord with you. I see that the lovely Ilie Ruby has already posted on this site - we were part of a discussion at Borders in NY this summer about Great Summer Reads. I highly regard her beautiful debut novel, so I do hope you will reach it for this summer, and, equally, I do hope that The Art of Devotion will appeal to all of you too.

Very best wishes,

Samantha Bruce-Benjamin

[Alma]

Hi Samantha,
Your book sounds lovely and it will be on my to-buy list when I head to the bookstore later this week. Best of luck with the launch and let us know how your launch unfolds. I, too, am an author with Gallery Books though my novel won't be out for some time--May 2011. I'd love to compare notes with you sometime!
Alma Katsu, author of "The Taker"

[Samantha]

Alma, how lovely to hear from you! I am so thrilled that you are being published by Gallery. I have heard of your book, actually. You must be so excited! I would love to chat soon!

Best wishes,

Samantha