Queen of the Owls

Literary fiction at its best.I was drawn in to this gorgeous written novel of a woman a renown photographer his nude photos of her their involvement.The reality of being a muse.Characters so well drawn an author I will be following.#netgalley#shewritespress

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I enjoyed this story very much and felt like I knew each character personally due to the description of them. I enjoyed the storyline. This is not my usual genre but in this instance I am extremely pleased and grateful for opening up my mind to something totally different. Thanks again.

This book was hard to put down. I devoured it in two sittings. The story was so captivating it made you not want it to end. I love it!

This is a beautifully written novel full of intelligence and art as well as one woman’s longing for deep connection. I found the background information about Georgia O’Keefe absolutely fascinating.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoy books that take me somewhere I would never have gone or to experience something I never would have unless I had read the book. This book took me into the world of an artist I had never heard of through the main character, Elizabeth. I learned so much about Georgia O'Keeffe and a world of art I had never experienced. I had never considered looking past what was in front of me to see what was beyond the image. This caused me to look up just who this artist was and find out more of what she was about. Why she painted the way she did and ultimately became a model for Alfred Stieglitz in the poses she was in. I felt she was very ahead of her times in what she did. Art was an expression of who she was. In her own works and the works of Stieglitz. One of her quotes:
“I often painted fragments of things because it seemed to make my statement as well as or better than the whole could.” All of these components are adeptly written throughout the pages of this book as to who Georgia O'Keeffe was. The characters in the book complimented this very well.

Elizabeth is writing her dissertation around the famous artist Georgia O'Keefee and how her artwork transitioned throughout her life. A part of that was how O'Keeffe's relationship with Stieglitz developed and she became the subject of his art medium of photography. Elizabeth's life has become a ho-hum, day in, day out humdrum of an existence. She's lost who she is in all the everyday motions of being a wife, mother, sister, student and student teacher. All the other couples she knows have loving relationships and hers is nothing close. Ben and her go "through the motions" but have no romantic or intimate feelings for one another. Elizabeth is the "intelligent" one between her and her sister, Andrea and starts to wonder who "she" really is. "The same Liz, because people didn't change-until they did." She decides to enroll in a Tai Chi class and in enters photographer Richard...and an attraction she never expects. Where does this take Elizabeth in her self searching? This story took me into a thought provoking and complex search with Elizabeth. In a way it was life imitating art. What can happen in a search for self? Well, this story was one of unexpected results. I felt for Elizabeth. The choices she made were so out of character but in the end were they the right ones? Would Elizabeth ultimately find out who she was meant to be?

This story is intimate and deep. It's one that challenged my thinking and how far would I be willing to go if I felt "unseen" or "unknown" for who I am. How self expression through art is more than just images on canvas or prints. I thought about the title and why Ms. Probst chose "The Queen of the Owls". I know what I concluded but each reader needs to discover that on their own, I believe. The story within this story is an in-depth look at who Georgia O'Keeffe was, what she could have been thinking and feeling and why she chose the subjects of her artwork at the points in her life that she did. Another of her quotes: “I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I've never let it keep me from doing a single thing that I wanted to do.”

I want to thank Barbara Linn Probst for the advance copy of her debut novel. It's one that really made me think but also gave me a new appreciation of what it means to be true to yourself and all the multiple parts that make you the person you are meant to be.
All thoughts and opinions in this review are my heartfelt own.

Elizabeth is a student writing her dissertation on Georgia O'Keefe. She becomes consumed with her Thesis and the nude photos of O'Keefe. She meets a photographer in her Tai Chi class and her actions will redefine her current existence as mother, wife, sister, teacher and student. Is she brave or reckless? The writing brings O'Keefe' s paintings to life for the reader. The scenes with her children are especially sweet. Thought provoking all around.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

Barbara Linn Probst’s debut novel, Queen of the Owls, is stunning: gorgeous prose highlighting a book about creativity, seeing and being seen. As a former photographer and artist, this book has everything needed to intrigue me: Georgia O’Keeffe, Alfred Steiglitz, painting, photography, art history, feminism, and the price a woman pays to be creative, to be all she was meant to be, to be seen as herself—not merely in the male gaze or a reflection of a man.

Elizabeth is an Art History Ph.D. candidate stuck in the rut of a marriage that never should have been. Her dissertation is on O’Keeffe’s time in Hawaii. Her feelings are chiseled open by an unusual relationship with a photographer, Richard Ferris. Together, they explore the seen and unseen, the whole and the fragment. With Ferris, she feels safe enough to reveal her innermost desires as they reproduce the photographs in which O’Keeffe posed for Steiglitz. When Ferris exhibits those photographs—without her permission—Elizabeth’s position at the university, her personal and professional reputations, and her very marriage are at risk. Despite the precariousness of her life at the moment, Elizabeth realizes that she is authentic, a fully-dimensional person. She stands at this rift in her life and must decide whether to leap across the void or to retreat.

This is an intimate, yet psychologically deep look at one woman’s attempts to balance love, life, children, and career—and above all, to liberate herself from the limits of her own expectations and to evolve.

A complicated, well-researched story, this book held my attention all the way through. A contemporary look at the works of Georgia O'Keefe, the artist most well-known for her sensual depiction of flowers and for her eccentric life. Our protagonist, Elizabeth, references O'Keefe throughout this book as she goes through the process of writing her dissertation on how the artist's Hawaii paintings, and her marriage to Stieglitz, affected her later work. During the course of Elizabeth's research, she takes a look at her own life and starts comparing herself to O'Keefe. She realizes she's not really happy and thinks she knows what to do to to improve that situation as the opportunity presents itself to find herself again. Elizabeth's story kept me engaged throughout. I appreciated seeing Georgia O'Keefe's story in a different light than I ever had before as it ran parallel to Elizabeth's search for fulfillment. The author, Barbara Linn Probst, has deftly woven the two tales together while adding a strong dash of Steiglitz' photographs of his wife sprinkled in. I so appreciated the level of research that went into writing this book. So much so that I found myself googling some of the works that were referenced so that I could visually see what Elizabeth saw as she found her way through her research. This was a fascinating book, one that I not only enjoyed for it's story, but that I learned from as well. Thank you Netgalley and She Writes Press for the advance reader's copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. I'll remember this one for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Elizabeth has always been "the smart one." So much so, that she's built her entire life around it. Now, as a doctorate student working on her dissertation about Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings, she is discovering that what she really wants is to just be herself.

I loved the parallels between Elizabeth and Georgia. While Elizabeth wasn't always the most likeable, she was always relatable, and I loved that. As a reader, I could really feel Liz's yearning to be seen, not just as the smart one, but as a woman. It's a novel about discovering femininity and what it means to be a woman, and it's a struggle that most women go through. One of the best books I've read so far this year!

An ARC of this novel was sent to me by NetGalley for reviewing purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I found the book beautifully written- it was extremely realistic, and it felt like that the author is writing from their own experiences. I would recommend reading this book!

Barbara Linn Probst, Author of "Queen of the Owls" has written an intriguing and enthralling novel. I especially appreciate Barbara Linn Probst's observations of the Art of painting and photography and symbolic meaning. The Genres for this novel are Literary Fiction and Dramatic Fiction. The story takes place in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters and events.

Elizabeth, is a wife, doctoral student, teacher, and mother of two young children. Her dissertation is on the life of artist Georgia O'Keefe, and the period of her life when she was in Hawaii and her paintings. Elizabeth becomes very conscious of other married couples' affections, and her husband's lack of affection. At the same time, Elizabeth becomes obsessed with Georgia O'Keefe's relationship with a photographer, who used her pictures to express her feelings. The photographer also has an idea of how to utilize this idea. 

Coincidentally, Elizabeth meets a photographer who seems to get her feelings of Georgia O'Keefe and takes pictures of Elizabeth in the same poses that Georgia O'Keefe had done. Elizabeth is so intent on her expressing herself, she doesn't realize that they will be shown in public. How will she handle showing her private feelings?

Elizabeth is a teacher and talks about women and art. She never realizes that her students will see her pose. What will she risk and gain by doing this?

I appreciate that the author discusses the importance of a  woman's role in society, and the importance of family, friends, and colleagues. This is a thought-provoking novel that connects, art and media with emotions. It is a story of sisters, love, hope and making choices. I would highly recommend this unique novel.

Unlike anything else I've read; a novel I wish I'd had thirty years ago, though I'm not sure I would have understood it. A story of relationships, viewed through the lens of Lizzie. As much as the book covers relationships with her children, her husband, her sister, her students, it is even more about her relationship with herself, and her own body. As I read, I anticipated the story line falling into the expected, but it didn't. That aspect alone, waiting for the aha! of catching the author falling into the expected, may have affected the way I read and appreciated the book, and I can see a re-read needed in the near future, which will probably up my rating.

Bonus, for me, is the way the life and art of Georgia O'Keefe is woven throughout. O'Keefe's work has affected at least one of my relationships, as well.

Thank you to Netgalley and She Writes Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. Queen of the Owls was a surprise. All the way through, I wondered what genre it would fall under. When I finished, I decided it was self-discovery which I'm not generally a fan of. However, I was quite moved by this book. The author, using the relationship of Georgia O'Keefe and Alfred Steiglitz, explores a number of relationships in the book. The central character being Elizabeth who is writing her PhD dissertation on a part of O'Keefe's life.
She goes through all the phases of transformation, albeit a bit fast, but it felt realistic. It is a brave book and it left me thoughtful and reflective.

This is a beautifully written and impressive debut novel, rich and multi-layered. It's about a doctoral student and teacher named Elizabeth, an intelligent, driven, complex woman who is at a crossroads in her life as she balances the demands of her profession with those of being a wife, mother, and woman. She embarks on a somewhat unintended journey of self-discovery as the consequences of certain actions spiral out of control and force her to recreate and redefine herself, at first against her will, but ultimately in a way that fits. Although the plot was intriguing and definitely kept my attention, what set this book apart for me was the well-researched scholarly material on Georgia O'Keeffe, as aspects of the artist's life and Elizabeth's mirrored each other. The accessibly written non-fiction material interspersed throughout piqued my interest in O'Keeffe and her art and sent me to research further certain aspects of her life and to seek out her paintings, Steiglitz's photographs of her, and the work of other artists mentioned. Many of the books I read blend together in my mind, but this one was original enough that I will remember it and reflect back on it often. I very much look forward to reading Barbara Linn Probst's future work. Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an e-ARC of Queen of the Owls.

This book is both exquisite and devastating. It poses a question most women might ask themselves: how far will you go to be seen?

It is beautifully written, reflecting with honesty the flaws we assign to ourselves.

This book is not about Georgia O'Keefe, yet I gobbled up every reference. It's not academic, yet I enjoyed lurking in the background of the politics that are just as prevalent in education as they are in business or government.

Any woman who has ever wondered what they would be willing to do to be wholly seen needs to read this book.

I love books that make you think about things you normally wouldnt or give you a different perspective on things, and this one definitely did just that..My parents had an O'Keefe painting in our home growing up and this book made me think more about art in general.