The Gallery of Vanished Husbands

At thirty a woman has a directness in her eye. Juliet Montague did anyhow. She knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted to buy a refrigerator.

But in a rash moment, Juliet commissions a portrait of herself instead. She has been closeted by her conservative Jewish community for too long, ever since her husband disappeared. Now she is ready to be seen.

So begins the journey of a suburban wife and mother into the heart of '60s London and its thriving art world, where she proves an astute spotter of talent. Yet she remains an outsider: drawn to a reclusive artist who never leaves Dorset and unable to feel free until she has tracked down her husband - a quest that leads to California and a startling discovery.

“'Utterly charming and very funny'”

Natasha Solomons typically binds her themes with her gift as a storyteller. Many times I had to stop and gasp for air at some incredible revelation. But mostly this is a portrait of a woman. Solomons doesn't tell us Juliet is beautiful, but you know she is from the way her head and heart behave and the way the men in her orbit adore her. - Sydney Morning Herald

This charming, mesmerising story is ultimately about the triumph of the human spirit, not the caging of it . . . Solomons has created a warm, luscious read that brims with passion and skilfully evokes a bygone era when only married women could be prescribed the Pill, when the sexual revolution was just beginning and when children were cheerfully given cherry brandy as a "sleeping draught". It is a beautifully written tale about a woman who was left socially dead but rose again by seizing life. - The Times

Captivates you with its charm, quirkiness and old-fashioned storytelling - Daily Mail

Solomons creates in Juliet a detailed character portrait of a woman who exhibits strength and poise under less than ideal conditions. Each chapter tells the story of one of Juliet's paintings and of important events in her life, and readers will respond to the realistic and beautifully flawed characteristics assigned to her. - Library Journal

The Gallery of Vanished Husbands is a colourful and captivating tale of a woman shedding her skin. - Stylist

The loose and liberated art world of the 1960s in the setting for The Gallery of Vanished Husbands, a charming tale by Natasha Solomons. After having her portrait painted, a newly abandoned wife breaks free from her uptight upbringing to find a new love and life. - Good Housekeeping

Natasha Solomons is the author of the internationally bestselling Mr Rosenblum's List, The Novel in the Viola, which was chosen for the Richard & Judy Book Club, and The Gallery of Vanished Husbands. Natasha lives in Dorset with her son and her husband with whom she also writes screenplays. Her novels have been translated into 17 languages.

At thirty a woman has a directness in her eye. Juliet Montague did anyhow. She knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted to buy a refrigerator. But in a rash moment, Juliet commissions a portrait of herself instead. She has been closeted by her conservative Jewish community for too long, ever since her husband disappeared. Now she is ready to be seen.So begins the journey of a suburban wife and mother into the heart of '60s London and its thriving art world, where she proves an astute spotter of talent. Yet she remains an outsider: drawn to a reclusive artist who never leaves Dorset and unable to feel free until she has tracked down her husband - a quest that leads to California and a startling discovery.

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