“...quietly moving...”️—The New York Times Book Review
"Coates’ first novel, a remarkable imagining of modernist artist Agnes Pelton’s life, with layered focus on her personal and professional growth in New York and the Southwest, is an intriguing combination of historical fiction and biography....deeply moving....A meditative and memorable story of one artist's complex journey."—Booklist
"Coates’s stirring debut imagines the life of painter Agnes Pelton....[and] brilliantly captures the creative eye of an unassuming, uniquely talented artist."—Publishers Weekly
“Coates’ thoroughly researched novel…succeeds beautifully at recreating the emotional life of this once-obscure artist, whose legacy has lately become the subject of renewed interest….The author also describes the artist’s unique spiritual journey and the inspiration for her later, abstract works in vivid prose that’s worthy of the artist. An in-depth, highly personal portrait of a remarkable talent.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“In The Pelton Papers the wonderfully gifted Mari Coates recreates in gorgeous detail both Agnes Pelton’s work and the life that led to that work. Reading these mesmerizing pages, I felt that I understood all over again the hardships and the joy of making art. From first to last Pelton is on a journey of the soul and we, her lucky readers, are privileged to accompany her on that journey of darkness and radiance. A truly marvelous debut.”—Margot Livesey, author of Mercury and The Flight of Gemma Hardy
Bronze Winner, Independent Publisher Book Award in Historical Fiction
This Book of the Month and discussion guide are shared and sponsored in partnership with Caitlin Hamilton Marketing.