By 
Seth Panitch, the Author of “Antigue” has written a captivating, unique, and astonishing novel. The Genres for this bewitching novel are: Magical Realism, Fantasy, Fiction, Women’s Divorce Fiction, and Women’s Life Fiction, Mystery and Suspense. The author vividly describes the landscapes, the antique and creative objects, and the dramatic and colorful characters. The characters are complex, complicated, creative, talented, quirky, artistic, and each character has their goals and problems. The author writes about antique appraisers, and also mentions Road Shows, where people show their antiques to see if they are worth anything. Some questions that I ponder as I read this book: Do you believe in magic? Do you believe a physical item is magical, or a person has magic in themselves?
The female protagonist, Grace Schaeffer is searching for the meaning in her life. She is a divorced, well-know antique appraiser that used to work on Antiques Roadshow. Somehow she feels the need to find herself and her mission in life. Grace discovers an antique necklace, that has weathered many seasons, but the lapis in the center gets cool and hot. Grace starts working in small Roadshows, and does appraisals for antiques, jewelry and Art. Somehow while wearing the necklace, Grace has strong feelings about the appraisals of certain things, and puts them at a higher price. She is so enthralled, that other appraisers think she has overstepped. She gets both positive and negative feedback on the worth of the items. It seems that Grace could be headed in a dangerous or questionable position.
An old painting is at question, as Grace is convinced is is quite exceptional and valuable. She is convinced a certain Impressionist Artist created this. This puts her at odds with her ex-husband, Vic, who is and expert at appraising as well. Grace has to learn the hardest appraisal of all, the value of herself. I appreciate how the author shows the love and appreciation for artistic creations. The author also discusses the importance of self-worth, family, friends, community, love , hope and magic. I highly recommend this magical book.
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