Visions of Johanna
What if the great love of your life was a brilliant, restless artist, and the only thing keeping you apart was the past you could never bring yourself to share?
Spanning from the 1980s to the present day, Visions of Johanna follows the epic love story of Matthew, a writer emotionally paralyzed by his past, and Johanna, an artist whose brilliance is matched only by her intensity.
As they navigate their creative ambitions, personal struggles, and the miles between Boston and New York, their profound connection is tested.
It's a story about the devastating power of secrets and whether love is enough to save someone who doesn't believe they're worthy of being saved.
Praise for Visions of Johanna
“A gentle masterpiece!”
—Susan Cheever, author of Louisa May Alcott: A Personal Biography
“A perfect book club book . . . Detailed, wonderfully written, and thought-provoking . . . will have readers thinking long after they put the book down.”
—Kristi Elizabeth, Manhattan Book Review
“Johanna and Matt's romance is deep and intense…Sarno, an award-winning nonfiction author, literature professor, and journalist, paints an evocative portrait of New York and Boston in the '80s…The details of Matt's backstory are rich and intriguing. . . a vivid . . . love story.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Beautifully crafted with extraordinary depth, Visions of Johanna is a timeless love story, a lyrical tale about the complexities of artistic ambition, and a thought-provoking, contemporary reflection on the human condition. Peter Sarno's debut will leave you wanting for nothing more than his next novel.”
—Lisa Duffy, author of My Kind of People
“Imbued with the lyricism and dark romance of many of Dylan's most poignant compositions . . . Sarno writes eloquently about the struggles of balancing creative aspirations with personal relationships. . . He writes brilliantly on art—especially when viewed from a feminist perspective . . . Engaging, mature and compelling . . . carries great emotional weight.”
—Kent Lane, IndieReader
“A masterful job of dissecting love to its barest roots and greatest pain . . . [the novel] created flash images for me of The Way We Were and Love Story . . . But those comparisons of commercial-centric, manipulated vehicles are not fair to the literary, crafty, and intricate work Sarno provides in his narrative and in his fine writing. Maybe Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage is more apropos . . . will make readers think, it will move them deeply, and challenge their senses and comprehension.”
—Jim Alkon, BookTrib
“Filled to the brim with nostalgia, romance, and a hearty appreciation of the arts...A stellar debut.”
—Readers' Favorite
“Like the classic song that lends the novel its title, it is a slightly rambling but heartfelt and fascinating narrative about the urgency of human connection. A beautifully intimate romance that doesn't shy away from challenging topics. Great for fans of: Hazel Hayes’s Out of Love and Sara Goodman Confino’s She’s Up to No Good.”
—Publishers Weekly's BookLife