“The descriptions of the artist at work are so intense that readers will almost smell the paint… Set in London and Paris, Waters-Sayer’s debut novel is filled with lush settings, sensuous details, and poignant events. Readers will be wholly involved with Kat’s heartbreaking dilemma.” Booklist
“What sets this novel above is how well it's written, without pretense or bad psychology, and its realistic portrayal of how much damage an affair can wreak. Waters-Sayer is able to convey both the mad pleasure of such passion and the cruel wounds it inflicts upon the guilty and innocent alike. Reading it makes for a fine guilty pleasure.” Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Picture perfect." Toronto Star
"An elegant debut. With keen sensitivity and insight, Mary Waters-Sayer explores the shifting landscape between love and betrayal; nostalgia and regret; the desire to keep secrets, and the longing to be seen." Jennifer duBois, Whiting Award-winning author of Cartwheel and A Partial History of Lost Causes.
"Beautifully written, bringing Paris and London both to life, this novel is a study of the nature of love and art, and what happens when the two collide." Shelf Awareness
"The Blue Bath is remarkable for its ability to capture the moment." The Almanac
"Midsummer is prime time for curling up with a good book." San Jose Mercury News
"I couldn't put it down. I was trying to read it during every second of free time I had. Vivid imagery brings the story alive for the reader, the words are strung together in an almost lyrical prose that surrounds the reader with beauty. A must read! Rebecca Book Review
"Every once in a great while I find an author whose words are like expensive chocolate. I don't want to devour them, rather I want to read them slowly, taking in each word that has been perfectly placed exactly in that right space -- how could a thought be expressed in any other way? Kathleen Tessaro is one of those writers. Haruki Murakami, though he writes very different books, is another. Now I've found a third." Kuratory
"Hypnotic debut." Enchanted Prose
"The artistry of the painter and of the storytelling come together to create a masterpiece." Modern Gypsy
"Beautiful... Just the right amount of darkness and deception thrown in." Luxury Reading
Featured in The Boston Globe
Featured Debut Spotlight Title on Netgalley
Featured in Binghamton University Blog
Featured in Ann Arbor District Library's Fabulous Fiction Firsts
INTERVIEWS
Cover story, The Almanac
The Light and Shadow of Young Love, Book Club Companion
