Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!
This is my weekly feature
showcasing beautiful covers!
It also provides information,
if available, on their
very talented creators!
if available, on their
very talented creators!
This week, I'm comparing
two covers for the same book!
Tiffany Blues
M.J. Rose
Hardcover, 336 pages
Atria Books
(A Division of Simon & Schuster)
August 7, 2018
Art, Historical Fiction, Mystery,
Romance
two covers for the same book!
M.J. Rose
Hardcover, 336 pages
Atria Books
(A Division of Simon & Schuster)
August 7, 2018
Art, Historical Fiction, Mystery,
Romance
My Thoughts About These Covers
Well, move over, Gollancz! This totally LOVELY cover was created at Atria Books, which is a division of Simon & Schuster. I first came across it on one of my favorite blogs -- Musings of a Bookish Kitty, created and owned by Wendy, aka "Literary Feline". You can see that post HERE. (Just scroll down a bit.)
There's a bit of a mystery regarding this cover.....Read on, and you'll see why.
On Amazon US, this cover is sold only for the audiobook. For the hardback, there's another cover, shown below. (See the link for the Audible audiobook HERE.) The cover shown above, which is for the hardback, is sold at Book Depository, which I have referenced above. The thing is, it seems that BD (it used to be known as TBD, but they've dropped the word "The" from their name) is the ONLY place you can get this cover -- on the hardback, that is. I would imagine that, when the book is released on August 7th, Barnes & Noble will also carry the one with the cover shown below.
So it looks like this is not a case of "US vs. UK covers", as Atria Books is based in NYC. Hm. Perhaps they have a UK branch? But if so, then why doesn't Amazon UK also sell the hardback with the cover shown above? Instead, they sell the one with the cover shown below. Me seemeth the plot thickens, Horatio...... Lol.
Of course you know by now which of these two covers I prefer, since I've been going on and on about the larger one. Lol. Plus, the very fact that I've chosen to make it larger than the second one is another, not-so-subtle hint that I prefer IT. I TOTALLY do!
Now, it could be argued that this second cover is very atmospheric, and thus, a perfectly fine cover, indeed. In fact, I think it looks like a 19th-century painting, in the style of the Romantic movement. However, I MUCH prefer the first cover.
What I like the most about that first cover is just how bold and upfront it is. Everything is just.....THERE. Interestingly, the very same image of the fountain with the Neoclassic statue is featured in both covers, although, in the first cover, the image has been turned so that the statue faces right, instead of left, as in the second cover. It's also been enlarged.
I love the way the young woman's profile has been rendered, and also how the fountain and trees in the background have been blended with her hair. The ripples form the lake next to the fountain are part of the image, and in the first cover, they extend below the young woman's neck. I like this, as well.
Then there's the title, which is done in a lovely, ornamented font that appropriately evokes Art Deco and the Jazz Age. This font does not really fit the second cover, with its 19th-century feel. This is yet another similarity between the two covers, but again, I don't think it works at all with the image of the second cover.
I also love the fact that, on the first cover, the same font has been used for the title and the author's name. This gives the cover a very pulled-together look that is totally lacking in the second cover.
I'm not saying that the second cover is not a nice one, because it is. However, it just doesn't pack the visual punch of the first one. Besides, it looks rather conventional, whereas the first one is, I think, more innovative.
Actually, the second cover wouldn't have been a bad choice for a classic like Jane Eyre, for instance. It just doesn't convey any feeling of the actual time period of the plot of Tiffany Blues, which takes place during the Roaring Twenties. Perhaps that was the intention of the person who designed this second cover -- a subtle reference to that great novel. However, I honestly don't think it works.
This is yet another case of not being able to find any information about either of these cover artists. The Amazon preview has not been any help at all, and I suppose that's because the book hasn't been published yet. Book Depository doesn't have this feature anyway, so I couldn't get any information through them, either......
I am very much interested in purchasing this book, precisely because it features art and artists in the plot. And, of course, when I do buy it, it will be from Book Depository, as I can't get over how BEAUTIFUL that first cover is! I'm so very grateful to Wendy for using THIS cover in her blog post!
There's a bit of a mystery regarding this cover.....Read on, and you'll see why.
On Amazon US, this cover is sold only for the audiobook. For the hardback, there's another cover, shown below. (See the link for the Audible audiobook HERE.) The cover shown above, which is for the hardback, is sold at Book Depository, which I have referenced above. The thing is, it seems that BD (it used to be known as TBD, but they've dropped the word "The" from their name) is the ONLY place you can get this cover -- on the hardback, that is. I would imagine that, when the book is released on August 7th, Barnes & Noble will also carry the one with the cover shown below.
So it looks like this is not a case of "US vs. UK covers", as Atria Books is based in NYC. Hm. Perhaps they have a UK branch? But if so, then why doesn't Amazon UK also sell the hardback with the cover shown above? Instead, they sell the one with the cover shown below. Me seemeth the plot thickens, Horatio...... Lol.
Of course you know by now which of these two covers I prefer, since I've been going on and on about the larger one. Lol. Plus, the very fact that I've chosen to make it larger than the second one is another, not-so-subtle hint that I prefer IT. I TOTALLY do!
Now, it could be argued that this second cover is very atmospheric, and thus, a perfectly fine cover, indeed. In fact, I think it looks like a 19th-century painting, in the style of the Romantic movement. However, I MUCH prefer the first cover.
What I like the most about that first cover is just how bold and upfront it is. Everything is just.....THERE. Interestingly, the very same image of the fountain with the Neoclassic statue is featured in both covers, although, in the first cover, the image has been turned so that the statue faces right, instead of left, as in the second cover. It's also been enlarged.
I love the way the young woman's profile has been rendered, and also how the fountain and trees in the background have been blended with her hair. The ripples form the lake next to the fountain are part of the image, and in the first cover, they extend below the young woman's neck. I like this, as well.
Then there's the title, which is done in a lovely, ornamented font that appropriately evokes Art Deco and the Jazz Age. This font does not really fit the second cover, with its 19th-century feel. This is yet another similarity between the two covers, but again, I don't think it works at all with the image of the second cover.
I also love the fact that, on the first cover, the same font has been used for the title and the author's name. This gives the cover a very pulled-together look that is totally lacking in the second cover.
I'm not saying that the second cover is not a nice one, because it is. However, it just doesn't pack the visual punch of the first one. Besides, it looks rather conventional, whereas the first one is, I think, more innovative.
Actually, the second cover wouldn't have been a bad choice for a classic like Jane Eyre, for instance. It just doesn't convey any feeling of the actual time period of the plot of Tiffany Blues, which takes place during the Roaring Twenties. Perhaps that was the intention of the person who designed this second cover -- a subtle reference to that great novel. However, I honestly don't think it works.
This is yet another case of not being able to find any information about either of these cover artists. The Amazon preview has not been any help at all, and I suppose that's because the book hasn't been published yet. Book Depository doesn't have this feature anyway, so I couldn't get any information through them, either......
I am very much interested in purchasing this book, precisely because it features art and artists in the plot. And, of course, when I do buy it, it will be from Book Depository, as I can't get over how BEAUTIFUL that first cover is! I'm so very grateful to Wendy for using THIS cover in her blog post!
What do you think of
this week's covers?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!
this week's covers?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!
I’ve looked it up on Booktopia, the Australian web site and it has that cover you like so much. I do see your point about that cover and the thought behind the art. Let’s hope th book lives up to your exp3ctations! 😏
ReplyDeleteHi, Sue!
DeleteOh, how AWESOME that an Australian website has my favorite cover of this book!! If I could, I'd order it from there, but the S/H costs from Australia are staggering. I will order it from Book Depository, though!
I have a very strong feeling that this novel will live up to my expectations!
Thanks for commenting!! <3 :)
The second cover is so beautiful and it does look like a painting. Gorgeous! ♥
ReplyDeleteHi, Steph!
DeleteFor some reason, this cover, even though it is beautiful, just leaves me cold....lol. I just think it looks too conventional, and doesn't quite fit the story.
Every one of us readers have different tastes, when it comes to covers! :)
Thanks for commenting!! HUGS!!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)
I really like both covers. The colors are so striking in the second cover. I agree it does not fit the 1920s but perhaps it fits with in with the plot of the book. Over the years I have visited a lot of estates built by wealthy people in the United States, in the early part of the Twentieth Century. The statue and the pond in both covers really convey a sense of those places.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you have a great weekend!
Hi, Brian!
DeleteYou make a very compelling and interesting point about the second cover. For some reason, though, I am just unable to like it.... Maybe it's the sense of gloom I get from it. But I think it's mostly that I feel it looks too conventional. I don't know just what it is....lol.
Sometimes we don't know why we dislike something -- we just do. Lol.
As I stated in the post, I wouldn't have minded this cover on a copy of "Jane Eyre". {)
Thanks for commenting!! <3 :)
How interesting about the covers! I admit I didn't pay much attention to which cover--it was the first that popped up when I was looking for the book on Goodreads so I could feature it on my post. I'm with you though. I like the first cover best. Although the sky in the second one is quite appealing . . . There's just something about that first one though that speaks to me and rings more true with the description of the book.
ReplyDeleteHi, Wendy!
DeleteYeah, I've done that, too -- just grabbed the first cover that popped up. Lol. When I went to look on Amazon, though, the only cover that showed up there was the second one. So then I went looking for the one I found in your post. Amazon US and UK both have it, but on the audio version of the book. Then I checked out good ol' Book Depository, and they DO have it on the hardback!! YAAAAAAY!!! So when I buy this book, it will be from there!
Glad you agree about the first cover! <3 <3 You're right about the sky in the second one, but yeah, "there's just something about the first one"! ABSOLUTELY!!
Thanks for the nice comment!! HUGS TO YOU AND MOUSE!!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)