The Seventh Veil of Salome is a stunning historical fiction novel and tragic love story by the ultra talented Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Set in the Sword and Sandal era of Hollywood, this story follows Vera, a talented musician and actress plucked from obscurity to play the lead role in a major film.
What I love about this book is how an unsolved mystery and unknown tragedy hung over my head as the story unfolded. The story is propulsive with dual plot lines. We experience the movie Vera is filming on set as well as her life experiences off set, which include the ugly side of Hollywood stardom and the ups and downs of falling in love. The documentary-style feel to the storytelling, replete with multiple POVs, is the perfect style for this book. It makes the delivery of the truth at the end even more powerful.
This Book Would Make a Great Gift
This book is perfect for someone who loves drama and glamour, music and art, and a whirlwind tragic love story that’s paired with deft commentary on class, nepotism, sexism, and racism in the movie industry. The Seventh Veil of Salome is also a book that begs to paired with fun accessories and items because Moreno-Garcia does such great visual, cinematic storytelling in the novel. That means there are so many fun details to pluck out of the text that can become book-inspired pairings. Below are my ideas for what to give alongside this book.
A Piano Bookmark
I love this oversized piano bookmark from Etsy seller LeafyImpressionsShop. Vera, the FMC and her love interest, play the piano together. Music is major part of their tragic love story and Vera’s art career.
Yellow Lego Flowers
Yellow is a motif in the book. It’s Vera’s favorite color (see page 124). Yellow flowers, including yellow tulips and narcissus, are mentioned frequently (see pages 44, 125). I think this daffodil lego set for under $15 from Target would be a cute, meaningful pairing with the book.
Note: Narcissus is the scientific name for the genus that daffodils belong to.
Yellow & Gold Annotating Supplies
Beginning with Vera’s eye-catching yellow floral sundress when she’s discovered, yellow and gold are big thematic colors for the book. For that reason, gold pens, yellow highlighters, yellow tabs, and even those classic gold-star stickers (to stick in the margins by favorite quotes) would all be cute annotation supplies to give with this book.
Gold Bangles
Tap into the Hollywood glamour, dazzling costumes, and lushness of The Seventh Veil of Salome movie set by gifting a set of gold bangles. Salome wears them in a scene on page 11.
DIY Art Prints
Moreno-Garcia studs this book with allusions to art and literature. I think it would be super cute to print these classic paintings, which are referenced in the book, and tuck them in the pages. It’d be a fun surprise for your recipient as they read, plus it gives them a handy visual reference for the paintings. Be sure to write the page number on the printout (see below) so that they can always return the print to the right page. If you don’t have a printer, see if your local library offers printing services!
- The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli (page 17)
- The Lady of Shallot by John William Waterhouse (page 32)
- L’Apparition by Gustave Moreau (page 279)
Tarot Cards
Tessa, a side character and friend to Vera’s rival Nancy in the book, is always consulting her tarot cards (see p 17, 21, 26, 57, and 261). A tarot card deck, with the added touch of labeling it “Tessa’s deck,” would be a fun pairing. The Wheel of Fortune and The World cards are the ones most prominently featured in the book, if you just want to focus on a couple cards instead of a whole deck.
Final Suggestions
If I was giving this book and any of the above gift pairings, I’d use a gold and yellow theme for wrapping. I’d get supplies like gold ribbons and yellow or gold tissue paper and maybe tuck it all in a gold gift bag. Additionally, I would write a short note in a card about why I paired all these items with the book, along with page numbers. If you haven’t read The Seventh Veil of Salome and want to do this for a reader in your life, please use info from my blog post and page numbers above for your note!
Annotate With Sara 