Cover Chat: Love in the Years of Lunacy

I couldn’t help but notice the contrast between the Australian and U.S. editions of Mandy Sayer’s Love in the Years of Lunacy. 

First the original Australian cover from Allen & Unwin:

Cover Chat: Love in the Years of Lunacy - Australian Edition

And the U.S. version from Atria/Simon & Schuster:

Cover Chat: Love in the Years of Lunacy - U.S. Edition

It’s interesting, the image is essentially the same in terms of the scene depicted, but the covers feel so, so different.

Having read the book, I far prefer the Australian cover, because it better depicts the feeling of James and Pearl’s relationship, the isolation because of the many obstacles to their being together. There’s also a sense of in the moment wistfulness in the female model’s expression that works in the context of the story. 

The U.S. cover also does not make it as obvious that James is African-American, as the Aussie cover does, which is disappointing. Also, in the U.S. edition, the female model’s hands are really, really small, which kind of creeps me out, but that’s more of a personal thing than a real criticism. 

In general, the details are more vague in the U.S. version, which seems to be a trend in this sort of book (it shares a similar look to a lot of Harlequin’s “women’s fiction” novels). 

Which do you prefer, the American or Aussie version?