This is the story of the budding romance between the Carolus-Duran and his wife, Marie, who he met as a seventeen-year-old. Love at first sight for both regardless of the age difference. Duran was not the ideal husband material by her father's standards, but he eventually came around. I have an interest in artist historical fiction and read all I can find. This was not the best. Durand certainly sounds talented, but this was more of a love story, very romantic. The author had unusual sentence structure and phrasing at times that was rather jarring to me. "As it would" was used as a transition most often. I wasn't comfortable with that. I would have enjoyed a stronger focus on his art, not on making babies. I just didn't click with this book or author.

Brushstrokes by Gina Dale is a good novel, the author nails the romance and historical aspect, enjoyable read!

The artist’s name Charles Carolus-Duran grabbed my attention as I’ve never heard of him. My interest in this book was sparked even more by such famous names as Manet, Renoir, Monet, and Degas. However, I could not go through with this book due to a very dry prose. It reads like an encyclopedia.