This was written differently than I expected somehow but I've enjoyed learning about Leonora Carrington. As an art geek from a family of artists, I found her life fascinating and feel she was definitely overshadowed at times, in her life, by the men around her.For anyone interested in artists, female artists, or artists around WWII, definite read. Does have some cringey moments (mostly the sex scenes). Leonora was BALLSY!

Maybe it's my fault for choosing a book that's not quite in my genres of choice (sci-fi/fantasy, historical fiction in non-Western settings), but I definitely thought this had potential. I was especially interested to learn about a female artist who had, unsurprisingly, been glossed over by history in favor of her male contemporaries.

But in the end, I felt disappointed with my reading experience. I thought the book was supposed to be about Leonora, but I don't think I ever truly felt that I learned anything about Leonora that wasn't in relation to a man, usually Max. We learned about how HE found her beautiful, how HE made her feel inspired and sexy and alive. We learned about how HE tried to find her (and the choice in those chapters to not even name her beyond "her"...especially telling) after they were separated. Leonora seemed like an object in her own book, a vessel of inspiration and desire for a man. Perhaps I didn't read deeply enough to see this critiqued and deconstructed, but it was present enough to make it difficult for me to truly enjoy the book.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of this novel.

The life of Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington, her life and learning with others artists in Paris, her love for the older Max Ernst and finally the fall of France to the Nazis and the after effects are the focus of the novel Leonora in the Morning Light, by poet and book buyer Michaela Carter. A mix of biography and fiction, told in a almost string of conscious writing style, almost a surreal writing style, the story is told in alternating narratives, starting in the late 1990's with Leonora than moving to Max. The plotting might be hard to handle, the book does take awhile to find itself, and a little bit of knowledge of art and European history helps a lot. For fans or World War II sweeping romances and those interested in art history.

I only became aware of Leonora Carrington when her short stories were re-issued recently. Her work is strange and beautiful, and it was oh so lovely to be able to read a fictionalized account of what her life might have been.

I'm not certain to what degree Carter has been faithful to history, but what she presents is entirely plausible in my mind, and the research must have been quite extensive. I particularly appreciate the attention that she paid to Leonora's work, and her vision as well as the development of all the Surrealist movement members who pass through the pages. I had no knowledge of Leonore Fini or of Max Ernst and am thrilled to discover that there is surrealist art that I can understand - I can appreciate Breton, Dali and Picasso, but I don't understand what it is I am meant to be seeing.

My one complaint is that the story opens in the not so distant past when Leonora is speaking with a reporter, and then we are transported in the pre-WWII era, I would have liked to have the novel close as it began with Leonora making observations on her life.

I was completely engaged with the novel and experienced a great many emotions along with Leonora and Max. I'm very grateful to have found this gem.

Normally, I am a huge fan of reading anything WWII. Leonora in the Morning Light is a historical fiction novel about Leonora Carrington, a surrealist artist. I had to look her up as I had never heard of her. Not surprising, because I am not an art history lover. The author’s research really came through in this novel, but for whatever reason, I just could not get into this book. I kept losing interest so after about 20% in, I just gave up. What I did read, though, was very well written and I would be willing to try another novel by this author. Thank you to Netgalley and Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

2.5 stars

They say that life often resembles art and as we meet the two main protagonists, Leonora Carrington, a young socialite convinced her destiny lay in the world of art, and Max Ernst, a Jew, married and twenty-seven years her senior their love affair starts with the backdrop of World War 2 looming. Besotted by Max, Leonora follows him to Paris where she becomes ensconced in the Surrealist movement with the likes of Picasso, Man Ray, and Dali to name a few. She reaches into her talents, encouraged by Max, inspired by the world around her and the movement that seems to be changing the art world. But tragedy comes in the name of war, and Max and his fellow artists are called degenerates. Max is arrested and thrown into prison, leaving Leonora on her own as Hitler's armies make life hard and threaten her very existence.

Peggy Guggenheim, becomes part of the story as she adds artists who need to escape Hitler's labeling them degenerates. Writers, artists and Jews become the focus of the Nazi hunt. When once again the paths of Max and Leonora's cross, they struggle to escape Europe.

This novel requires a lot of attention. It is not a page turner but is an exhaustive story of the world as it once was for artists and those considered low lives. The lifestyle depicted in this story is one of drunkenness, adultery, and nudity, anything that went against convention and breaking the rules.

Honestly, I do appreciate all the time, effort, and research the author put into this story, but it just is one that I found very difficult to both read and enjoy sadly.

Art, alcohol, adultery. That’s what this book is about.

I had a hard time staying invested in the characters because there were so many of them. Not knowing hardly anything about Surrealism, surrealist artists, or their lives, this book was difficult for me to follow. While this had some interesting points in the story, I felt bogged down with the names, places, and descriptions of paintings that I have never heard of before. The parts of the story that were more about the artists’ lives was much more enjoyable for me.

I don’t know much (or really anything) about the characters who are real people. But there was so much drinking and swapping spouses and blatant, knowing affairs and crude moments that I was uncomfortable through a lot of the story. Cringe-worthy, if you will. Maybe that was common for that time period and that group of people, I don’t know. But it was not something I expected to read about so often in this book. The description of the book mentions no such thing, and it was definitely unexpected.

I hate to give this only 3 stars because I do think the writing was good and there were some great descriptions. I just think I am to naïve to this subject to fully understand what was happening.

I would recommend this book to someone who is more versed in surrealism and art in general. Unfortunately, I think this book will only be perceived well by a very specific audience, and I am clearly not part of it.

Leonora in the Morning Light by Michaela Carter is the beautifully rendered story of Leonora Carrington, a painter whose art was inspired by the giants of the Surrealistic movement.

From the book’s beginning, a retrospective exhibit of 60 years of Leonora’s paintings, the reader is made aware that this is a formidable, world weary 80 yr-old woman who fiercely champions the place and value of female artists’ works in the male-dominated world of Modern art.
She believes in being the creator of the art, not merely a muse for someone else’s inspiration.

Then the reader is plunged into the world of 20 yr-old Leonora, the free-spirited daughter of a wealthy domineering British father and his Irish-born wife. Her father opposed her interest in art as a career, but her mother supported her dream, and also fed her imagination even more by telling her tales of the mystical Irish Sidhe as she grew up. When she meets the German Surrealist Max Ernst, her life changes; she moves to Paris with him and willingly loses herself in the world of the Surrealists and their bohemian lifestyle.

Juxtaposed to this tempestuous love story is the drama and ugliness of WWII, the occupation of France, and the war’s effect on their lives, as Max is a German Jew and, according to the Nazis, is a purveyor of “degenerate” art. Although most of this book focuses on the six years of Leonora’s and Max’s great romance and art, it is a riveting tale that feels larger and more encompassing in its scope, given its detailed historical perspective of wartime Europe and the US.

The book is filled with imagery and fluid movement between reality and imagination, memories and fantasies. The writing is elegant and evocative; at times the tone is sultry and erotic (Leonora’s voice) or gritty and raw (Max’s voice). The author is an award-winning poet and that lyrical element is evident in her prose. After I got into the rhythm of Carter’s writing, I found myself immersed in the imagery and illusions in Leonora’s mind. I thought the prose actually mirrored the surrealistic images swirling in Leonora’s head.

I recommend this book to readers who like historical fiction focusing on artists and art history; readers who are interested in female trail blazers; and readers who enjoy lush and highly imaginative lyrical writing.

Thank you to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

“I don’t talk about my art. Paintings are for what is not sayable”.

Leonora Carrington might not have liked to talk about her art....but our author, does.
Michaela Carter delivers an impressive- thoroughly researched historical fiction novel about a heroine, (Leonora Carrington).
We learn about Leonora, a Surrealist Artist, from her upper-class, British childhood and how she rebelled against her snobbish family hierarchy, about her love for drawing and writing, for horses and Irish myth, about her meeting forty-six-year-old Max Ernst when she was just twenty, and the war intervening in their relationship.

This wasn’t a page turner for me. Reading “Leonora in the Morning Light”.... became somewhat of a project—( doesn’t have to be), but I found myself looking up names - dates- places- artists mentioned —constantly referring to google.
At times I admit feeling drained. This book took some work for me....because I knew next to nothing about ANYONE mentioned.
Yet... personally and truthfully — I’m left feeling personal pride from devoting the extra invested time—rather than resist learning — (‘resistance-to-learn’ is so much easier at times—I’m guilty as the next person)...
but why I asked myself? so I could rush to some other sappy or schlocky easier - read - that would make me feel less inferior?
“YES....that would have been easier!”
But....
some books are worth our extra exploration. We gain something nobody can take away from us.
I am ready to move on...BUT I GAINED PLENTY....and have our author to thank for it.

There is lovely seductive prose, .....( treat sections of reading for me)...
but it was deeper historical facts - the learning process itself - the stopping to visit google - that really paid off.
I grew a deeper appreciation for all the research that historical writers go through. I could see it - imagine the months - years - spent of their time.
I started to think of how ( as a reader), I’m getting the spoon-feed benefits ( even ‘if’ this book took an extra week longer to read)....compared to probably YEARS of the authors research and compilation.
So....I share all this....because I’m guessing this won’t be a book for many.
Unless the reader is an art history buff - a history buff in general - or at least ‘willing’ to add a little of your own study when reading this novel...
then....I suggest skip it.
But....if willing ‘not’ to rush-read (no reason to be in a hurry: we will never read every book we want before we die anyway)....
There is a fascinating story inside this novel....written with romantic styling beauty....for:
.....the characters and their lifestyles, their talents, their innovative concepts, their passionate love, lust, atmosphere, and the brutal history of war years, lived.

Leonora Carrington was vibrant, spirited, visionary, adventurous, loved wholeheartedly, courageous & independent, a feminist before her day,
a very talented surrealist artist, and captivating woman!
I’m glad I spent time with her......( and Max Ernst the love of her life).

Leonora was inspired by many other male artists - the freedom they had - that she, too, wanted.
Artists such as: Andre Breton, Pablo Picasso, Lee Miller, Man Ray, and Salvador Dali.
Leonora’s paintings were extraordinary— (gorgeous with so much expressive feelings)> no wonder Leonora didn’t want to talk about them...
LOOK....
really look at those PAINTINGS....
.....[sorry I’m not a reviewer who knows how to insert photos].
This book didn’t include of Leonora’s paintings either....(wish it had),
but not to indulge in viewing her work online would be a huge miss.

Women’s art sold for a fraction of what the men’s art went for.
It took women twice as long to make any sort of name for themselves.
Leonora felt as though she was one of the lucky ones. She lived long enough to see the world at least begin to notice- her- and other women artists, not only as the inspiration, or an inferior muse.

Max Ernst was Leonora’s lover. Leonora could never seem to be interviewed without somebody asking about Max Ernst —the great man—as if she were no more than another Galatea. (a sea nymph).
But truth....there was interest in Max Ernst because he, too, was a gifted surrealist artist. They loved each other passionately.....( not an easy breezy relationship- but passionate!)...
There individual and joint stories combined are what great movies are drawn from.
Juicy - gossipy dramatic stories - quite stimulating at times!

Leonora and Max....( when life was good): lovers/ not married:
“They devised their own rules. When to work (from ten to two), when to swim (before ten and after two), when to make love (whenever the spirit struck), when and how to clean (naked, in summer the cleaning was always naked)”.
Their house was at the edge of town, near a river.
Their little house was beautiful—many trees, and stone steps.
“The sun squints on the horizon. The river is a deep brownish-green, and the fields are blue fields of lavender, yellow fields of sunflowers”.

Leonara and Max....(when life wasn’t so good):
“Cher Nora,
It is cold here. There’s no heat. Prisoners have lost their toes, fingers. Wrapped in a thin blanket, I sleep on a pile of straw in an oven where once bricks were baked”. ...
.... .... ....
I am yours, Leonora, entirely—
Max”.
“He is alive!
Leonora wept she was so happy. He was hers ‘entirely’....and alive!

Other characters you’ll meet:
Marie-Berthe, Chaim Soutine, Nusch Eluard, Paul Eluard, Marcel Dumhamp, Etant Donnes, Dorothea Tanning, Juliet Browner, Jimmy Ernst, Lee Miller, Peggy Guggenheim, Renato Leduc, etc.

Leonora Carrington lived to be 94 years old. She created thousands of magical, mystical works of art— drawings, paintings, statues, masks, plays, short stories, and her masterful novel, “The Hearing Trumpet”.
Leonora believed intensely in human rights - justice > for people, animals, plants, and the earth itself.

“To open yourself to art is to become an initiative of the mysteries to which she is privy”.

Thank you ‘Avid Reader Press’, Netgalley, and the ambitious skillful author Michaela Carter.

This book was fantastic! Being a student of art as well as an artist myself, I was immediately captivated when I read the blurb for this book. I had to read it, and I am so glad I did.
Although I am a realistic graphite artist, really into hyper-realism, I have always been fascinated with the movement of Surrealism and the artists that made up the movement. I cannot even begin to have half the imagination they did, I have to have something solid in front of me, not just a whimsical dream in my head. This is why I have always envied them, their creativity, imagination is beyond the realm. So being able to read this story, even though it is a fictionalized account of the love affair between two of the original surrealist artists Lenora Carrington and Max Earnst, was quite a pleasant experience for me.
This is a story of a debutante, presented at the king's court, turned into a bohemian artist, living the lifestyle of breaking all the rules as this is the surrealists manifesto, that rules were to be broken, they were to live outside the rules of conformity with a society that they did not agree with.
Twenty year old Lenora meets Max who is 20+ years her senior and married while studying art in London. Lenora falls for Max and becomes involved with him and his circle of friends, fellow artists, Man Ray, Fini, Andre Breton, (whose manifesto is said to have begun and set the stage for the surrealist movement). When Max is deemed a degenerate by the government, the group flees to Paris where they set up in pre-war Paris. Living their free lifestyle until Hitler and occupation thwart their freedom.
This story told so much, Lenora and Max were separated when he is sent to a detention camp, Lenora has a mental breakdown and spends time in a institution, the situation seems hopeless for both of them. I don't want to give spoilers, but their love story is a tragic one, as were so many during that time of war and terror. They both went on to become famous artists of their time, and both lived very long lives. I will not say more, you have to read for yourself what they encountered.
I thought this book was beautifully written. The quality of writing was to me magical and mystical. More like reading poetry or delving into someone's inner dreams. Maybe that is it, there is a dreamlike quality to the writing. I can't explain it any better, but I thought it was beautiful. Michaela Carter knows how to use the English language to invoke dreamlike images, almost lyrical in quality. That may be it, lyrical, musical in tone.
Anyway I would recommend this book to any art fan, or historical fiction reader interested in art and the time period of WWII Paris.
I loved all about this book I give 5 stars, I read nothing that would detract from a 5 star rating.
Thank you to the publishers at Avid Reader Press and to NetGalley for the ARC of this novel, I am giving my honest review in return.
#LenoraintheMorningLight
#NetGalley

I can appreciate that this book was well-written and that the author spent a lot of time researching art history and Surrealist painters while writing it. However, the story did not really engage me, perhaps because I only have a surface interest in art. I am sure that those with an interest in art history will enjoy and connect with this novel.

Thanks to Avid Reader Press/Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Leonora in the Morning Light is a biographical novel based on the life of Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington and focuses primarily on the. years she spent in a love affair with fellow Surrealist artist Max Ernst. There are two timelines here: one that begins when Leonora meets and falls in love with Max and another that begins with Max trying to escape from the Nazis in France. Eventually the two storylines come together and continue; meanwhile, a third voice - Peggy Guggenheim - joins in since her story with Max also overlaps timeline-wise.

Having really enjoyed Whitney Scharer's The Age of Light a few years ago, this book sort of fleshed out the story of the Surrealist's lives together and friendships. I already knew about Man Ray and Lee Miller who appear frequently in the beginning of this book so it was interesting to see a different perspective of both of them in the period after The Age of Light. Surrealist art has never been something I have connected with but it was fascinating to read about their inspiration and methods and explanations of what is going on in their art. I still can't say I particularly love it, but I appreciate it more now. Later on in the story, Varian Fry, who helped many artists escape from Europe during World War II and is portrayed in Julie Orringer's The Flight Portfolio, makes an appearance while he aids Max's escape so these three books together make a fascinating grouping of books.

I struggled a bit with the depiction of the friendships between the artists; there was so much nudity and sex and partner swapping and just straight-up hedonism. I know it's probably accurate but after awhile, I just got tired of people constantly whipping off their clothes for no particular reason (we need to pain? Strip! Cook some chicken? Strip!). For all of this supposed freedom, so many of the artists seemed very lost and unhappy and embroiled in a lot of relational conflict. And although the writer states in her author's note that this is the story of a Great Woman, not the story of a woman in relation to a Great Man, the entire story is primarily focused on what seems to me like Leonora's obsession with Ernst and her lack of confidence in her own talent.

The writing style is both confusing and kind of brilliant. Confusing because much of it is very dreamlike and I wasn't always sure what was real and what wasn't. Brilliant because it seems to very much reflect Leonora's creative mind. As she enters a period of losing grip on reality, the narrative reflects this very well.

If you are an art lover, particularly of this style and time period, you will most likely love this!

Leonora In the Morning, the debut novel of poet Michaela Carter is a fictionalized account of the love affair between the British artist, Leonora Carrington and the German surrealist painter Max Ernst. Ernst was 27 years older than Carrington. Told against the backdrop of World War II. Ernst was Jewish which adds to the drama of the story. If you are a reader who likes art history, this is a book for you.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Leonora in the Morning Light

Author: Michaela Carter

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 2/5

Recommended For...: historical fiction fans

Publication Date: April 6, 2021

Genre: Historical Fiction

Recommended Age: Can’t recommend, DNF-ed

Publisher: Simon Schuster

Pages: 416

Synopsis: 1940. A train carrying exiled German prisoners from a labor camp arrives in southern France. Within moments, word spreads that Nazi capture is imminent, and the men flee for the woods, desperate to disappear across the Spanish border. One stays behind, determined to ride the train until he reaches home, to find a woman he refers to simply as “her.”

1937. Leonora Carrington is a twenty-year-old British socialite and painter dreaming of independence when she meets Max Ernst, an older, married artist whose work has captivated Europe. She follows him to Paris, into the vibrant revolutionary world of studios and cafes where rising visionaries of the Surrealist movement like Andre Breton, Pablo Picasso, Lee Miller, Man Ray, and Salvador Dali are challenging conventional approaches to art and life. Inspired by their freedom, Leonora begins to experiment with her own work, translating vivid stories of her youth onto canvas and gaining recognition under her own name. It is a bright and glorious age of enlightenment—until the shadow of war looms over Europe and headlines emerge denouncing Max and his circle as “degenerates,” leading to his arrest and imprisonment. Left along as occupation spreads throughout the countryside, Leonora battles terrifying circumstances to survive, reawakening past demons that threaten to consume her.

As Leonora and Max embark on remarkable journeys together and apart, the full story of their tumultuous and passionate love affair unfolds, spanning time and borders as they seek to reunite and reclaim their creative power in a world shattered by war. When their paths cross with Peggy Guggenheim, an art collector and socialite working to help artists escape to America, nothing will be the same.

Review: I had to DNF this read at 30%. I will try this book again in the future, but the way that the story is told is very confusing and off-putting to me. It’s hard to tell what’s truth and what’s a hallucination.

Verdict: It’s ok, just confusing.

Leonora Carrington was a British-born Mexican artist from a wealthy family, disowned by her father for wanting to become an artist. At 20, she fell in love with Max Ernst, 26 years her senior. She moved with him to Paris in 1937 and attended gatherings, parties and soirees with the Surrealist set ― Éluard, Ray, Dalí, Breton, Varo, Fini, Miller ―who prided themselves on freedom from societal constraints, freedom of expression and sexuality. The author does not shy away from detailing the lifestyle lived by the artists, writers and poets in pursuit of their goals, including wife-swapping, sexual duality and open nudity. The writing is clear and unbiased; descriptions are full of artistic colour and vibrancy ― “…. the sky was yellow ocher. It was vermilion, cadmium-orange, indigo”.
The novel takes us through the years from Paris, 1937 to America, 1943 – the move to Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche, Max’s arrest, imprisonment and return home to an empty house, Leonora’s fight with insanity and her reawakening, her reunion with Max as friend but no longer lover, their escape to America with the help of Peggy Guggenheim, and Leonora’s move to Mexico.
At times the novel felt over-long and occasionally repetitive, and the flashbacks between Leonora’s life and Max’s imprisonment weren’t always clear, but we do share rare insight into Leonora’s head ― her love of animals, mysticism and the dream world which she displayed prominently in her art. The author’s research is thorough, as are descriptions of time and place. This is very much Leonora’s story, propelling her to the forefront of eco-feminist Surrealist artists. Her belief in the right of all beings to inhabit the earth is well described in her own words; “A woman should not have to demand Rights. The Rights were there from the beginning; they must be taken back again”. A lengthy bibliography is provided for further research.

The incredible research into Leonora Carrington and Max Ernst by Michaela Carter, is nothing less than staggering. I knew nothing about these two prolific, eccentric and intriguing surrealistic artists, prior to reading this novel. I became fully absorbed and captivated, in a visceral way, with their lives. The intense love they had for each other, is described almost poetically by the author and was transformative for me. I found myself diverting from reading, to looking up the paintings they were creating, which gave me even more insight into their genius. I will not recount details of the book, as I’ve always stated in my reviews, one can read that on an inside book flap. I totally enjoyed this engaging and well written book and am delighted to have also learned about the dawning of surrealism in Europe in the 40s. Thank you Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this magnificent novel.

What I enjoyed the most about this book is everything I learned from it. I have to admit that at the beginning, I thought it was a little too wordy/slow but then I really got into the characters (who were real people) and their love story. I found myself googling the paintings discussed in the book and reading the Wikipedia of the different characters mentioned throughout the story. I found Leonora Carrington to be a very strong woman to make the decision she makes at the end. I would highly recommend reading the Author's Note at the end.

Thanks Simon & Schuster and Michaela Carter for this ARC.

Very bizarre account of surrealist artists Leonora Carrington and Max Ernst. Set in France at the beginning of WWII, the author portrays the artists and their acquaintances living an uninhibited, creative and free lifestyle. The first half of the book felt like they were tripping out in Alice’s wonderland.

Then I took a break and looked up images online of the art described in the book, and found more information about the artists and their history. Leonora in the Light became more interesting to me then. I found their days living in the French countryside to be bittersweet; their struggles when Max was taken prisoner for the 3rd time to be raw and real. There was high drama surrounding these famous historical figures.

Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

Leonora Carrington, a young artist, falls in love with Max Ernst, a noted artist, twenty years her senior. She leaves her wealthy, conservative family to join him in Paris and mingle with his avant-garde fellow Surrealist artist community. Imprisoned twice for his degenerate art and German roots, he returns to their home to find she has fled in fear. Without him she becomes unhinged. At first she seems to work through her nightmares and delusions by painting them; then she lives them and in this manner the reader shares her experiences. Her erratic behavior leads her to sanatoriums. Max is a womanizer who while involved with one muse tends to seek his next. In Leonora he recognizes creativity in her art and that he loves her, but, when she is not present to meet his needs, turns effortlessly to another woman who can help him escape. These are two needy, self-absorbed people who rely on others to solve their issues. They are tedious at times. Despite this, Michaela Carter provides a provocative glimpse into the lives of those who started the Dadaism and Surrealist movements. Both the title and the section headings are an homage to these tortured, innovative artists.

Leonora in the Morning Light by Michaela Carter

Leonora in the Morning is based on a period in time in real lives of Max Ernst, Leonora Carrington, and other renowned artists and people connected to the art world, during the events surrounding WWII. Because I had very little knowledge of the Surrealist movement other than knowing a little about the work of Picasso and Salvador Dali, I needed the help of the internet to inform me of all the people we meet through Max and Leonora. It was hard for me to be invested in these people and by attempting to learn more about their backgrounds and futures, I was hoping I could become more interested in the story that is being told in the book. 

The story is told in a sometimes dreamlike way and it was often hard to tell what are hallucinations, dreams, or reality, especially in the case of Leonora. At some point she is in an insane asylum and her drugged state adds to the confusion of what is real or not. But she definitely seems to have had a mental breakdown before she enters the asylum. Does this type of break with reality make the art or does the creation, in the mind, of this kind of art, lead to a more disheveled concept of reality? I never have connected with the work of Surrealists and I think it would have been better if I had continued to know less about their lifestyles than I know now. 

Max and his inner and outer circle seem to be immersed in all the trappings of free sex while claiming to sometimes love the sex partners they happened to be with at the moment. Their lifestyles seem so chaotic and with no sense of responsibility. Max and Leonora, together for a few years, seemed content to think someone else will pick up the bill for their meals or their lifestyles. The constant swapping of partners, threesomes, group sex country get togethers, sex with strangers, and all to do with sex, reminds me of the true stories of rocks stars and rock groups. There seemed to be no attempt at something permanent in the life of Max...yes, he might marry a woman or four, but there were always other women in his bed (although he seems to prefer outdoors for sex) and marriage seemed to have no significance to him other than that his future, present, or ex wives might be a source of funds. Mostly I'm going by what I read in this story so I'm not sure how things were for him after he married his fourth wife. 

I think this story is best suited for those more knowledgeable of the artwork and the people in it. It's amazing how many of the artists of this style and time made it out of France and the other occupied countries when Hitler was gunning for those he labeled “degenerates”. Because of this book, and the research I did while reading it, I now have a greater knowledge of a lot of the artists mentioned in the story. I read this story with DeAnn and I'm glad I could discuss the story with her. We both stepped out of our comfort zone with this one. 

At the risk of appearing prudish, I'll mention a scene in Leonora and Max's country house. Leonora and one of her contemporaries are preparing a chicken dinner so, of course, they have to strip naked to cut up and prepare the chicken so that they don't get splattered with grease. I've never been presented with so many people who are so willing to be naked in groups...I guess I need to get out more...ha ha. 

Thank you to Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC.