Set against Paris at the tail end of La Belle Époque, Stern's novel masterfully explores the city in flux, a mecca of artists and creatives, their joys and fears through the eyes of Chaim Soutine and Amedeo Modigliani.

A charming read set during WWI largely in Paris and focused on the semi-mysterious artist Charles Soutine.

Soutine isn’t a particularly well documented figure in art history, so Stern was forced to take a number of liberties here, most of which seem reasonable and work fine for the story. Playing off of a far greater available amount of information about Modigliani helped as well to flesh out both the plot and the setting.

There’s some delightful irreverence here that I think the artists involved would have appreciated in real life, and while I think Stern did better with those parts of the story than with those more focused on the backdrop of the war, there’s a good balance between the two that helps the novel not feel too meandering and silly.

It’s a bit dense and leaden in terms of the writing for a book with a plot that probably would have benefitted from a lighter touch and less sluggish pacing, but Stern’s prose is still intriguing and beautifully wrought.

The writing is stunning in this book, but I wanted more information about the MC, and I didn't find the plot compelling. Really interesting touches from Jewish and Russian cultures in Paris during WWII.

Set in Paris in 1917, The Village Idiot follows the life of a group of artists. Among them, you have Amedeo Modigliani, a painter, and sculptor, who, before his death at age 35, created some of the world's most famous paintings. It is a highly cultural novel, filled with creative expression and history.

I personally didn't know anything about Modigliani's life. While it was fun to hear about, I think there are definitely other people that would find this book even more enjoyable. But it is clear that Stern has an incredible eye for language because the writing was stunning at times.

It's Paris, 1917, and painter Chaïm Soutine is walking in a weighted diving suit on the bottom of the Seine. He's reluctantly agreed to do this for his only friend, fellow artist Amadeo Modigliani. The men are both Jews, drawn to Paris like so many others in the early 20th century, but while Modi is vivacious and playful, Soutine is surly and shy. Chaim's underwater journey is the mystical frame for scenes from Soutine's past as well as his future in this work of biographical fiction by Steve Stern, an author often inspired by Yiddish folklore. Soutine's life is traced from a harsh childhood in an Orthodox Belarusian shtetl to the Nazi occupation of France. Stern richly describes the process of making art, the drive to create, as well as the emotional highs and lows of the artist. He also dives deep into themes of Jewish identity as Soutine calls some like Chagall "poseurs" while being deeply conflicted about his own Jewishness in a world hostile to Jews. The story is slowly paced and full of historical detail including some language appropriate to the period that might offend contemporary readers. Art lovers will enjoy encounters with a who's who of School of Paris artists, art buyers and their middlemen. Chaïm Soutine is often overlooked when we think of French artists, but Stern's novel brings his genius to life through a combination of humor and tragedy.

Inspired by the life of artist Chaim Soutine, author Steve Stern constructs a snapshot of troubled, and troubling Paris during World War I. Soutine is alternately floating along in the wake of his friend/mentor, artist Modigliani, or possessed by his feverish painting. He is obsessed by his need to break from his past, and the need to be controlled by it. Woven throughout are Jewish cultural touchstones, religion and Russo mythology. This is an historic figure about which little is actually known, a difficult fictional figure to follow.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Historical Fiction

The story is set in Paris in 1917 during World War I. It involves the life of a group of artists. One of them is Amedeo Modigliani, an Italian painter, and sculptor who is famous for his modern portrait style that was not well received back then. He makes a friendship with Chaim Soutine, an immigrant painter. And this friendship affects the Italian painter throughout the different stages of his life.

Along with French and Jewish cultures, the book explores many aspects of that era's culture. You'll discover as you read that the story's cultural element is crucial. This is significant, especially considering the era in which the novel is set. Whether they are significant historical events or well-known artists and musicians, the author incorporates many more aspects of that period in the story. They all work in unison with one another and along with the lives of the central protagonists to expand the scope of the narrative.

The writing style was the largest challenge I personally encountered when reading the book. There is nothing wrong with it, but I find it to be overly dense for my taste. I occasionally had the impression that I was reading one of those tough classics. The story's plodding pace made reading a little challenging. The author is obviously talented and made thorough research for his book. I do believe that there are readers out there who will enjoy the book more than I did. Regardless of what people in his day thought of him and his art, Modigliani was a talented artist, thus I'm still delighted that I've read about him.

Many thanks to the publisher Melville House Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.

DNF @ 28% — this book wasn't for me. The language is too complex, and the pace is glacial. It was a bit like reading a classic, which perhaps was the intent? Don't get me wrong, I love classic literature, but I wasn't expecting that style here. I do think Steve Stern is a talented writer, and I may go back and try this one again another time, but for now I just couldn't get into the story or the characters.

This fictional account of artist Chaim Soutine's life is as chaotic, dark, and expansive as his paintings. While the star of this book was its descriptions of turn-of-the-century France and the characters who populated it, the book ventures far beyond this narrative, incorporating Jewish folklore and surrealist monologues in a completely unexpected way. Rather than being strictly chronological, the narrative centers around Chaim's near-death experience and his friendship with Amedeo Modigliani, both of which make interesting literary devices.

The pacing of this book, however, is sometimes agonizingly slow. Even though the language was complex and engaging, I never found myself excited to pick up this book. The narrative often treats stages of his life as their own independent scenes, which was frustrating when trying to piece together Chaim's character development. Because he lashes out and isolates himself from people who question his habits, we never see these interactions and choices weigh on him for significant periods of time. I came close to giving up on this book in the middle, but the emotional gravity of the last chapter made me happy I finished it.

Thank you NetGalley and Melville House Publishing for giving me a copy in exchange for my review!

DNF @30%. I wasn't much of a fan of many of the characters of the book besides one. I don't wish to include any spoilers, simply because the book hasn't been released quite yet, but there was nothing that kept me reading. Unfortunately, the prose didn't work for me, though I can recognize Stern's ability and handle on the craft.

There were also some unnecessary moments of racist language. The book didn't have much to do with anti-Blackness, so a lot of these instances just took me out of the reading experience and were unpleasant to read as well.

I think that I also went into this book expecting a different plot and that I simply wasn't the intended audience. I wanted to like this book a lot, based on the summary and also the really artistic cover (huge fan of the design honestly), but I just was not impressed.