It may not be a coincidence that this book debuts two days after the September 8 opening of the DC National Gallery's exhibition: "Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment". I'd have a hard time making the case that you need the background in this book to appreciate the exhibition, but it's easy to make the case that this is a solidly good read. The focus is the events surrounding the fall of Napoleon III, the Prussian siege of Paris in 1870, and the Paris Commune and its brutal suppression. By allowing us to perceive these events through a few characters - Edouard Manet, Berthe Morisot and to a lesser extent Edgar Degas - the narrative has a "you are there" quality that shows how these events were experienced by citizens (albeit citizens of considerable privilege, something author Smee would readily acknowledge).

Perhaps the books greatest accomplishment is putting Berthe Morisot right up there with her better known male counterparts. The descriptions of why her paintings are important are outstanding. While a few plates are provided, you'll probably want a device nearby so you can search for some of the other paintings.

The culmination of the book is in fact the impressionist exhibition of 1874. Did the rejection of authority resulting from the turmoil of the 1870s in fact speed up the impressionist movement? It seemed to me that these painters had already been bristling against the academy for a long time.

My favorite part of the book actually had little to do with art. It involved the use of balloons to get mail out of Paris, and carrier pigeons carrying an early version of microfilm to bring mail back in. I also had no idea of the brutality that surrounded both the founding of the Paris Commune and its even more brutal suppression. If I'm skeptical regarding the thesis that these events are what spurred impressionism it's likely a compliment to the author, as he did not oversell the idea.

Recommended for history and art buffs.

A captivating look at Fin de Siècle Paris and the major contributors to the Impressionist movement. Even though the work focuses on the year 1871, the text captures the scope of the social, political, and philosophical turmoil that would characterize late 19th century Paris. The interplay between the lived experience of the artists and the subsequent influence on their work was fascinating.