For the most part, I enjoyed reading this book especially about Morisot and the limits put on women painters at the beginning of impressionism. Although she painted with Manet, Renoir, Degas etal, she never received the attention she deserved. What I didn't like was the painting "talking" to Tamara. Paranormal is not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for the ARC.

My first book that shined a spotlight on artwork stolen by the Nazis and later reunited with the rightful Jewish owners was Woman On Fire by Lisa Barr (which was excellent by the way). Since then, I have read everything I can about this from Monuments Men and to this novel here.

While I did enjoy this book and the different time periods, the main character Tamara (!!!!) just was not my cup of tea. She was the heart of this story and so with that, I give this book three stars. Chloe was my favorite!

A wonderful book for lovers of the Impressionists and history. An excellent example of a well thought out historical fiction novel that takes liberties with histories to create a beautiful narrative that jumps between multiple generations of the Morisot women (some who really lived, most a work of fiction). It brings to light the impressive career of Berthe Morisot who was a part of the original bande of Impressionists yet has not received the claim she deserves. A captivating read with an interesting twist as our main character Tamara discovers whether her painting is causing her insanity or if it’s something worse.

This is a solid 3 star book for me. That may seem tepid for a book I finished, learned from, and liked well enough, but there were a few things that irked me enough I nearly stopped reading about one-third of the way in.

The book revolves around the fictional painting Party on the Seine, allegedly painted by Edouard Manet. We move in time from the present, when a scientist/business executive named Tamara learns she is the sole heir to the painting and takes possession of it—and it takes possession of her; the 19th century at the dawn of the Impressionist movement and the rise of Manet and the underappreciated painter Berthe Morisot; and the 20th century, as the painting is loved by Morisot’s daughter and granddaughter before being stolen by the Nazis.

This could have been brilliant. I’ve read and liked other books by Shapiro. I kept my smart phone at hand so I could look at the paintings and read more about the painters and the artistic movement they launched. As a bonus, I read this book two weeks after returning from Paris and seeing live some of the paintings talked about in the book.

But the author made some choices I just didn’t respect, hence the tepid 3 stars.

First, Tamara is supposed to be a brilliant woman with a Harvard degree but she acts giddy and insipid, a lot. Ick.

I liked the portrayals of Morisot and Manet and there’s a likelihood they are reasonably accurate. There is a strong chance the two had an affair, though they never had a child together. But the characters of Manet’s wife and brother are stereotypical justifications for infidelity and based on what I’ve read, offensively inaccurate.

But here’s the real knock against the book—Morisot’s haunting of the painting and all the paranormal activity surrounding it is absurd. I like magic realism as much as the next reader, I’ll suspend disbelief, but these editorial choices felt like crutches for an author who didn’t know how to accomplish what she wanted with her story so she went with spectacle.

Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for the providing an ARC e-book in exchange for my honest review.

I found this book disturbing for the way the author manipulated the lives of Manet and his sister in law Bertha Morisot-a renowned artist of Impressionism. I felt it unfair to conjure a story that wasn’t true and I suspect in an attempt to highlight Morisot’s life I found the opposite was true. Interestingly, the Times ran an article on 3/7/25,”How Do You Like Your History With Imaginative Leaps or Grounded in Fact?” This article aptly described my issue with this book that took Imaginative Leaps. The only part I truly enjoyed was the name dropping of the different restaurants I visited when I lived in Boston.

This enjoyable read is yet another art history mystery by B.A.Shapiro. In addition, to the blend of historical fact with fiction, it differs from the others by adding a novel ingredient—the ability of a painting to come alive to further tell its story. Very original.

The narrative unfolds through several time periods from the perspective of three women: mid to late nineteenth century, impressionist painter, Berthe Morisot; early twentieth century, Aimee, Berthe’s daughter, and early to mid-twentieth century; and Collette, Aimee’s daughter. In the present, is Tamara, their descendent.

As the story opens, divorced and wary Tamara receives a call from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. They have recovered a painting by Edouard Manet, the well known painter that was confiscated by the Nazis that they have traced to her. Not having any family at all, this new connection to family history as well as the liveliness of the painting changes the course of her life. A relative of Manet is her nemesis in that he tries several ways to get the painting back to include it as part of the Manet collection.

Tamara is not having it. There is something about this painting, Party on the Seine, that has awakened her in ways, she comes to understand.

The backstory of Berthe Marisot, is fascinating. She was one of the bande of painters who broke through the rigid structure of acceptable French art to become who we know today as the impressionist painters of that time—Degas, Renoir, Monet, Pissaro, Sisley. What fascinated me was the limits that were put on what Morisot was allowed to paint and how, as a woman, she was expected to behave. Not surprisingly, it was the reason the early impressionist female painters are known for their paintings of children and domestic themes.

Berthe’s daughter and granddaughter further lend themselves to an exploration of the painting through their relationship with Berthe, up until it is confiscated from their Paris home by the Nazis.

While Tamara is facing hurdles in all aspects of her life, the painting (that she has hung in her apartment) begins to speak to her in ways that reveal its history and origins.

There is a bit of everything in this story—art history, social mores of the time, love, secrets, and a romp through Paris, which I always love. Although the ending was a bit over the top given how the rest of the story unfolded, I loved how this painting became a character in itself.

Shapiro wrote an extensive note documenting what liberties she took with historical fact. This was very helpful (since the historical love story was so convincing) and would certainly avoid misunderstanding historical figures, as has happened most recently with several authors of this genre. The creative liberties Shapiro took is what made it a compelling read.

I would highly recommend this book for readers who enjoy both women’s fiction and art history.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Algonquin for allowing me to read this advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.