Memoirs of Madame Vigee Lebrun

Rating:
Summary: Madly entertaining!
Review: This memoir by 18th-century French painter Elizabeth Vigee-Lebrun (one of only two women admitted to the French Academy at that time) reads like a romance novel (in the best sense)! Follow Madame Vigee-Lebrun as she creates portraits of Marie Antoinette, endures the tribulations of an arranged marriage, flees to Russia to escape the Revolution's guillotine, and returns to paint portraits of (and gossip about) a new court ruled by Napoleon. It's hard to tell how strictly truthful Madame was, but her exciting life makes for a fascinating read, especially for artistic women.