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Rating: 
Summary: (3.5) Art imitates life
Review: Much like Tracy Chevalier, Vreeland dips her pen into the palette of great art in search of human drama. An apt choice, for this is a novel filled with life, an emotional canvas as rich and varied as humanity itself. Instead of the obvious, the artists themselves, Vreeland writes about their contemporaries, the people around the genius of creativity, fleshing out the lives of her chosen artists, the Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, their lovers, children, neighbors and servants. These observers enjoy the most intimate knowledge of the daily struggles, the passion to create vs. the need to provide for families and how their behavior affects those around them.
Beginning in France in 1876, we are introduced to Renoir, Claude Monet, Edouard Manet, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cezanne and Modigliani. In "Winter of Abandon", Claude Monet's wife dies, his children and those of his mistress stranded in the harsh winter, understanding that the lady must reclaim her family name at the thaw of spring. Meanwhile they cling to a world isolated from reality. The days are difficult for the wet nurse of the baby of Berthe and Eugene Manet ("Cradle Song") and her own child dies while she lives with the couple. Completely unaware of the heartbreak of the servant's life, the couple fixates on their own obsessions, including Berthe's attraction to her brother-in-law, Edouard Manet. And in "Olympia's Look", Suzanne Manet, widow of Edouard, enjoys the revenge of a lifetime.
Vincent Van Gogh ("The Yellow Jacket") warns his subject, "You can ruin yourself in the night cafes", where the absinthe flows freely and muddles the senses. Walking the streets of Arles, Van Gogh stares raptly at the wonder of nature's colors. Curiously (for me), the stories I enjoyed the least were those about Van Gogh and Paul Cezanne; these have less of the emotional richness of the first stories. Yet, in the very next one, "A Flower for Ginette", the magic is back, the author's descriptions evoking images of the great paintings, made more real by the histories that surround them.
In contrast to the historical stories at the beginning, separated by an enchanting travel tale, the second half of the book consists of more contemporary tales, people who inhabit the real world and their relationships to art. These tales provide the small intimacies that transcend the years, linking genius to humanity. This author is at her most confidant when speaking in the language of the artist, shaping images into words, painting stories for her readers. "All art is a matter of reception." Luan Gaines/ 2005.
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