Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper [Hardcover]

Harriet Scott Chessman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2001

Harriet Scott Chessman takes us into the world of Mary Cassatt's early Impressionist paintings through Mary's sister Lydia, whom the author sees as Cassatt’s most inspiring muse. Chessman hauntingly brings to life Paris in 1880, with its thriving art world. The novel’s subtle power rises out of a sustained inquiry into art’s relation to the ragged world of desire and mortality. Ill with Bright’s disease and conscious of her approaching death, Lydia contemplates her world narrowing. With the rising emotional tension between the loving sisters, between one who sees and one who is seen, Lydia asks moving questions about love and art’s capacity to remember. Chessman illuminates Cassatt’s brilliant paintings and creates a compelling portrait of the brave and memorable model who inhabits them with such grace. Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper includes five full-color plates, the entire group of paintings Mary Cassatt made of her sister.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Elegantly conceived and tenderly written, this cameo of a novel ushers readers into a small, warmly lit corner of art history. Inspired by five Mary Cassatt paintings of Cassatt's older sister, Lydia, Chessman (Ohio Angels) paints her own intimate portrait of the admirable Lydia, chronicling Lydia's thoughts and feelings as she models for Mary in Paris in the late 1870s and early 1880s. All the while, Lydia is conscious that she is dying of Bright's disease, and her thoughtful contemplation of her life and dashed hopes give shape to the tale. Lydia, who is in her 40s, never married the man she loved was killed in the Civil War but she reveals a sharp, sophisticated awareness of desire in her observations of her sister Mary (May), and May's lover, the painter Edgar Degas. Chessman sees May as vividly as she does Lydia, describing her as a live wire, a woman with outsize ambitions for her times, but also as a devoted sister. Chessman's prose can be obvious and overcareful "I think May's sadness, when she heard my diagnosis, was increased by her memory of earlier sorrows" but her instinctive understanding of the sisters' relationship and her thoughtful description of their studio collaborations elevate this understated effort. The five paintings, beautifully reproduced, appear at intervals and acquire new depth even as they enrich Chessman's story. 4-city author tour. (Nov. 1)Forecast: Published in an unusual joint venture by Seven Stories and the Permanent Press, this title the #1 BookSense pick for November/December is attracting much early attention. The small trim size and glossy art inserts make it an appealing gift book, and it's a safe bet that holiday sales will be strong. U.S. paperback rights to Plume; foreign rights sold in the U.K., Greece, Italy and Australia/New Zealand.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

As you read Chessman's second novel (after Ohio Angels), be prepared for an insightful and moving tale about a great American painter and her family. Here is the poignant story of Lydia, Mary Cassatt's sister, who details the important role she played in the creation of Cassatt's early Impressionist paintings. Each chapter centers on a painting by Mary that involves Lydia, and the narrative offers wonderful insight into Cassatt's bold life and her relationships with artists such as Renoir, Caillebotte, and especially Degas. Though Lydia is fighting a horrible battle against Bright's disease, she continues to pose for her sister and to live her life with courage and dignity. As Degas observes to Lydia, "You show me how to live, if only I could do it as you do." A special treat is the inclusion of color plates of famed Cassatt works like "Lydia Crocheting in the Garden." Like Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring (LJ 10/15/99), this book beautifully limns the impact of art on a woman close to a great artist though the women involved are very different. Highly recommended for both public and academic libraries. Vicki Cecil, Hartford City P.L., IN
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 164 pages
• Publisher: Seven Stories Press; 1st Ed. edition (October 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583222723
• ISBN-13: 978-1583222720
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 7.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #542,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PITCH PERFECT PROSE CELEBRATES FAMILY, LOVE, AND ART, January 28, 2002

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Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper (Hardcover)

Art and life. Life and art. The lines pf demarcation aren't' visible in this richly imagined story of the relationship between Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt (1847 - 1926) and her older sister, Lydia, who sometimes served as Cassatt's model. Using five of the artist's paintings as springboards the author offers a moving story of courage and creativity, while she renders a fascinating study of the times in which the women lived.

Although suffering painfully, from a terminal illness, Bright's disease, Lydia continues to model for her sister, relentlessly scanning each finished portrait as if it foretold her future. Chessman conceives of Lydia as a study in patience and resignation, imagining that painter Edgar Degas, who often visited the sittings, said to Lydia, "You show me how to live, if only I could do it as you do."

In addition to exploring a unique sibling bond "Lydia Cassatt Reading The Morning Paper" suggests aspects of Cassatt's daring life, hints at a liaison with the dynamic Edgar Degas, and presents thumbnail sketches of her interaction with such artists as Renoir and Caillebotte.

Lydia, we learn, died in 1882 while Cassatt lived to create for over thirty more years.

Rather than a sad reflection on a too short life, Chessman, with pitch-perfect prose, has penned a celebration of family, love, and art.

- Gail Cooke

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lyrical and Contemplative, February 26, 2002

By 

Laure-Madeleine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper (Hardcover)

Lydia Cassatt (1837-82) was the older sister of the avant-garde American-born Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). This lovely novella, 'Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper' by Harriet Scott Chessman, is set in Paris and its environs in the late 1870s to early 1880s and recreates a fictional portrayal of their life en famille and with close friends like Edgar Dégas, the French Impressionist. Because it was the time of the Impressionist exhibitions in Paris, there are mentions of other artists such as Gustave Caillebotte, Claude Monet, Pierre Auguste Renoir, and Berthe Morisot. Lydia often posed for Mary, which she found to be 'a form of enchantment.' Afflicted with Bright's disease, a fatal disease of the kidneys, Lydia endured much pain and weakness to sit still while her sister painted her. Through the use of internal monologue in a stream-of-consciousness Impressionistic style, Ms. Chessman allows the reader to experience the passing thoughts, memories, and reflections of Lydia. Lydia had remained an unmarried woman because her fiancé had been killed in the Civil War. Mary (called May) was also unmarried, through choice, because she did not wish to compromise her artistic career with marriage and motherhood.

Included in the pages of this novella are five beautiful color plates of paintings of Lydia by Mary Cassatt. Each of the five short chapters contains almost a meditation on each painting. Through the imaginative writing of Ms. Chessman, I learned more about the details of Cassatt's paintings, such as the possible meaning of a scarlet sash in 'Lydia Crocheting in the Garden at Marly' (1880); that there was a pair of Mary's burgundy leather gloves resting on the loom in 'Lydia Seated at a Tapestry Frame' (1880/81); and that the little girl in 'Woman and Child Driving' (1879) was Edgar Dégas's niece. Mary painted the cover portrait of Lydia, 'Woman Reading,' in 1878/79, and the novella gave me a glimpse of what Lydia might have been thinking and feeling while she posed for it. Lydia's preference was to read poetry by Tennyson rather than the Le Journal newspaper that she is holding in this portrait. Mary Cassatt's portraits of Lydia look unposed, so I was somewhat surprised to read about the sessions where the silently suffering Lydia had posed for hours.

This novella has inspired me to view Mary Cassatt's work with a fresh eye. Now looking at the vivacious décolletage portrait of 'Lydia in a Loge, Wearing a Pearl Necklace' (1879), which is not discussed in this book, I might imagine her enjoying a rare night out at the opera, possibly in a happier mood. Lydia was model and muse for Mary, and 'Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper' shows a contemplative reflection of the artist's gaze.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lyrical Tale of Sisterly Love, September 10, 2002

By 

E. Rothstein "erothstein" (STUDIO CITY, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper (Hardcover)

I was a huge fan of Tracy Chevalier's "Girl with a Pearl Earring", so I was most interested to read Harriet Chessman's novel about Mary Cassatt and her sister Lydia - the inspiration for many of her impressionist paintings. Chessman's style is elegant, and spare, and she limns a portrait as lovingly as Cassatt painted Lydia. If I have any criticism, it's that I wished the novel had a broader scope - it covers a very brief period when Cassatt and her family lived in Paris. I wanted to know more about the family before they came to Europe, and how at that time in history a woman was able to rise to such prominence in the epicenter of the birth of modern art. Chessman is an accomplished writer, and yet the book is not as deeply felt as it could be, perhaps because of its brevity. Still, it is a tale well worth the telling, and a pleasure to read.