Customer Reviews

Suzanne : of Love and Art

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The author manages to tell the story of this extraordinary life in the most laboured way imaginable. It is clear that she has done considerable research and she seems determined to force every finding into the story, regardless of its relevance to character or plot.

The attempt at an interesting narrative technique fails (each chapter is narrated by a different central character: Valadon herself, Lautrec, Degas, etc) because the 'voice' of each character is the same and no independent personality or emotion emerges.

Even the repetition of exclamations in French (just in case we forget that the book is set in Paris?) became pure irritation by the end.

I finished the book because the subject matter is of interest to me, but it was a struggle. There is no subtlety in the writing at all. I was suprised to learn that this is the work of an experienced author because it seemed more like the work of an enthusiastic amateur.

It is telling that of the two 'reviews' on the back cover, one from 'Bill Henderson - Editor and Publisher' is too brief to be informative and the other, from Germaine Greer, is clearly about the book's subject and not about the book.

If you are interested in Valadon, you would be better reading 'Mistress of Montmartre : a life of Suzanne Valadon' by June Rose.

I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. It brought to life that era of art. It is obvious that this "fictional" book was thoroughly researched and based on the true story. I recommend this to all my art students and to my friends who want a spicy read on artists and that time period.

As a reader interested in the Impressionist Era, I was particularly drawn to Suzanne: of Love and Art, a novel based on the life of the artist Suzanne Valadon. This very beautiful daring modeland mistress of Toulouse-Lautrec and Renoir who taught herself to draw and paint, was well portrayed, I felt, by the author. The obstacles against women artists which she had to overcome in the 19th century in her rise from obscurity, made for a colorful and fascinating novel and certainly an interesting one.

As a parent, I felt that the passages between her and her alcoholic son, Maurice Utrillo, were by far the best written in the book. The passage starting with "and on the fifth day with the daylight streaming through the window and with the snow plaguing Paris. . . .Maurice began to mix his paints," was a particularly moving one. In her forcing her son to paint in order to deal with his alcoholism throws out the question in this century, "How far should a mother intervene in her child's career?" Certainly, her son fought her desire that he be an artist. That is, at first. She followed her gut feeling and insisted. In these times, in modern psychology, her insistence that he paint would appear slightly ludicrous. But it worked! If her son had not become an artist, he would have remained a hopeless drunk.Yet I kept asking myself as a parent, "What would I have done?" The author, of course, followed the actual facts of Suzanne's life and Maurice Utrillo became a great painter.

Suzanne's dilemmas were twofold. Aside from her problem with her son, there was her life with her husband, a womanizer, 21 years her junior. Ms. Koren, again handled this deterioration well in her relationship with him.

I felt that the structure of the book a bit unusual, having the characters close to her in her life tell their version of their relationship with Suzanne. It was a fresh departure from the usual first person narrative.

I found the book interesting an well written and certainly shows the research and knowledge of the subject matter. There's also insight into the times. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

I was completely intrigued with the overall contents of this book! It was hard to put down. "Suzanne" was very inspiring in the way that she over came many obstacles and lived her life to its fullest. The way she approached each day was adventurous and sensually done. I would recommend this reading for others near and far. To find the locket would truly be a treasure, I wish you all the luck in your quest!

Suzanne Valadon was certainly a woman ahead of her time. It is refreshing to read a book that gives such a clear perspective on all the challenges that women face, as artists, single moms and as sexual beings. And Suzanne managed to live such a rich life in a time when it really was unheard of. This book has let me learn about some of the most famous French Impressionist painters in an riveting and provocative way.

I thoroughly recommend this book.