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Luncheon of the Boating Party

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Luncheon of the Boating Party

By: Susan Vreeland
Narrated by: Karen White
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 A vivid exploration of one of the most beloved Renoir paintings in the world, ?done with a flourish worthy of Renoir himself? (USA Today)

With her richly textured novels, Susan Vreeland has offered pioneering portraits of artists? lives. Now, as she did in Girl in Hyacinth Blue, Vreeland once again focuses on a single painting?Auguste Renoir?s instantly recognizable masterpiece, which depicts a gathering of Renoir?s real friends enjoying a summer Sunday on a café terrace along the Seine. Narrated by Renoir and seven of the models, the novel illuminates the gusto, hedonism, and art of the era. With a gorgeous palette of vibrant, captivating characters, Vreeland paints their lives, loves, losses, and triumphs so vividly that ?the painting literally comes alive? (The Boston Globe). Biographical Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Fiction Biography War
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A good story and decent history of the impressionists. However, the narrator murders the French words and names in the story ...her accent is deplorable or, rather, nonexistent. I found this terribly grating!

Good story but poor narration

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The author classifies this book as an historical novel, based on the incidents surrounding the painting by Renoir of the Luncheon at the Boating Party. It is none the worse for that. Her research has obviously been thorough, but this book rises above the bare facts to represent a completely 'readable' story of how theses real characters interacted with one another to contribute to this wonderful painting. Until I 'read' this book, I considered Renoir to be one of the least of the Impressionists, painting the pretty pictures one sees on chocolate boxes etc. Now, I understand his pivotal role in the movement and how he influenced later painters. I can't wait to get to Washington DC to see the picture in the flesh.
The narration is very much in tune with the spirit of the book, and most of the French pronunciation excellent, is though it is let down by some strange anomalies, such as the pronunciation of Montmartre (naturally a frequently mentioned place) as MonTmartre.

A lovely book

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