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Lisette's List: A Novel by Susan…
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Lisette's List: A Novel (edition 2014)

by Susan Vreeland

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3412275,486 (3.6)11
Fiction. Literature. Romance. Historical Fiction. HTML:From Susan Vreeland, bestselling author of such acclaimed novels as Girl in Hyacinth Blue, Luncheon of the Boating Party, and Clara and Mr. Tiffany, comes a richly imagined story of a woman’s awakening in the south of Vichy France—to the power of art, to the beauty of provincial life, and to love in the midst of war.

In 1937, young Lisette Roux and her husband, André, move from Paris to a village in Provence to care for André’s grandfather Pascal. Lisette regrets having to give up her dream of becoming a gallery apprentice and longs for the comforts and sophistication of Paris. But as she soon discovers, the hilltop town is rich with unexpected pleasures.

Pascal once worked in the nearby ochre mines and later became a pigment salesman and frame maker; while selling his pigments in Paris, he befriended Pissarro and Cézanne, some of whose paintings he received in trade for his frames. Pascal begins to tutor Lisette in both art and life, allowing her to see his small collection of paintings and the Provençal landscape itself in a new light. Inspired by Pascal’s advice to “Do the important things first,” Lisette begins a list of vows to herself (#4. Learn what makes a painting great). When war breaks out, André goes off to the front, but not before hiding Pascal’s paintings to keep them from the Nazis’ reach.

With German forces spreading across Europe, the sudden fall of Paris, and the rise of Vichy France, Lisette sets out to locate the paintings (#11. Find the paintings in my lifetime). Her search takes her through the stunning French countryside, where she befriends Marc and Bella Chagall, who are in hiding before their flight to America, and acquaints her with the land, her neighbors, and even herself in ways she never dreamed possible. Through joy and tragedy, occupation and liberation, small acts of kindness and great acts of courage, Lisette learns to forgive the past, to live robustly, and to love again.

Praise for Lisette’s List

“Vreeland’s love of painters and painting, her meticulous research and pitch-perfect descriptive talents . . . are abundantly evident in her new novel.”The Washington Post

“This historical novel’s . . . great strength is its lovingly detailed setting. . . . Readers will enjoy lingering in the sun-dappled, fruit-scented Provençal landscape that Vreeland brings to life.”The Boston Globe.
… (more)
Member:barb302
Title:Lisette's List: A Novel
Authors:Susan Vreeland
Info:Random House (2014), Hardcover, 432 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****1/2
Tags:Novel

Work Information

Lisette's List by Susan Vreeland

  1. 00
    Le Maître de Garamond by Anne Cuneo (cometahalley)
    cometahalley: Un romanzo in cui si intrecciano Storia e Arte
  2. 00
    The Last Station: A Novel of Tolstoy's Final Year by Jay Parini (cometahalley)
    cometahalley: Un romanzo che restituisce il profilo umano di un grande scrittore, Tolstoj. Anche in questa opera, come nel libro della Vreeland, l'arte prende vita nell'intimità familiare di grandi personaggi
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» See also 11 mentions

English (19)  Italian (2)  German (1)  All languages (22)
Showing 1-5 of 19 (next | show all)
Lisette and her husband Andre leave Paris in 1937 and go to the (real) village of Roussillon in Provence to care for his aging grandfather, Pascal. Lisette is at first frustrated, because she hoped to work as an art museum curator in Paris, but she learns that Pascal met the artists Cezanne and Pissarro (through his work in the ochre mines, as a pigment salesman, and as a frame maker), and has some of their paintings, as well as a possible Picasso. When Andre enlists to fight in World War II, he hides the paintings. Much of the book is about what Lisette does to get through the war, and her quest to find the paintings afterward. She meets Mark and Bella Chagall, and is gifted with one of his paintings as well. The story moves slowly, but Vreeland does a wonderful job describing the Provençal countryside and way of life. The audiobook is read by Kim Bubbs, who does a wonderful job with all the French words in the book. The afterword identifies which paintings are real and which are not. ( )
1 vote riofriotex | Nov 20, 2018 |
The author mocks foie gras, making the French as accepting of extreme cruelty to animals as the Spanish with their godawful bullfights.

The tone is shallow, enhanced by Vreeland giving her pet chicken to be killed for no real reason.

Plot lags along, improbable and convoluted. ( )
  m.belljackson | Aug 15, 2018 |
I had such a difficult time getting through this book that I found myself skimming whole sections just to get to the end. I've loved this author's previous books, so I'm not sure why I couldn't get in to the rhythm of this one.
Just not for me, but I'm sure other readers will have more interest in the subject matter and enjoy it. ( )
  Iambookish | Dec 14, 2016 |
A little redundant towards the end but it made me cry so 4 stars for that. ( )
  cygnet81 | Apr 14, 2016 |
On the eve of WWII, Lisette moves from Paris to Roussillon, a small village in Provence, with her husband Andre to help care for his dying grandfather, Pascal. She is disappointed to leave Paris, where the arts culture is so important to her, and where she hopes one day to work as a curator in a museum. She discovers, however, that Pascal developed relationships with the artists Cezanne and Pissarro, through his work in the ochre mines (he became a pigment salesman and frame maker). Pascal ended up with a small collection of paintings from these famous painters as repayment for making frames for their work. WWII enters their lives, and Andre hides the paintings before he leaves for war. The rest of the story evolves around Lisette's task of finding the lost paintings after the war.

The premise of the story is interesting, and Vreeland's love of art permeates every page. This was the strength and weakness of the book for me. Learning about the famous painters (including Marc Chagall) was a bonus, but the text at times dragged on, most likely due to the fact that I am not drawn instinctually to discussions of art. So some passages were a stretch for me, but I'm glad I stuck with it. It's definitely worthwhile, and a good historical fiction novel. ( )
  peggybr | Mar 7, 2016 |
Showing 1-5 of 19 (next | show all)
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Epigraph
In our life there is a single color,
as on an artist's palette,
which provides the meaning of
life and art. It is the color of love.
- - Marc Chagall
Dedication
For Jane von Mehren
First words
Amid the crowd of travelers darting in front of the Avignon train station, the delivery boys on ancient bicycles swerving between children and horse carts, and the automobile drivers honking their horns, Andre stood relaxed, eating an apple from a fruit stand.
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Wikipedia in English (1)

Fiction. Literature. Romance. Historical Fiction. HTML:From Susan Vreeland, bestselling author of such acclaimed novels as Girl in Hyacinth Blue, Luncheon of the Boating Party, and Clara and Mr. Tiffany, comes a richly imagined story of a woman’s awakening in the south of Vichy France—to the power of art, to the beauty of provincial life, and to love in the midst of war.

In 1937, young Lisette Roux and her husband, André, move from Paris to a village in Provence to care for André’s grandfather Pascal. Lisette regrets having to give up her dream of becoming a gallery apprentice and longs for the comforts and sophistication of Paris. But as she soon discovers, the hilltop town is rich with unexpected pleasures.

Pascal once worked in the nearby ochre mines and later became a pigment salesman and frame maker; while selling his pigments in Paris, he befriended Pissarro and Cézanne, some of whose paintings he received in trade for his frames. Pascal begins to tutor Lisette in both art and life, allowing her to see his small collection of paintings and the Provençal landscape itself in a new light. Inspired by Pascal’s advice to “Do the important things first,” Lisette begins a list of vows to herself (#4. Learn what makes a painting great). When war breaks out, André goes off to the front, but not before hiding Pascal’s paintings to keep them from the Nazis’ reach.

With German forces spreading across Europe, the sudden fall of Paris, and the rise of Vichy France, Lisette sets out to locate the paintings (#11. Find the paintings in my lifetime). Her search takes her through the stunning French countryside, where she befriends Marc and Bella Chagall, who are in hiding before their flight to America, and acquaints her with the land, her neighbors, and even herself in ways she never dreamed possible. Through joy and tragedy, occupation and liberation, small acts of kindness and great acts of courage, Lisette learns to forgive the past, to live robustly, and to love again.

Praise for Lisette’s List

“Vreeland’s love of painters and painting, her meticulous research and pitch-perfect descriptive talents . . . are abundantly evident in her new novel.”The Washington Post

“This historical novel’s . . . great strength is its lovingly detailed setting. . . . Readers will enjoy lingering in the sun-dappled, fruit-scented Provençal landscape that Vreeland brings to life.”The Boston Globe.

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