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Loading... Luncheon of the Boating Party (2007)by Susan Vreeland
None. Although I usually hate fictionalized biography, I enjoyed this imagined account of one of Renoir's best-known works, and, unexpectedly, enjoy the painting itself more now that I know something about its setting and models. It is a warm and sunny painting, and Vreeland's book captures its spirit. (  ) sallysvenson | Mar 17, 2012 |  Reading this novel about Renoir's creation of his famous painting was like watching paint dry. Oof! Vreeland gives us tons of information about the artist, his lifestyle and the models that he used for the painting; but the novel moves at a snail's pace. If I hadn't had to read it for my reading group I never would have finished. Yes, I learned things about Renoir and his Impressionist group but oh! this book could have used some editing. (  )1  ken1952 | Jun 16, 2011 | read but do not own  kchassin | Mar 29, 2011 | If you like Tracy Chevalier you'll probably enjoy Vreeland's works. This is a realistically imaginative account of a portion of Renoir's life involving his creation of one of his best known works, The Luncheon of the Boating Party, a painting of his friends dining and enjoying life on the balcony of the Maison Fournaise restaurant, in a changing French society of the late 1800's. (  ) dgoo | Mar 6, 2011 | What a great story! The author actually researched every person in the painting Luncheon of the Boating Party (except 1 whose identity is debatable) and Renoir himself, and made it all into a super cool historical fiction story. The story spans the 2 months Renoir took to paint it outside. Even though there are 14 people in the painting, Renoir, the paint store owners, and art dealers stories to hear, it didn't drag. My favorite part was a story about the girl who's leaning on her hand on the railing in the painting. She recalls starving in her house during Franco-Prussian War (before the painting). She was lucky to get horse meat rationed to her. During the painting she decides to go back to that old house and finds it's now a food store. She goes inside and has an incredible moment looking at all this food and remembering starving on the floor. It was a moving scene. Also I learned that Renoir and Monet were friends in real life! Whoa. What a time. If you enjoy art or historical fiction you will probably like Luncheon of the Boating Party. (  ) PaperbackPirate | Feb 16, 2011 |
 This complex novel will appeal to those who favor well-developed characters and atmospheric setting over nonstop action and nail-biting suspense.  Highly recommended. Vreeland achieves a detailed and surprising group portrait, individualized and immediate.
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0143113526, Paperback)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). (retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Apr 2011 10:10:00 -0400) Renoir is inspired to paint "Luncheon of the boating party" when his other work is criticized by Emile Zola, and while doing so is drawn into lives of the thirteen people featured in it as they enjoy a Parisian summer during the late 1800s. |
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