Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper

This poignant little novel centered around Mary Cassatt’s life in 1880’s Paris covers much of the same ground as another book I read recently--I always Loved You by Robin Oliveira, a work of fiction which speculates about Cassatt’s relationship with Edgar Degas. Degas, the Cassatt family, and the Paris art scene are brought back to life in this book too, but here the story is told from the point of view of Mary’s beloved but terminally ill sister Lydia, who served as a model in some of Cassatt’s most beautiful paintings. Each of the five chapters uses one of the paintings Mary did of Lydia as its jumping off point, and (thank you publisher!) lovely color plates of the paintings are interspersed in the text.

As a narrator Lydia show more has wit, longings, and a probing intellect, but because of her illness she leads a circumscribed life very unlike her ambitious younger sister. She muses about the artistic process and her role in it, she’s fascinated by and drawn to Mary’s interpretations of her modeling poses, and when strong enough she takes readers with her around the sunny streets of Paris to rub elbows with the likes of Degas, Renoir, and Caillebotte. While Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper is a short novel it’s not slight. Ambitious themes are explored, including life, death, family love, driving passion, the place of art, and the possibility of immortality. show less

A lovely little book which brings to life the artist Mary Cassatt and her older sister Lydia, who posed for her over 1878-81 while slowly deteriorating from a kidney disease. It’s told in five parts, each centered around one of the resulting paintings, and the insights that Chessman provides make it impossible to see these works in the same way again. The chapters are like little impressionist paintings of their own, and the book doesn’t get bogged down in details or attempt to be more comprehensive, which for the most part I found a strength, but confess it left me wanting a little more. Edgar Degas was in Cassatt’s life at this time and so he figures prominently, and it was interesting to read Chessman’s take on their show more enigmatic relationship. Most of all, I appreciated the reminder of the humanity of these individuals, and that the fleeting images left behind in the artwork are just small reflections of their dreams, loves, and frustrations in life. There is something profound in shifting the focus to Lydia Cassatt, who led a quiet little life and had it cut short at 45, someone who like the rest of us would soon be forgotten by the world, and yet lives on in a way because of her sister’s art and Chessman’s book. show less

Beautiful little book about Mary Cassatt's painting of 5 pictures of her sister during the last 4 years of Lydia's life told from Lydia's perspective. Each chapter deals with the time around a particular painting, each of which is included in the book in full color. The fiction is very contemplative of Lydia's early years and the Cassatt family. It is set in Paris and Marly in the French countryside. The descriptions and atmosphere are almost dreamlike in spots. There are interactions with Impressionists Edgar Degas, Mary's mentor and Berthe Morisot, Mary's friend. Highly recommended.

This is the author's fictionalised attempt to get into the head of Lydia Cassatt as she posed for her sister, impressionist artist Mary Cassett, in Paris in the late 1880s.

Written in a stream-of-consciousness style, full of unfinished thoughts and hints of past tragedies never fully explained, this is nevertheless a quick and engrossing read. I neither loved it nor hated it, but Lydia isn't a fully three dimensional character so the story feels incomplete. What is here though makes the reader feel as though they are present in the studio, in Lydia's room, while Mary paints.

If you're a fan of Mary Cassatt you might find this of marginal interest (say, if you were to stumble upon it at the library).

What can I say about this book? Chessman has created an amazing fictional glimpse into the life of American Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt, through the eyes of her older sister and sometimes model Lydia. The story, told in 5 chapters and a mere 163 pages, is a fascinating portrait of Mary, Lydia - who suffered from and died of Bright's Disease - and the time period, both artistic and non-artistic. Each chapter is focused on presenting the setting of each painting Lydia modeled for Mary - a written portrait of a painting in progress.

While this is a work of fiction, Chessman has build upon the facts that Mary Cassatt lived much of her adult life in France - where the book is set - and that she had befriended fellow painter Edgar show more Degas, who is also portrayed in Chessman's novel. Chessman relied on the paintings Lydia modeled for during her final years, and captures what may have been discussed, witnessed and thought of by Lydia, between September 1878 and Lydia's death on November 7, 1882. Chessman delves into Lydia's worries, her frustrations with her failing health and her thoughts of her family that surround her in their fifth floor apartment in Paris.

I found this to be a poignantly beautiful story that I feel captures the essence of the Impressionist era, life in Paris in the late 1880's and, hopefully, a good characterization of the thoughts and feelings of Lydia Cassett in her final years. A stunning story I highly recommend, for both art lovers and readers that take an interest in the human condition in general. The inclusion of glossy print copies of the paintings within the chapters is a nice touch and I enjoyed examining the paintings as much as I enjoyed reading Chessman's story. show less

A perfectly exquisite little book: a novella of five chapters on five portraits of Lydia Cassatt, painted by her sister, the American impressionist, Mary Cassatt. Each consisted of Lydia's meditations on life, illness [Lydia suffered from Bright's Disease], death, and art; her thoughts and memories, interspersed with her descriptions of the modeling sessions for her sister. Also, Lydia attempts an interpretation of each of these five portraits: "Woman reading"; "Tea"; "The Garden"; "Driving"; "Lydia seated at her embroidery frame." Written in delicate, flowing prose in a stream-of-consciousness style, this opened for me the world of the Cassatt sisters, their family, and the Parisian art world of the 1880s. An added bonus was a color show more plate of each portrait. show less

This novel had much more depth of understanding than I thought it would when I picked it up at a used book sale. Told in the first person, Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper delves into the model's thoughts and feelings as she sits for her sister, the impressionist painter Mary Cassatt.
Older by eight years, Lydia has Bright's Disease, an historical name for a number of kidney diseases, which, in the 1870's, was untreatable and almost always fatal. Although fiction, the book considers the process of painting from the model's perspective, and therefore lends greater insight into the paintings themselves. There are five reproductions included. Recommended for anyone with interest in art, impressionism, or the dying process.