Stephanie CowellReseñas

Fiction - Claude Monet

I enjoyed the story because I am interested in Claude Monet. But I think Cowell took too many liberties with facts and most important, her writing was pedestrian and clumsy. Her book Marrying Mozart was much the same and would have kept me from reading any more of her writing except that she writes about people who interest me. So I endure writing that I think is poor and regret that a better writer didn't take on the project, in order to enjoy the company of people with whom I would like to spend time and whose lives I want to enter, just a little.

Mozart was my favorite composer for many years (and still among my favorites) so I was looking forward to this story that would bring him to life. Unfortunately I felt I got a cardboard Mozart. Although I did enjoy the book because the story was fun to read, I thought the writing was amateurish.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

I have so much to say about this book.

Let’s start off with the good sentiments.
So this book has a lot going for it, the characterization of Robbie and Anton was really very solid. These were two fully fleshed out characters with their own motivations, personalities, and weaknesses and I really enjoyed getting to know more about them and getting a peek into their respective histories. The writing also has moments of brilliance and several times the author really outdoes herself with encapsulating something complex and rich in only a brief sentence or two. For instance, one I especially liked comes from the chapter “Conversation” in Book One, the context is Robbie musing on how his desires, which seem so benign and natural to him are vilified as perverse in the eyes of society, the church, and the law. (note: this quote comes from an advance copy of the book and not a final edition)

“Men were beautiful things: Why could God create such things and not allow them to be touched? Wasn’t it natural to touch a beautiful thing?”

Excellent stuff.

The author also excels in portraying the mix of apprehension and longing endemic between two men in Edwardian England who see each other as potential partners but unsure of how, or even if, to make the first move. These early chapters showing the beginning of their relationship were some of the finest in the book.

Now for the not so great elements.

At times the pace of this book was jarring and disjointed. Sometimes events and characters would shift perspective, setting, or even whole countries, in only a few words. This took some getting used to and by the end it wasn’t quite so disorienting but it still made the story feel jumbled in places. The dialogue too, both internal and verbal, could use some work. Almost all the characters speak in the exact same, matter of fact, way and sometimes their exchanges are as abrupt and full of non-sequiturs as the scene transitions. Additionally, the book felt repetitive at times and certain phrases (“his face grew stern”) are relied on to an all too noticeable degree.

Finally, my biggest problem with this novel was the eternal back and forth between Anton and Robbie, perpetually breaking off and then mending their relationship in an everlasting emotional tug of war that exhausts the reader and saps even the abundant vitality of this otherwise charming and earnest book. I lost track of the number of times either of our main characters left the other, always “for their own good” and then regretted it and eventually returned. It strains the heartstrings and after the third or fourth “final” break up or reconciliation it’s difficult to care or wish for anything except maybe a permanent resolution, of any kind, to this Sisyphean “will they, won’t they” pattern.

These characters also seem to learn nothing from any of their many break ups. Anton always goes on repressing his feelings and hoarding his words and Robbie always manages to drink too much too fast at the most inopportune times. And in every break up neither of our leading men ever just talk or even attempt to communicate! Our leading men would rather jump at any opportunity to board the earliest train out of London or Nottingham depending, rather than speak for even a few moments longer about their relationship or their emotions.

I understand relationships are hard, and they’re work, and it must have been fiendishly challenging to do that work in this time and place with a prison sentence or denunciation hanging over you. But people don’t behave this way. People learn and grow emotionally (which they do in the novel, to be fair, though never enough to prevent another inevitable, tearful, break up), and when they’re in love and want to be together they don’t invent reasons to leave and return ad infinitum over the span of decades as happens in this book. By the end I found myself thinking, these aren’t people, or even characters, they’re puppets.

I can appreciate an author trying to write a gay historical romance story where most of the roadblocks to a relationship are internal and stem from the challenging nature of relationships rather than from the explicitly homophobic society they live in (though that plays its part too); but this novel just didn’t accomplish that and for me and didn’t quite stick the landing. Despite its shortcomings I couldn’t seem to stop reading it, even as I grew frustrated with its compounding issues.

Interesting story, but very clumsy writing.

As the title implies , the heart of this novel is the love story between Monet & Camille. And on that level it works very well. It is a really sweet love story. But there's more to this novel than just the love story. It also tells in harrowing detail, the financial struggles such now famous artists, as Monet, Renoir, Manet, Degas and others, had to go through before they became the renowned artist they are today. And what's so uplifting about the story is the way in which they all supported each other throughout the difficult times. They were rivals looking for the few commissions to be had, and yet they stuck together through it all. In many ways, their individual fame and success was a group effort.

Nel 1777 a Mannheim, in Germania, tra gli ospiti di casa Weber capita un giorno anche Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Ed è così che a modesta famiglia di un copista di musica – il paziente Fridolin eber, la tenace Frau Weber e quattro graziose fanciulle – approda al palcoscenico della grande musica. All’inizio è amore a prima vista tra Mozart e Aloysia, la più bella delle quattro ragazze.
Il padre di Mozart, tuttavia, incita il figlio a pensare alla carriera e non alle sottane. Stufa di aspettare, la bella Aloysia sposerà incinta un pittore di discreto talento. Mentre la primogenita Josefa, segretamente innamorata anche lei del giovane musicista, si sente superata ingiustamente e se ne va di casa, e la più piccola, Sophie, per sfuggire ai soffocanti “progetti” della madre corre a rifugiarsi in convento, sarà la terza, Constanze, a salire con Mozart all’altare. Romanzo storico in cui la felicità della scrittura si unisce al piacere delle vicende narrate, Il matrimonio delle sorelle Weber ci porta direttamente nel cuore dell'animo femminile, nei sogni, nei desideri e nelle disillusioni di quattro giovani donne e della loro madre, e, insieme, ci offre il ritratto perfetto di un'epoca di grande creatività e civiltà

In the love story, ‘Claude and Camille, the author Stephanie Cowell depicts the lives of Claude Monet and his muse Camille Doncieux in this historical fiction novel. Monet first met Camille as a young woman when he caught a glimpse of her working at her uncle’s bookshop. Thus began a relationship that would span the rest of Camille’s life, when she abandoned a wealthy lifestyle to live in abject poverty at times with her lover Monet.
This novel almost read like a ‘Who’s Who’ of famous Impressionist artists, as it frequently mentioned Monet’s friendships with such artists as Manet, Cézanne, Renoir, Pissarro, and Bazille. I was amazed at how these struggling artists would support each other both emotionally and financially, as they struggled to subsist with their families, not yet reaching their pinnacle of success in the art world.
I was also struck by Monet’s commitment to his art, even in the face of destitution at times. He was uncompromising, never abandoning his ambition to paint, even when poverty struck. I am amazed that Monet sacrificed so much to establish himself through his art, when recently one of his paintings of the ‘Haystacks’ series sold at Sotheby’s for $110.7, and he is known the world over today.
If you love the Impressionist period as I do, I would highly recommend this novel, as it brings to life some of the enchanting paintings of Monet which I’ve had the pleasure to view in museums around the world.

After reading Claude & Camille - A Novel of Monet by Stephanie Cowell, I've decided Monet was a detestable fellow and a sponge on all who knew him. There, I've said it!

Reading a fictionalised account of the life of a favourite artist is a risk and unfortunately it didn't pay off for me this time. I will continue to admire Monet's artwork but this insight into the man revealed an unlikeable artist who repeatedly made decisions that infuriated me.

Of course I knew he and his first wife Camille lived in poverty, but I didn't realise how proud he was, how he was constantly in denial about his mounting debts and often ran away to escape them. During periods of greatest financial need, he was often too upset or worried to paint; his only source of income.

The frequent mention of impressionist artists was to be expected and Renoir, Bazille, Sisley, Degas, Cezanne and Pissarro all feature in Monet's life.

While I didn't like Claude Monet and therefore wasn't terribly interested in his life, this is not a reflection of the author's writing. Stephanie Cowell has done a great job bringing Monet's story to life and her detailed research shines through.

Claude & Camille: a novel of Monet. Stephanie Cowell. 2011. This is a great fictionalize biography Monet and his model, lover, and wife, Camille. I love reading about the Impressionists! There is an impressive bibliography at the end of the book which always pleases me, I don’t feel like I have “cheated” by reading a novel instead of a real biography! It is fascinating to read about the struggles of Monet and the other artists as they fight for acceptance and fame. Even more interesting to me was the personal lives of these painters and their families. This makes me want to re-read The Private Lives of the Impressionists. I loved it!

Claude and Camille - S. Cowell
audio performance by Christopher Cazenove
4 stars

I think this might be ‘speculative’ historical fiction. It is a highly romanticized story of the relationship between Claude Monet and Camille Doncieux. First and always, Camille was Monet’s model and his muse. She was also his lover and finally his wife. Cowell presents the relationship as one of high passion and tragedy. Tragedy develops from the extreme poverty of the painter’s early career, Camille’s recurring mental illness, and her early death. It’s an operatic story. The pages turned easily. I enjoyed the sense of artistic camaraderie that existed between the young ‘impressionists’. They seemed to have so much fun being poor and unknown.

Library summary:

. A vividly-rendered portrait of both the rise of Impressionism and of the artist at the center of the movement, Claude and Camille is above all a love story of the highest romantic order.

The subtitle is all the synopsis you need: A Novel of Monet. Cowell gives us a fictionalized look at the early to middle years of Monet’s career, when he met, wooed and married Camille Doncieux … and painted her in many poses and settings.

The novel is told in two time frames, each section being introduced by an early 20th-century Monet, writing from his Givenchy home circa 1908, and then followed by the late 19th-century time period evoked in his memory, starting in 1857 and ending in 1879. The reader learns of his early struggles, his developing relationship with Camille, and with the other young painters who formed the Impressionists movement – Pissarro, Renoir, Degas, Bazille, et al.

Cowell does a good job of giving the reader a sense of the time and place, as well as the enthusiasm of youth, the passion of working toward one’s dream, the camaraderie of friends, and the safety of a steadfast love. Not to say that all was easy for Claude and Camille. It wasn’t. Their families didn’t approve, their friends were skeptical, their precarious finances made it almost impossible for them to be together for long stretches of time. But Camille’s devotion to Monet did not waiver.

All in all, it’s a good work of historical fiction, with a true-life romance at its core.

At the end of the book, the author includes some historical notes in which she outlines what is fact, and what is fiction in the novel. She also includes a list of the paintings mentioned in the book, and where the works are currently held.

Claude Monet glimpsed Camille Doncieux at a train station and was immediately inspired. Some time later he glimpsed her again behind the counter in a booksellers’s shop. So begins the most tempestuous relationship between the artist and his muse. They both swim against the tide of convention and live their lives according to their own whims and means. As the title suggests this is the story of the artist and his muse/lover. It is a good story, but what makes it even better is the back story. The author’s ability to bring Paris of the period to life. Ms. Cowell’s descriptions of the struggling artists (Manet, Bazille, Renoir, Pissaro, Sisley and Cezanne), their studios, their fights and their talents painted pictures in my imagination. For me, the two main characters waivered between being likable and being intolerable. While never taking away from Monet’s talent and his drive in being part of the group to establish “Impressionsim” I finished this book with a feeling that he might have been someone I would not like very much, but I admired his courage. I have mentioned before that I enjoy books with art as the subject or background and I have never read Ms. Cowell before. My only basis of comparison would be to Susan Vreeland and Ms. Cowell definitely holds her own.

for TLC book club; The story focuses on Monet's years of starting out as an artist, meeting Camille and his progression as an artist during Camille's lifetime.

I know I liked it and I know I read it in 2007. It wa a nice and interesting read but I cannot really review this book because it has been too long ago to be specific.

This is the story of Claude Monet; his great love, Camille Doncieux; and their life as they struggle together in the years before his fame.

I started reading this not knowing anything about Monet except that I used to have a print of one of his works hanging in my bedroom. I also don't know much about art except that I know what I like. I have enjoyed reading fiction about art and artists in the past, so I thought I'd give this a try.

It was okay. It is always amazing to me that artists who are generally accepted to be--I don't know, geniuses?--had to struggle so hard to be recognized back when they first started out, and sometimes even throughout their entire lives. I guess that just goes to show that people are slow to accept change.

The main reason that this got three stars is that it's written in a style that's not really for me. It felt like the author tried to stick very closely to the facts, which I do respect, but that made it feel more like I was reading a biography rather than fiction. I read very, very little non-fiction, so that wasn't a style that worked for me. I'm willing to sacrifice a little truth for a good story! Just ask my husband! ;-)

The angle of approaching Monet's life through his relationship with Camille also didn't quite work for me. It was a stormy relationship, and I'm not one for that kind of drama in real life or the printed page. I want to smack people around, and say, "If you're that unhappy, do something about it!"

I did enjoy reading about Monet's relationships with the other early Impressionists. I had no idea that all these guys hung out together. Reading a list of Monet's friends is like reading a "Who's Who" of the art world. Renoir, Pissarro, Degas, Manet, Cézanne--I know there are more that I'm forgetting. I found myself wishing that I could read more about those relationships. What was included was good and taught me a lot, I just wanted more. I was really curious about Frédéric Bazille. I've never heard of him, but he was a fascinating character. There was always a lot going on behind the scenes with him, and I really wanted to know more.

I do always find myself wishing that publishers would just go ahead and print reproductions of the works in books about art. I knew a few of the paintings that were mentioned, and I would probably recognize more if I saw them, but it would be nice to be able to see Monet's Water Lilies series as I read about it.

This was a good book, there were just a few things that could have made it better for me. I know that not everyone's taste is the same as mine, so there are readers who will enjoy this a lot. Die-hard fans of Monet and readers who regularly read biographies will be among them.

Thanks to Random House for sending me an ARC for review.

I confess ... I completely picked up this book because of the cover.

(Admit it, you would have too.)

As one of the artists known as the Impressionists, Claude Monet's paintings have become among the most recognized and best loved in the world. However, as Claude and Camille makes very clear, his success was definitely not of the overnight variety. Monet's work was routinely dismissed and the success he did have came very late in his life.

Claude and Camille is a historical novel about the life of Monet and Camille Doncieux, who he met in a bookshop and who modeled for many of his now-well known paintings. The two fell in love and lived a life that can only be described as one that was solely dedicated to each other and Claude's art.

Perpetually believing and declaring that he was on the verge of some great success, Claude was constantly penniless and often owed money to everyone and anyone. When he and Camille weren't being evicted from one rented room after another, they were living with Claude's passel of artist friends.

Ah, yes ... the friends. These weren't just any ordinary, run-of-the-mill friends. (At the time they were, because like Monet, they all were poor and spent days imploring passersby and patrons in restaurants for a chance to sketch them for a few francs.) These BFFs of Monet's had names like Renoir, Pissaro, Degas, Cezanne, Bazille, and Manet.

Their interactions make for some of the strongest parts of Claude and Camille. I loved reading about this group, their back and forth banter, their steadfast support of and belief in one another. They were always a day late and a dollar short, always borrowing money from someone's family member. They had grandiose plans for an independent exhibition of their collective work - which eventually did happen, but which took years to become more than a dream (again, due to the lack of money).

In some ways, I liked the relationship between the artists moreso than the one with Claude and Camille. Theirs was a love story, absolutely, but a frustrating one. At times, Claude was a little maddening; you wanted to shake the guy and tell him to man up and get a real job so Camille and his baby, Jean, would have a decent home and enough food on the table. (He often turned down "regular" jobs, such as working in his father's nautical supply business, that would have provided a stable income.) Claude left Camille for months on several occasions. He was also, if the dialogue is any indication of his real personality, a bit prone to melodrama and haughtiness.

Camille wasn't perfect either (she probably suffered from undiagnosed depression - who the hell could blame the poor woman?) and while she had the patience of a saint to put up with Claude's dreams, you have to give her credit for believing in the guy when others would (and did) give up on him. Still, she did so at a price to herself, giving up on her own dreams of writing and being an actress.

(This is, of course, easy to say in 2010. Back in the mid-1800s, things were a bit different.)

I enjoyed Claude and Camille, but there was something - I can't quite pinpoint what, exactly - that was a little flat. It might have been in the dialogue. It was certainly very interesting in terms of subject matter (especially in regards to the Impressionists' lives and friendships) but as a novel, Claude and Camille didn't rise to the level of being a stay-up-all-night type of captivating read. That said, if you're a fan of Monet's work or any of the Impressionists, and if you enjoy historical fiction and a good - but sad - love story, this is a satisfying read about one of the best known artists we may not have known this much about.

Monet is my favorite painter of all-time; I can't count how many times I've visited his paintings at the Art Institute, and walking through his gardens at Giverney was the experience of a lifetime.

This book was not only beautifully written, but gave such insight into Monet the person as well as Monet the painter. From his relationships with his friends to his almost obsessive need to capture the world through his paintbrush to his never-ending love for Camille, Cowell makes Monet and his life come alive.

Claude Monet knew he didn’t want to walk in his father’s footsteps, he knew there was more to life than being a merchant, he knew in his heart that he wanted to paint. He didn’t know that he would become one of the founding fathers in a school of painting known as Impressionism, didn’t know how steep a hill he would have to climb to reach the summit of his success, that he would be friends with other painters some that would go on to greatness and some that would be lost in obscurity, didn’t know waiting in a train station on his way to the army in Algiers that he would sketch a young distressed girl and that girl would become the most important part of his life and his life’s work.
Camille Doncieux knew she didn’t fit into the compartmentalized life her parents wanted for her, she knew she wanted more, she knew she wanted passion. What she didn’t know was what that passion might cost her, she didn’t know how much true love could hurt you as well as heal you, she didn’t know that a chance meeting with a young painter would be a prelude to the love of a man who’s passion would not only equal hers but exceed it.
Stephanie Cowell brought to life for me the historically accurate fictionalized story of one of the greatest painters who ever lived and brought it to me with all the pain, the joy and the turbulence in not only his life but the lives of the people around him, the people who meant the most to him and the times in history they went through as well as the history they themselves created. She gave me the inside scoop on the muse behind the man his first wife Camille, what she meant to him, what their love endured and what heartache that love caused both of them. She brought it to me in a narrative that takes me back to the time she’s covering and while the words may never have come out of any of the great master’s mouths, they could have. She showed me a true bohemian lifestyle that these artists lived and breathed and how it cost more than some of them could afford to give. And last but never least she told me one of the greatest love stories of all time in vivid detail so in my mind’s eye I watched as Monet sat in front of his easel and painted Camille.
This novel would appeal to any lover of fictionalized history, fans of literary fiction, historical fiction and those of us who love not only a great story but a terrific love story as well.

I profess that my knowledge of art and artists is limited- but I was drawn to this novel after reading positive reviews of it on a blog. The cover is just beautiful and the summary sounded absolutely fascinating- a fictionalised account of the rise of the impressionist art movement, and in particular the story of Claude Monet (one of the masters of this movement) and his muse, Camille Doncieux, and most importantly, the love that they share.

Though this book started off somewhat slowly I wasn't disappointed by the content overall. The writing flows beautifully and is a delight to read with really well done scene setting and great characterisation. I could almost smell the linseed oil and envisage the rickety artists' studio that Monet and his fellow artists inhabited in Paris as well as picture the disarray and squalor that Claude and Camille endured during times of poverty.

Though this is of course fiction, the author acknowledges a lot of what is written is based upon true events. It was interesting to read some of the quotes from not only Monet but the other impressionists at the top of each chapter. It has encouraged me to look at more of their work too (the artists studio painted by Bazille is a prime example)- the book also contains a list of paintings at the end that are featured within the novel, which is very useful and adds more depth to the story.

The romance between Claude and Camille was believable- not always the most straight-forward of relationships and with neither party being the easiest of people to live with, the novel chronicles their journey from their very first meeting. For me, though the crux of this novel was about Claude and Camille, I have to say that personally I enjoyed the details about the artists more- the friendships that they shared and their individual character traits that made them so remarkable and their paintings so worthwhile. I would really love to read more fictionalised accounts of these artists one day.

If you enjoy contemporary romantic fiction with a bit of a difference or have an interest in art then I think you would enjoy this novel. I would like to read more of this authors work in future.

*This review also appears on Amazon.co.uk*

tephanie Cowell brings Claude Monet back to life in her latest book Claude and Camille. Monet, a starving artist is haunted by a woman he saw before boarding a train. Four years later, this woman walks back into his life. Camille Doncieux, is a woman of privilege who sees potential in this down on his luck painter. Camille gives up her life of luxury and her parents approval to stay by her Monet. Their early relationship is rocky and tumultuous. Claude struggles to give his Minou everything she deserves as she adjusts to living life with a poor painter. Possessions get pawned and sold, they get evicted. But they still love each other. Both struggle under the weight of daily life, but somehow manage to survive with help from each other.
This is a beautiful real life love story. This is the second book by Stephanie Cowell that I have read. Though the books are similar in subjects, each has its own feel. Stephanie created the perfect feel of Claude and Camille. She perfectly captured both their despair and hope, as well as their gorgeous love story. This was a wonderful touching book! I even cried at the end.
Enjoy some of my favorite parts:

"His face still buried, he asked, 'Do you remember my painting of the magpie on a snowy fence in a field? I am that magpie, you see. He's so alone. I face the canvas and there's nothing there, because I think it's all been vanity with me and I've never been good enough. And I can't paint."

"'I could wipe all bad dreams away,' he said tenderly. 'I could give you a nice life. The one we always planned for. It's so odd that out of such chaos a possibility of something beautiful comes. I thought this wasn't so, but now I believe it. We must make the losses into beauty, somehow.Will you let me?'
She nodded, and even though she looked down, he could see that she was smiling. 'Yes', she said. 'All I ever wanted was a life with you. I knew it, but I was safe here. Will you make me safe again, Claude?'"

"He never told her he thought often of Camille."½

Just finished Claude and Camille: A Novel of Monet: Ho hum book but interesting and educational in the background of an "artist life in Paris 1875". Described the "true love" between Claud and Camille Monet. Monet, as so many geniuses are, was driven by his art. His art was first and foremost in his life, family, room and board came second. Not much fun to live with a genius. I had to follow up with a look at the Impressionist Art from that era.

This novel focuses on the life of Claude Monet from his first desires to become a painter in 1857 until the death of his muse, model, lover, and wife, Camille Doncieux. It takes the form of a retrospective: in between each of the novel's seven chronological sections are imagined musings of the elderly Monet in Givenchy, trying to make peace through letters to Camille's sister, Annette, who blames him for her early death. The lovers' complicated relationship shapes the less interesting strain of [Claude and Camille]. Both characters come across as rather selfish, demanding, self-pitying, and whiny. More intriguing are Monet's relationships with his fellow impressionists, Bazille, Cezanne, Pissaro, Renoir, and others, as well as his struggle to break away from his family's expectation that he take over his father's nautical supply shop. And Cowell presents a fine portrayal of the horrors of war, not only on the young men caught up in it but on the innocent bystanders. While this is not the best historical novel I've read about Monet and the impressionists, it's worth the time for those with an interest in the movement and the period.½

Stephanie Cowell immediately captures the imagination and the heart of the reader with this historical romance based on real people. Most of us know Claude Monet as a 19th century artist (best known today for his paintings of water lilys in his gardens at Giverny, France) who gained a measure of fame and importance at the end of his life. This novel shows him as a young man, head over heels in love with a young maiden who modeled for him, and whom he later married.

Cowell has done such a marvelous job of depicting the characters in life-like fashion, that I was reluctant to lay this book aside for any length of time. My eagerness to get back to the story and the depth of feeling Cowell has put into the novel made for a rather quick read. I'm only sorry it had to end.
I'll be looking for more from this author.

This review is based on an advance review copy of the novel, which I obtained from another reviewer. This review has been published on Amazon.com, Dragon Views and LibraryThing, as well as at other locations as determined appropriate by this reviewer.