Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland (2007)Genre: Historical Fiction
(also has many qualities of Literary Fiction)
Summary:
In the summer of 1880, Impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir recruited friends to pose for an ambitious painting, one that would capture a moment in time to represent la vie moderne. Through the eyes of seven participants, readers are treated to the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the making of that one moment of joie de vivre caught on canvas.
Appealing aspects of the book that are characteristic of the Historical Fiction Genre:
- The accurate historical detail relating to setting and characters, with vivid descriptions of the French countryside and Parisian nightlife.
- An emphasis on characters who behave in ways that fit the time period.
- A focus on one particular event in time -- the creation of a painting that will be familiar to many readers.
- The pacing is gradual, as the painting unfolds over a succession of weekend posing sessions.
- Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland
- Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland
- Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex
- Vivaldi's Virgins by Barbara Quick
- Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper by Harriet Scott Chessman
- Marrying Mozart by Stephanie Cowell
- Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
- The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
- Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran
- The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan
- Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
- Claude and Camille by Stephanie Cowell
- Lust for Life by Irving Stone
While I have not read the book, based on your annotations I agree with you selection of Historical Fiction. Do you tend to read this genre a lot? You certainly provided lots of red-a-likes. I would be interested in knowing you personal feelings on this book, if you felt like sharing.
ReplyDeleteI lead a book club that focuses on historical fiction, so yep, I do read a ton of books in that genre. Nevertheless, I'm sure this class will open my eyes to some great resources for book suggestions!
ReplyDeleteI'm always happy when I find an author like Susan Vreeland, who does a wonderful job of delivering lots of historical detail in a way that feels organic to the story and characters. Her specialty seems to be historical fiction about artists. For instance, Girl in Hyacinth Blue is centered around a painting that may or may not be a lost Vermeer, while Clara and Mr. Tiffany is about a designer who worked with Charles Comfort Tiffany to develop his famous stained-glass lamps.
Luncheon of the Boating Party was a big hit with my book club members. I especially enjoyed the way the story unfolded slowly, just as the painting gradually took life on canvas. Renoir could not afford to rent out the busy terraced café where the models posed, so they could only use it during closed hours on Sunday afternoons. It took many successive weekends for the painting to be completed. Vreeland uses those long weeks to develop her characters and give readers a glimpse into Parisian lifestyles in the 1880s.
Very nice annotation Marcia!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a really interesting book. I've never read a story that captures one moment in time, it seems like a unique take that could get people interested in different poitns in history. I would like to see more about the storyline and characters though.
ReplyDeleteHistorical Fiction is my favorite genre and the annotation I did was for Duchess of Milan. Your read-a-likes was the section that caught my attention as I have read several of them. Leonardo's Swans was also on my readalikes section for Duchess of Milan. I look forward to seeing what other novels you enjoy as it seems we might have similar tastes in reading material.
ReplyDelete