Having
previously read Emile Zola’s The
Masterpiece (L’Oeuvre), which gave me some idea of the Parisian art scene
and the lives of aspiring impressionist painters of mid 19th century
France, I found this dramatized life story of Claude Monet familiar and believable.
I don’t know much about the art of painting, but Monet’s eight water lilies
murals exhibited at the Musee de L’Orangerie had strummed a heartstring in me,
as in many others. Cowell saw an interesting link between Monet’s love for
Camille Doncieux and his obsession with the painting of water lilies in his
late life, and spun an evocative yarn out of it.
In
general it is a story of romantic love between a struggling artist (Claude
Monet) and a beautiful girl from a well-heeled background (Camille Doncieux),
with all the twists and turns related to the depressing fight against poverty
and social prejudice, and to breach of loyalty between lovers and friends. Sprinkled
throughout the novel are elegant descriptions of countryside landscapes and
seascapes in various parts of France, which become Monet’s and his painter
friends’ painting targets. Towards the last fifth of the novel, the drama
heightens as tension builds up in the love triangle between Monet, his wife
Camille and his lover Alice (wife of his patron).
Overall,
it is a well-constructed romance with trimmings of the art scene in the
background, if some elements of the story lean on the make-believe side.
Personally I feel that the deliberate and frequent insertion of short French
phrases in the dialogues doesn’t add any more French flavor to them – it is a
touch unnatural and awkward.
I’m
giving this novel 3.4 stars, rounded down.
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